Last Updated on 09/24/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
All photos by Hengki Koentjoro. Used with Creative Commons permission.
It’s been a few years since our spotlight was on the serene monochrome work of Jakarta-based Hengki Koentjoro. So, it’s time once more for us to dive into the mood of his landscape snaps. The latest of these landscapes feature scenes from Balian Beach in Bali, Indonesia. If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to capture the beauty of nature in black and white, you’ll get a good fill from this series.
As Koentjoro tells us, Balian Beach is situated in West Bali and can be reached by a 90-minute drive north of Seminyak. He describes it as a sacred spot, sitting on the edge of a volcanic black sand beach, with a beautiful cliff shaped by Nature itself. It’s perfect for long scenic walks, and popular among yoga training groups as well as surfers searching for year-round waves.
As with his previous work, these snaps showcase both the beauty of the location and Koentjoro’s affinity to minimalist approaches in landscape photography. Despite the energy emanating from the roaring waves hitting the shore, there’s also still a relaxing calmness in the work. By opting to capture the sweeping vistas of Balian Beach in black and white, he is able to simplify the scenes to highlight its best-known qualities: the black sand and the surf-worthy waves.
If a contrasty, visually austere approach like this is something you’d like to incorporate into your work, we have more for you. You may also be inspired by the impressive works of Vassilis Tangoulis, George Digalakis, Damien Guiot, Andreas Urscheler, and Philipp Apler (just to name a few).
Do check out Hengki Koentjoro’s website and Behance portfolio to see more of his atmospheric and minimalist black and white photography.