When living in Indonesia, Ogik was often doing street photography. In 2016 he moved to Austria and felt in love with the Austrian landscapes. He started taking photos of the surroundings near where he was living; Since then focused more on landscape photography. However, only after reading an interview with photographer and content creator Dylan Furst (@fursty) he got serious about photography. Now he has made himself familiar with the Austrian landscapes and can’t wait for the first snowflakes to fall, turning Austria into an outstanding beautiful white winter wonderland.
Ogik has a specific style of taking photos, but also of editing them. His love for mountains, water and leaves makes that he often uses blueish/greenish colors and he often searches for natural elements to create a foreground. Enjoying the process of photography itself, including the preparation, the shooting and the postproduction, is very important for Ogik. “Photography is something you commit to because you really love it, because if it’s for money, you’d rather do something else.”
Ogik believes that an editing style is a great tool to distinguish yourself among photographers. However, he is convinced that originality also comes from the photo itself, and more precisely, the location. Though he would love to discover many other countries, he mentioned: “I strongly believe in exploring places around where I live and in finding extraordinary beauty nearby, rather than having to go far to capture amazing places that everyone has already seen so often.”
Do you want to know where to go to shoot mountains and waterfalls in Indonesia and read some more photography tips from Ogik? Keep on reading!
Welcome Ogik!
First of all, can you tell us what lead you into the world of photography?
Before I moved to Austria I was interested in the world of photography. First, when I was in Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia), I often did street photography. When I moved to Austria, I realized that this country was very beautiful. Even the surroundings near where I was living were very beautiful so I got more into landscape photography. Once, I accidentally watched an interview with a photographer and content creator, named Dylan Furst (@fursty). Since then I took the decision to become more serious about photography.
You are originally from Indonesia, have you been shooting and traveling there as well? Could you recommend us some photography spots in Indonesia?
Of course I have photographed places in Indonesia, but maybe not that many because Indonesia is very broad. I have been in Bali, East Java, Central Java and also Yogjakarta. I highly recommend those who love the mountains and waterfalls, Central Java and Yogjakarta are the places to go, also for the culture. For those who like beaches and diving, Bali and parts of East Indonesia is a paradise.
There are many photographers out there nowadays. How would you describe yourself as photographer and how do you make sure you distinguish yourself?
This is probably the most difficult question. What distinguishes me from other photographers may be in terms of editing and also the way of taking a picture itself. I often use elements such as leaves or twigs as a foreground. I also strongly believe in exploring places around where I live and finding extraordinary beauty nearby, rather than having to go far to shoot amazing places that everyone has already seen quite often.
You are using blue/green colors and shades in many of your photos. Can you tell us about your editing style and explain your editing process with an example?
Yes, it’s true that I often use green and blue for my edits. That’s because most of my photos are dominated by water and leaf elements. I always give a blue color to the shadow and as much as possible I will enter the color green. In terms of white balance I also use blue.
What is your approach when it comes to planning your trip and finding your ideal locations?
To determine which destinations I will visit, I will first choose those where I have never been before. Secondly, I try to find a place with water and leaves as much as possible. The weather at the destination also determines; I love visiting foggy places in the morning. I usually do some research in advance on Google or Instagram to inform myself about the options.
As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. All your pictures represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like? What is your favorite photo?
It is hard to determine which is my most favorite photo, but I do have one. It’s a photo from Südtirol. I love that photo because of the memory and the view; seeing a mountain lightening up with the sunrise.
What is the most beautiful thing that travel has allowed you to do?
The most beautiful thing of traveling is actually seeing place with your own eyes, that before you could only look at on the screen of your phone. It is literally incredible and it just leaves me speechless sometimes. Besides, traveling allows me to meet new friends, experience other cultures and learn other languages, which I really value as well. For example, last year when I traveled to Indonesia, I met many people who I had only known from Instagram.
Imagine yourself at the beginning of your professional career as a photographer. What four pieces of advice would you give to yourself?
Go out more and take more photos;
Know the advantages and disadvantages of your camera;
Go deeper into editing techniques, because now the editing process is becoming a very important part;
Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?
As I said before, Dylan Furst (@fursty) was my first inspiration. I really like the old photos from him. He turns bad weather conditions into very beautiful photos. Furthermore, I almost like all members of @germanroamers. Focussing on Austria, I really like the photos of my friend @josefwittibschlager. He can be found at the mountain almost all the time; his photos from sunrise are amazing.
Talking about Indonesia, I really admire the work of @andybachtiar, he is very clever in using blue in his photos.
Probably you have lots of places on your wishlist to visit and photograph! Any new projects coming up or countries you will be visiting soon?
Every photographer really wants to go to Iceland, so do I. Hopefully next summer it can happen. The Scandinavian countries also offer aurora that should be so beautiful. And New Zealand, with unbeatable views. Too many places I want to visit!
For the short term, I guess I will explore Austria a bit more. There are still many places that I haven’t visited. Winter will come soon and Austria will be beautiful. Indonesia has always been a place that I will visit again. Eastern Indonesia is very, very beautiful.
“Stay curious and motivated. But don’t try to find motivation only in photography looking at other photographers’ work. There are many sources of inspiration such as music or movies for instance.”
“The sun shone and I turned off my emails and shot a lot of analogue work. It was so refreshing to reset and remind myself why I do what I do.”
“My favorite location I’ve traveled to was the Faroe Islands. It’s just a heaven on the Earth! It made my heart beat faster and I even see it in my dreams!”
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