Wednesday, February 9, 2011

like no one's watching

i admire and aspire to be a woman who is completely at ease with herself...
this spread is in dewi magazine's January 2011 issue. 





and these are the ones that did not make it. 



do you notice there are absolutely no heels? :) 

Co-stylist: Zia Baagil 
Photography: luki for lukimages
Make Up & Hair: Philips Kwok
Model: Marcella @JIM
Location: Emilie Restaurant et Bar 

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

On Styling/ Maria Farida Indrati

I've always felt rather insecure about my styling skills. Unlike most of my talented stylist friends, I tend to have a rather laid-back approach towards beauty. I'm inclined to believe in the innate beauty in all of us but sometimes I do wonder if I'm just lazy. I like the collaborative aspect of putting a spread together--the reference research, the brainstorming of concepts, the building of narrative. I like prepping for a shoot, it gets me excited and nervous at the same time. I'll always be a writer first and foremost but the rewards of producing visuals are more tangible, I feel. People react almost instantaneously to an image they like or dislike. With writing, I'm not so sure. I don't even know if people read. 

In any case, after months of hoping, I was finally allowed to do some styling for Dewi. Of course, my favorite part of the assignment was the opportunity to assemble my favorite group of people together. Although I tend to be quite flexible with concepts, I am picky about the people I work with. Respect and trust are crucial. Trust me, they're hard to come by. There are lots of photographers but not many of them are able to appreciate subtlety. I like subtle. Having said that, I'm very blessed to have had the opportunity to work with luki and I am thankful that he pushed me out of my comfort zone. We did a profile shot of Indonesia's first female constitutional judge, Prof. Dr. Maria Farida Indrati, S.H, M.Hum. Whatever concerns I might have had, disappeared the minute luki's shutter clicked. I felt at ease. And I'm very proud of the result--not only because they're aesthetically beautiful but because they are images of of a woman who is educated, enabled, empowered. Here's the image that made it into the magazine: 

And here are the ones that didn't:



Click here for the full-length article by Rustika Herlambang, Dewi's own feature editor and a respected journalist in her own right. 

And this is why I love what I do. 


Photography by luki for lukimages
Wardrobe by Oka Diputra
Make Up by Ditto Purnomo