A deeper look at things with 'Second Eye'

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Even with 20/20 vision in both eyes, people often see less of the world around them than they ought. Or perhaps they just take the familiar for granted and become surprised when a more discerning observer points out to them what should have been obvious.

Photographers, more than others, have the gift of vision. They can capture a moment in time through their cameras and alter the way people see the things around them; making the mundane intriguing.

The exhibition at Antara Journalistic Photo Gallery (GFJA) in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, showcased the work of 25 amateur photographers based on a workshop they attended for six months at GFJA.

Which was why the montage of photographs on display were more about the "awakening" of the people who took the pictures rather than any particular theme.

The 25 new photographers -- 14 from the basic photography class, and 11 from the journalistic photography class -- in a sense are just beginning to discover their "second sight". Which is also the theme of the exhibition, Mata Kedua (Second Eye).

It may seem unfair to judge the two classes on equal terms, as students in the journalistic class are expected to already be familiar with the technicalities involved in analog photography (as opposed to digital photography).

However, photography as a form of art is not about technical perfection. When used properly, techniques can improve a photograph but they do not solely determine whether a photograph is good or not. A photograph's emotional or aesthetic value may be more important to the onlooker than its illustration of technique.

At the exhibition it was obvious that while some photographers already had the ability to paint a thousand words through their pictures, others were still struggling finding the words.

From the basic photography class, Handri Karya's Pasar Pagi (Morning Market) is an example of work in which the creator knows exactly what he is aiming at: Dynamics.

The glare of the electric lamp shining on a solitary seller preparing her commodities, the various goods still stacked neatly, and the fact that despite the blur of activity (people and a bicycle passing) nobody has yet to stop by the stalls. Without looking at the title, an onlooker can immediately sense this was an early morning scene at a traditional market.

From the same class, Over the Top by Anita Desyanti, is about taking a shot at the right angle, at the right time. It would not have been so impressive, not to mention out of context, from a different angle.

On the other hand, photographs displayed by students of GFJA's photo journalism class leave nothing to the imagination. Instead of letting the pictures convey their own messages, lengthy texts were provided to explain the sequenced photographs.

Again the struggle about what to "say" through pictures were evident here. Many relied on the written words to piece together their story, resulting in disjointed, often unconnected photographs.

Only a few really knew how to go about showing their story through photographs.

Elrika Hamdi's The Dr. DJ is a well sequenced series of photographs about a disc jockey (DJ) who is also a medical student in the daytime.

Six photographs in turn show the DJ's night time activity -- the tools of his trade, the distractions of his profession -- and his daytime student life.

Unfortunately, Elrika failed to show clearly the DJ as a medical student. What the onlooker sees is a classroom scene -- which, following the photo of the DJ's turntable, made it look more like a DJ school -- and the DJ donning a doctor's jacket. Perhaps a campus scene with the DJ wearing a doctor's jacket would make it clearer, or a scene in which the two worlds actually collided.

Although not quite achieving his intended goal, Sutrisno's Kuda Lumping Nasibnya Nungging (Kuda Lumping's Wretched Fate) was also intelligently thought out. The sequences of Kuda Lumping traditional art were well-represented in the six photographs. But they showed little, if any, of the art's marginalized fate.

Writers tell stories through words but photographs are supposed to speak volumes without the need for words.

Mata Kedua photo exhibition will last until May 16, 2004, at the Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara (GFJA) Jl. Antara 59, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta. Open every day, except Mondays and national holidays, from 11 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.