Fajar
@_jartifical
Best of the week 8 at #nomadict 2021
I have spent hours watching National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and other tv programs and documentaries on history. Much of the knowledge I have about different places around the world comes from there. It was a huge visual stimulation that got me dreaming about visiting all those places. And since I started traveling and photographing in 2012, I was able to gather more knowledge through personal experiences.
"Also, as I started photographing, people around me invited me to their community, I began following people on Instagram and I quickly developed my skills and knowledge."
To mention just a few who inspired me to become a better travel photographer: First @bejamin, whose photographs have a 3D effect and a kind of color grading that make you look at the photos for longer than just an instant. Then, @jimmychin, who always creates impressive images that are out of the box and who largely inspired my “bucket list” for my photo tour through Europe. Last but not least, @_deepsky, who creates stunning images that makes you question whether what is pictured in the photograph is real. Because of him, I really wish to go to Japan one day for some culture and nature photography.
The first time that I got a gig myself, I felt very confused. An agency contacted me to shoot a product of a brand to showcase it. I wasn’t used to people telling me more or less what I had to photograph and how, but once I became more aware of how it works in the industry, I got more requests and with every project I learned better how to satisfy the client, so they are happy with me and my photographs.
"The winning shot was taken during a personal project where I traveled with a friend. We went to Kapas Biru Waterfall, East Java."
Unfortunately, I came late and had not so much time to enjoy that beautiful place. Though, the time that I had, I spent it feeling happy and creative. I got some ideas to shoot the beautiful golden hour there and could enjoy it until the sun went down. In these kinds of moments I always remember to never waste a single, precious moment.
I wanted to capture the magnificence of the waterfall in the middle of the dense forest, and with this aerial angle I feel I managed to do just that. With the edit, I always try to highlight what makes me vibrate the most and what I want the viewers to see. Each photo has a unique story, and each photo deserves a unique edit that shows your passion, your story. Being yourself will always result in the best result, I believe!
This was just one of the many amazing locations we have in Indonesia. Out of the places I was able to visit and photograph till today, these are my five favorite ones: Padar island and Komodo national park, Raja Ampat Papua, Merapi Volcano in Yogyakarta, Borobudur temple in Central Java, Sumba island.
That I could visit all these places and in addition, photograph them, is largely thanks to the support of my family and friends who have been with me and encouraged me from the very start till today. Although, my father initially thought photography was hard to survive on and I wouldn’t make it – but I never gave up trying and proving that as long as it was my passion, I would be able to find a way to make it work. Now I am an orphan, my father passed away three years ago, but I have my small family and my wife, whom I will keep showing that I can survive with photography, and even thrive, by following my passion.
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