Last Updated on 01/03/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
All images by Arry Ramadhan. Used with Creative Commons permission.
Not so long ago, we came across a video saying that the eight-year-old Fujifilm FinePix X100 still makes a perfect shooting companion. There were some sample photos included to make the case strong, but if you still need some convincing, we have just the stuff for you. More than just sample photos, the street snaps of Jakarta-based art director and street photographer Arry Ramadhan will inspire you to photo walk in your own city if you haven’t done so in a while.
Ramadhan’s Jakarta Street Photography is as straightforward as the title suggests; snippets and slices of life around the Indonesian capital and its surrounding areas. It shows the other side of Jakarta, with its gritty realities and everyday characters. There’s an interesting variety of imagery present in the whole collection; lines, shadows, facial expressions, movement, and activity. All of these are held together by his choice to render them in clean and contrasty black and white, a classic treatment for most street photography.
However, also noteworthy is how the photos can still stand up to the output of today’s latest cameras in terms of overall quality. Ramadhan may have taken these photos a few years back, but they still look great by today’s standards. Take into account the fact that the FinePix X100 came out in 2008 and you have a strong example of how outstanding photography doesn’t depend on having the latest gear.
Want to see more of these X100 snaps from Ramadhan? He continued to shoot more of Jakarta’s everyday life and people for a series of black and white street portraits called Dialoque. Another series worth checking out is his photo essay shot in color in Sunda Kalapa, the old port of Jakarta.
Check out Arry Ramadhan’s photo blog and Behance portfolio to see more of his work.