Sometimes I go back through the pictures I haven’t uploaded or processing and yesterday I discovered these from a trip to Jakarta back in 2007.
The people there were incredibly friendly and even though it was a hardcore poor area (like a slum) I felt safe at all times.
Everyone was really happy to have their picture taken and most posed willingly. It was quite an experience, I was staying around the Ciputra area in Jakarta.
There are of course the Indonesian versions of the venerable Thai tuk-tuk known as a ‘bajaj’.
And this industrious fella on his bike fully loaded up.
Then there’s the people which gravitated towards my lens, flocking to be in frame and giving their best pose and hand signal. This fella was just riding along on his bicycle.
This friendly looking fella was a bajaj driver looking for customers, non of them hassled me for a ride tho. I guess it’s not much of a tourist area.
This fella was one of a bunch just sitting around smoking kretek and chatting, it seems like no one around there needs to work.
This fella had one hell of a stylo pose, a motobike taxi driver. Quite common over there, especially with the traffic. The fastest way to get anywhere is to hope on the back of a motorcycle.
Another very happy bike taxi driver. They really are jolly people!
Tired looking newspaper seller, it’s hard work and dusty too with all the car/bike fumes.
And of course the slum kids, knocking on car windows and playing their little guitars to try and earn some money.
This girl was happy when I took her picture though.
You can see the full set here:
The motorbike taxi driver must have been a heavy metal band vocalist in his previous life. 😉
when u went Jakarta? N u found many natural Indonesian posers
nice pics 🙂
🙂 Nostalgia! I stayed at the Ciputra too and by God what a dump that hotel was! But the people were just amazing. Your photographs are damn good man. They capture the lovely stylishness of a people who may not be the richest in the world but are millionaires whether you count smiles or the Rupiahs :D.
An aside on the ‘bajaj’. Its probably called so because the largest manufacturer of them is a company called Bajaj in India. In India of course they are the omnipresent “auto-rickshaws”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorickshaw
Amazing pictures and places. I have never thought of taking pictures around these areas can be amazing, eventhough I live around something similar everyday. 🙂
amazing, the people over there seems to be very happy.
Huai Bin: Haha yah he has one hell of a look right.
Myhorng: See the photo date loh, March 2007.
blogjunkie: Thanks.
Chatts: Yah lucky I didn’t stay there, stayed at some boutique hotel in a trendy area. Just went to that area to take pics. Yah noticed the Bajaj site when googling, India power!
surfnux: Thanks, you should go out. Street photography is the power of capturing everyday people and things in interesting and compelling ways.
Darren: Yah poor but happy and friendly.
Somehow, Jakarta looks like India… Maybe after watching Slumdog Millionaire, everywhere looks like India :p Anyway, nice photos! Mind to share a few tricks? Cause my sister just bought a Nikon D60 and she don’t know how to use it :p
Kit Kat: I guess, squalor is squalor and poor areas are same everywhere. Tricks..spend 2-3k on books, another 2-3k attending workshops, take pics every day and spend 10 hours a day reading photography/photoshop tutorials online. After 18 months should be ok la 😀
bike taxi is known as “Ojek” in the local language 😉
headsteadi: Thanks! Shall remember that for next time.