Ranan Samanya Photography
fashion runways, portraits & personal branding, environment, and documentary photography
Jakarta-Bekasi Commuter Line
An aircon train that cost us only less than one US Dollar to travel 24km? First I couldn’t believe it. I thought I would be traveling in a dirty and rotten train. But no, the Jakarta-Bekasi Commuter Line is anything but that. Entering the cabin reminds me of entering a Singapore MRT. The aircon was cold, the cabins were clean, and the seats well cushioned. The officers were friendly. It was on time, and before every stop there was an announcement. It even has a women’s only cabin!
People said that it’s very crowded during peak hours, so if you want to enjoy the line, try to choose off-peak hours of the day. There is also one that connects Jakarta to Bogor and Tanggerang. From Jakarta, the best option is to start from Jakarta Kota station, although it also stops at several other small stations like Manggarai and Juanda. Please note thought, that it doesn’t stop in Gambir station (which is a pity, but one officer explained that they had to do this since Gambir is a controlled station with boarding pass, unlike other smaller stations from which we can hop in and out).
You may have noticed that I’m now using my 40mm pancake. The second cheapest prime lens from Canon after its 50mm II f/1.8, the lens a sheer joy to use. More of this later. The first and last pictures are three frames HDR.
beading
Not all sea nomads are living in remote areas in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago. The community in Berakit, East Bintan Island, is an example. Most of them are living in permanent houses and have slightly changed their life routines.
I captured this elderly woman busy with beads when visiting the community on a hot afternoon just before downpour. These beads were ordered by a Singaporean on a routine basis. It helped her family’s economy. It also creates more productivity in the family. Behind her, one of the family member was repairing fishing nets, getting ready to head seaward in the evening.
a fun pre-wedding session
One fine day… no, actually it was one hot afternoon. I have just wrapped up my visit to Bandung’s historical Asia-Africa street and was walking back to my lodge, when the following scene popped up out of nowhere.
Two very young couple was preparing their pre-wedding photos. That’s right: under the hot sun, in between the traffic jam. I stopped to observe the photographer, but changed focus to the young couple – clearly the wife to be was the dominant one. I couldn’t resist but to grab my camera and shot a few frames.
Then an elderly Caucasian couple passed by. They too were fascinated by the scene, and followed my lead in taking pictures. For a while this looked like a photo session – a free one!
After a few clicks, wife-to-be said something like “Oh c’mon, let’s take picture together, Uncle!” No, she was not addressing me (and how could she?). Uncle and Aunty stood by them… wait… the photographer’s assistant also looked to this chance and without hesitation went in! Great! It was a happy session: everybody smiled.
I hope the young couple had a great wedding party and live happily ever after.
Enjoy your weekend!
the almost abandoned Braga Bandung
Braga Street, Bandung. This used to be the place of the jet set. That is, during the colonial times. But even after those times, it continued to be a popular place for food and architectural history. Until early 2000, when new malls and other modern buildings started to steal its visitors.
When I passed by this street a few months back, it was like passing an abandoned area: empty restaurants, closed cafes, and (according to my daughter) haunted houses. Street artists sitting in emptiness, waiting for potential customers who would buy their oil paintings.
I hope it was just a quiet afternoon. I hope Braga is still alive. It has to be alive, it has a lot of history. Here’s a short glimpse of that afternoon.
Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.
Dreams and Reality, in awe
Last year the National Museum of Singapore opened a special exhibition entitled Dreams and Reality: Masterpieces of Paintings, Drawing and Photography from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Over 140 paintings, photographs and drawings from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century were on display. The exhibition explored the reaction of man towards modernity at the turn of the century from 1848 to 1914.
As much as I enjoyed the displays, I was pretty much amazed by the way people stood in front of the paintings, stared at them for quite a long time, in silence. Here are a few that I managed to capture.
The first that attracted my attention was definitely Van Gogh. His infamous Starry Night (1889) was displayed against a black background in a dim room. The way it was displayed and how light was focused only on the painting was cleverly done. His quote on top of the wall where his painting hung completed the whole scene. I noticed this is one painting that attracted many to be pictured with.
Next to my attention was Monet’s Portrait of Madame Gaudibert (1868). M. and Mme Gaudibert of Le Havre were the generous and understanding couple who came to Monet’s rescue in a year of cumulative misfortunes. Honestly I know Monet because my mother hung a lot of his work all over the house when I was small. I am too dumb to understand the skill that Monet put to reproduce the dull satin into an attractive colour of this life size art. Ladies were the ones who stood here for a long time, probably envisaging to be in such a fine Parisian dress.
This Dancers Climbing a Staircase (1886-1890) by Degas caught my eyes because I could actually felt them moving. Those who know Degas will know that about half of his works are devoted to ballet. Over here, grandmas, mothers and daughters dominated the crowd. And moi.
The Lady with the Glove (1869) was Carolus-Duran’s first large scale portrait work. Here he painted his wife. It actually won a medal back then. Anybody who encountered this piece would stop in awe: it is huge (at 228 by 164 cm). Yet delicate. Yes, anybody.
First I thought this is a painting of a female. But I was mistaken. Young Boy with a Cat (1868 – 1869) was Renoir’s piece. And for me this is a strange piece, not the typical Renoir we would find. Would you believe me if I tell you that Renoir made this when he was only 27? People would usually stopped by, looked at each other, some would smile, and continued. I think if we let a cat pass by it will also stop and miauw.
Take care and enjoy your weekend.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette
Ha Long bay has been one of my favourite destinations. I was lucky to get a rather complete picture of the bay, from early morning until late night in perfect weather, without many tourists around. Here’s a time when the bay was not too crowded with cruises, when fishermen still have space of their own, in their bamboo-woven canoes. Time stood still. The scene took my breath away.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Big
A pinisi (or phinisi) is an Indonesian traditionally made 2-mast wooden ship, usually with a length between 30 – 50m. Originally from South Sulawesi, many are now equipped with engines and used extensively for transporting cargo within Indonesian waters.
Sunda Kelapa harbour in Jakarta is one classic harbour great as photo-hunting area of these ships. In this picture, a few fishermen took advantage of the huge hull of a pinisi berthing at the harbour to shade them from the morning sun while they waited for their baits to be taken by the fish. Come early in the morning and start the day with them!
cautious Singapore
If yo have been to Singapore, most probably you will have tried its MRT (Mass Rapid Transport), which runs almost always underground. The MRT is such a fun place to go hunting for shots. And I can’t help to notice so many warning signs. I mean, almost every single meter there is a warning sign! They are so abundant in red, yellow and green, in its four different official languages (English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil).
And some of them made me laugh. Seriously, when I stop to read “CAUTION – Keep Clear – This Door May Open Without Warning” (see my last shot), that door may suddenly open before I keep myself clear!
Ranan Samanya Photography 
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