Interview with ROBBY WAHYUDI ONGGO, INDONESIA
Take any picture you like, never be afraid if the result is not the one you want.
Welcome, Robby! Mind telling us about yourself and your story on how you got into film photography?
Robby: Well, I got my first attention to film photography when Lomo and Plastic Cam entered Jakarta, Indonesia. After i graduated from high school (2008), I often borrow my friend’s camera which is a Lomo Diana F+. But at that year, out of nowhere the trend of Lomo and Plastic Cam disappear and I don't know why, honestly. Then, my friend ask me if I can do their photos for an EP project with film camera. It makes me want to dig more about film, at that time I still dont have my own camera so I just borrowed from my friend which is a Fujifilm MDL 7. Because of that, thanks to him he just “there, its for you then” lol. The results that I take from film makes me intrigued even more and it is become really addictive to explore any type of film. From cheap to highly priced (reasonable for my wallet ofc). It's so on and on, until I change my camera into Nikon FM2 that I buy from my hard work. And that is become my first camera that accompanied me to everywhere and everyday until this moment.
What type of film do you use and what camera do you use it with? Why do you prefer these?
Robby: I like to experiment with roll film, anything like that. But if I can choose, I will gladly choose Kodak Pro Ektar 100. That roll film is my first love. Its daylight balanced color negative film, characterized by an ultra-vivid color palette, high saturation, and extremely fine grain structure. Utilizing the cinematic vision film technology, this film’s smooth grain profile pairs with a micro-structure optimize t-grain emulsion to make it especially well-suited to scanning applications, and advanced development accelerators offer extended versatility when making enlargements. Which is, that is the perfect character color that I want to be. I like Nikon FM2 because its more robust and it reminds me of my mom who’s always use that kind of camera when i was a kid. I want to remember it.
What do you think film has that digital doesn't have?
Robby: I'm not really think about that. There is always pros and cons, but there are some things that can not be obtained from digital to analog. The color tone and also the grain that never be the same even if they use photoshop.
Do you print your own photographs or are you comfortable having them printed in a lab?
Robby: I'm not really believe myself to print the photographs. It was handled to a skilled person, and I keep it with digital format for myself. I don't have time to learn how, but I actually really wanna know about the process.
What motivates you to continue making photographs with film? Have you learned anything about yourself through film photography?
Robby: The curiosity motivates me, each results makes me want to do more and more because there are more things that digital camera cant do, like I said before. The process is one of the reason why I keep using analogue, I like capturing a moment that can consume by the public. Because of that 73/5000 I happen to appreciate the process personally. Analogue teach me about interpreting time and pictures in each frame.
Are there any photographers that influenced your way of making pictures?
Robby: Alex Webb, Martin Parr, Bruce Davidson, James Nachtwey and my friend Hafitz Maulana.
Do you see any value or merit shooting with film?
Robby: I never the one to think about the value lol, it's just fun using analogue, it makes me happy. The results, the memories, the people that i shoot. It brings back the moment.
What do you think your future is like with film photography?
Robby: And this too! Hahaha I never think my future with analogue. I use it everyday, and will use it again. Until i bored with it.
What’s your dream photography project?
Robby: I do! I would love to capture the beautiful Indonesia and the tribes. Someday, hopefully.
Would you like to offer some good words to those who want to try film photography for the first time? What must they learn before venturing into this format?
Robby: Take any picture you like, never be afraid if the result is not the one you want. Click, and click it again if you think that would be a good one. The process is the one you have to enjoy! Never quickly satisfied because your ideas will be deadlocked.
If you want to check more of Robby's work, follow him on Instagram and check the rest of his photographs posted there.
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Be considerate. All photographs shown on this page are the sole property of Robby Wahyudi Onggo. He devoted his time and worked hard on these photographs. You are not allowed to copy, download, reproduce, reprint, modify, distribute, publicly display, license, transfer or sell content retrieved from this page in any way, for any public or commercial use or to any commercial source, including other websites, without prior written permission of Robby Wahyudi Onggo. Be nice! You don’t want to go to jail, do you?
Well now, if you are a passionate film photographer and would like to be interviewed? I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at mapamelvin@gmail.com with the subject, "Interview me", and share your story, thoughts, and work related to film photography. I’ll get back to you as soon as I receive your request for an interview.
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Cheers!
Mel