Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, October 17, 2010 | 3 photos

All of the photos were taken in my trip to Tana Toraja, around 300 km north of Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The 1st photo was during the morning drive to reach the rafting spot. It was quite an adventure, since we're litterally going up and down the mountains. For me, it was also a personal record, because we reached to around 1500 meters above sea level.
The 2nd photo was at the last check point, where we have to left the car and continued the journey by foot. It was a very small settlement, only 4 or 5 houses around. This old lady caught my eye, not just because the fact that 80% of the people who lived there are elders, but more over, apparently somehow she represent a bigger problem which is faced by the Torajan people, where most of the young people don't really care about their culture anymore, and prefer to live in the big cities.
The 3rd pictures are tombs. The Torajan people burried their deceased in stones, usually high above the stone mountains.
I'm so far from what people called as a photographer, but I've always been fascinated by photos. Especially the ones which are trying to communicate something through that certain angle, a certain point of view. For me, how a certain time and space framed by a photo can represent a 'bigger picture' is simply breathtaking. I personally love how a photo can give that sensation, where I can think and feel at the same time. It's an amazing feeling which I very much like to share with everyone else, if I'm selected to receive this scholarship.