Sarah Latour

At the beginning, I was acquainted with photography world – honestly – not from an enthusiasm to cameras and photographing, but anger and disappointment. Besides a dream to be a painter and an absence of gears and facilities, I did not know how to use camera correctly. Thus, I had to retake photography class twice; I thought it was useless at that time.

Not to be left behind, I tried to use scanner as a camera and learned to “retouch” my unpleasant photo image to be “fairly better.” As a result, I could get rid of this photography class “thing,” though with an average score. After college, came up a curiosity toward photography. When a friend existed and succeeded in photography world, I was “aroused” to a rivalry.

This feeling and the equipment-lack problem were ammunitions triggering me to learn photography better. After changing jobs several times, I was accepted in a music magazine as a photographer. My first day did not go well. I could not even turn on the studio lighting. With ambitions, guts and some basic knowledge on camera, I had always been trying to create works and learn – until today. As a magazine photographer, I have to produce good photos with a minimum time and preparation.
As I do not skill much technical knowledge, I have to try hard to maximize the photo result – conceptualizing, photographing and finishing.

Obviously, digital software is my daily best friend. For me, a media photographer, this facility absolutely works on; to work on the magazine or as a creative media only – an idealist lust impossibly expressed on the magazine. In all chances, I tend to be critical, both toward something unpleasant and pleasant (of course, critical here is not always negative) – from some things around me to other things necessarily criticized. For me, this critical attitude is what behind the eclecticism of my personal (non-commercial) works. Besides being critical; reading, watching films and hunting any art exhibitions are very useful to enhance knowledge and give new ideas to create works. I cannot deny that this digitalization era are both giving enhancement and transformation in our photography world.

It is now transforming “again” in the process of “self-justification” in its position (perhaps) as one branch of arts. I think, we should take care of it carefully. Many people suddenly become photographers (like me), then become copycats; drown and teased in the beauty fakeness of money glory, without thinking about the idea, meaning and its effect to the life of photography world.
Besides, there is a principle and an antipathy toward a particular change or transformation happens in our daily life. This kind of attitudes, unconsciously, will only bring our photography world to stagnancy, and someday, will drag us to a bad luck. For that, let us fix us, to make the Indonesian photography world better and healthier

Daniel Kreimer
http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/critical-and-eclectic-photography-1218973.html