Nervous Journey

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Indonesia | Sunday, January 13, 2013 | 5 photos

Everything was begun two years ago. I was having a trip with my very first pocket camera which I bought from a good friend of mine when suddenly I fell in love with photography. What attracted me most was its feature called “Sweep Panorama”. And after that, I started out writing of what I had taken and uploading them onto my blog.

At the beginning, I was really keen to make documentations of the beauties of nature, landscape and culture of Indonesian. I thought that capturing special moments on earth and then writing something about it based on my own point of view would be fun as it still happens now. Fortunately, I’m working for an oil and gas company and have 2-1 work schedule, meaning two weeks on-duty and a week off-duty, which has enabled me doing my hobbies such as traveling, writing and photography during my days off.

In May 2012, I bought myself a DSLR camera for my 34th birthday, completed with some of its accessories. It was much like a form of love and promise of mine to photography as I wanted to dedicate a part of my life to it, even though I would get no financial benefit from it. Seven months later, I won a photo competition from National Geographic Indonesia which was sponsored by a car manufacturer. A beginner’s luck.

I think that having a DSLR is a commitment. It can possibly be as strong as a marriage. Unlike using a pocket camera, there are so many features of it and techniques that I have to learn. Honestly, I’m still nervous using a DSLR sometimes, just like having a date with a girl. But my feelings and intuitions have guided me doing the right things. I just let everything flow as much as I can enjoy.

It could be something obsessive if I dream of becoming a travel photographer at this age, but what’s impossible to get if I’m doing a hard-work, having a good will and strong commitment. Finally, I hope I can improve my photography skills through this competition, because I think photography depends not only on intuitions and feelings, but also good and proper techniques.