Famous and Professional Photographer Profiles: RARINDRA PRAKARSA : LEADING LIGHT

RARINDRA PRAKARSA'S INDONESIAN PHOTOGRAPHS ARE CAPTIVATING. HE REVEALS HIS APPROACH TO PHOTOGRAPHY, WORKING WITH BEAUTIFUL LIGHT AND THE TECHNIQUES BEHIND WHATS BEEN DUBBED BY ADMIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS AS THE 'RARINDRA EFFECT'

EVERY MONTH I try to take two weekend trips out of Jakarta to one of Indonesia's 15 main islands to take photographs that can be used to promote tourism. Most of the time I end up in West Java or East Java Province as they're near to Jakarta, where I live, but once a year I go further afield for a week-long photo expedition, most recently to Bali and Lombok.

Indonesia has about 14,000 islands, each home to different cultures, people and environments - there's a lot I'm yet to see and shoot. An increasing number of photographers are seeing the potential in Indonesia for photography, too, which is why I also run trips for amateurs. 'Most of these images here were taken during my last commercial photography trip in West Sumatra, in February. Along with Malaysian professional photographer Steve Chong, I took 24 professional photographers from five countries, so the word is definitely spreading.

Many people assume that the beautiful rays of light in this picture were 'Photoshopped'- but they're real. This location has lots of morning mist and when the sun rises over the hill, it creates large rays of light. It was a coincidence that the farmer and boy were passing across the paddy field at the time."

West Sumatra is one of the most beautiful places in Indonesia; its natural beauty and culture are incredibly diverse and distinct. Photographers are drawn to it for many reasons, but most notably the Minangkabau and Mentawai people - made famous by the photographer Joey Lawrence. Three or four times a year they also hold Pacu Jawi; a festival of cow/ox races. The jockey leads two cows through a muddy paddy field for about 50 metres, and the one who runs the fastest and straightest wins. It's been a local tradition for hundreds of years, but it's only in the last five that it's become of interest to professional photographers. Other interesting places are Sianok Canyon, Nirwana Beach, Singkarak Lake and Lembah Anai Waterfall.

Many locations in Indonesia are yet to be photographed and there's never a shortage of new subjects to shoot, even for the seasoned Indonesian famous photographer. The best time to come, though, is May to August as it's summer here. ‘Beautiful lighting is what inspires me. and I'm always exploring ways to capture dramatic pictures with available light. Since Indonesia is traversed by the equator and the Ring of Fire, the lighting can vary dramatically. Some places are humid, others hot and dry, each affecting the light differently.

The mountains are usually where you find mist especially in West Java, East Java, West Sumatra, Bali and Papua. On the other hand, it's hard to find mist anywhere in Nusa Tenggara and in some parts of Borneo. A combination of the mist, heat and early morning sun creates the atmosphere in my images. Most people think that the rays of light are a Photoshop effect, but it's far more difficult to produce the effect with natural-looking results in post-production than is to get up early and shoot backlit portraits a s the rays shine through the mist.

I get similar effects by backlighting dust and smoke, too, which is another technique I like to use. Typically, I do all my photography in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is just rising or setting for low-angle lighting, opting to backlight or side-light subjects for dramatic high- contrast scenes. During the day. I'll usually move indoors where I'll use the diffused light through a window or doorway to create contrast.

I spend most of my time observing and photographing people living in villages on the islands. I stage about half my pictures, but they're still a true reflection of the community's everyday lives. As I only have about 30-60 minutes of good light with, if I'm lucky, good weather, I have to arrange shots or pose portraits. Similarly if I'm doing a workshop, if I was to wait for a good' moment in good lighting every time, we wouldn't get many photographs. When I shoot farmers or market scenes, they're candid. I always introduce myself to the subject: I don't just start shooting. Very rarely does the person say 'no' to being photographed, but if they do then I just try to think of a different way of approaching them next time in the hope of a better result.

With kids it's different. They act and express themselves spontaneously, so I always let them behave how they want. I love capturing children playing traditional games, in the trees and meadows, or with their pets. Outside of Jakarta, children use beaches, rivers and lakes as their playgrounds. There's a small river in a remote part of Bogor, West Java, where you can photograph children showering, or washing their bikes and buffaloes in the early morning.

The West Java people are known for their friendliness, so as long as you ask they don’t mind if you photograph them - even if they're showering. 'Each of my pictures has its own story and mood. Most of the time I can capture my imagination in-camera, typically using a Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon 17-40mm f/4L,Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 or Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS. And unless I'm creating a surrealistic image, editing is as simple as changing the White Balance during the Raw file conversion or making tones warmer or cooler depending on the ambience I want. I often edit the background separately too by selecting the subjects and making a series of colour and tonal adjustments to enhance the light's hue. I then load the selected subjects on to a new layer, fill them with black and change the layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light to help them stand out from the background. Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter what editing I do if I don't capture the right light in the right place at the right time ".

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