Bored Panda reached out to Maria Adriani and Snehasis Choudhury, two photographers who were featured on this list, to learn more about them and their photos.
First of all, we asked them to tell us more about their background.
Maria, who took this amazing photo, wrote: “I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. I work as a physician at a private hospital in Jakarta. Photography has been my serious hobby since 2012.”
We were wondering what initially drew Maria to photography and how her approach to capturing candid moments evolved over time.
She responded: “I knew photography since when I was a kid. My dad has a Canon AV-1 & I borrowed it if I went with my friends. Later, my parents bought me a Fuji MDL-5 so I don't have to borrow my dad's camera anymore. The tight lecture hours during university stopped my photography hobby. While working in Flores in 2010, I bought my first DSLR camera & in 2012, I started to take my photography hobby seriously. For me, photography is a way to relieve fatigue and boredom from daily routines. I can meet a lot of people with different backgrounds, work, experience, etc. My approach in capturing candid moments must be through practice, learning from those who are more expert, and looking at many photo references to enrich knowledge. From what is learned, it must be able to develop according to our taste in art.”
We asked Maria to tell us more about her featured photo, to which she wrote: “Roda Gila or Tong Setan, which people called the attraction. It's a dangerous attraction for the rider. Not all riders are willing to be photographed, even if I paid more. For a week, every day, I came to the night market to approach the riders so that they would be willing to be photographed. This was the 2nd rider who finally agreed to be photographed. When we arrived, we chatted first, and it turned out that we were both from Java, & the approach became easier by chatting in Javanese. I asked the rider's permission to be photographed, I informed him where I was, I asked if I was allowed to adjust the lighting in the tent. I brought a friend to give money to the rider to be taken.
To get good photos, we must understand and be able to calculate the character & capabilities of the camera, the speed of the motorbike, the local people who were watching, etc., because the moment taken happened so quickly. Of course, at the end, I gave a tip for the good attraction as I promised him in the beginning. Nowadays, this attraction is hard to find.”
As for the challenges, Maria shared her point of view regarding photography.
“The biggest challenge in photos is height & body balance. I have problems with my spine, and my body balance is not good. So if I am told to climb or descend a hill or cliff to get to a photo spot, I will definitely look for a guide or local resident to help me. Nowadays, drones help me a lot to take photos.”
Maria wrote what she hopes for people to take away from her photos: “I want people to see the other side, but according to my taste.”
Lastly, she added, “Thank you for enjoying and appreciating my work. It is truly an honor for me.”
As for Snehasis, he shared about his background: “I am a software engineer working at an Investment bank.”
He also told us what drew him to photography and how his approach to capturing candid moments evolved over time.
“I started to get drawn into photography as my friends were shutterbugs themselves, and I would use their gear, looking through the small viewfinder opened up an entire world for me where I can focus on my creativity.”
The image Snehasis took is of the back of one man perfectly aligned with another person's face. He shared more about the photo.
“Captured on the ghats of river Hooghly, where life and death converge; Hindus perform sacred last rites of their loved ones - the men by shaving their heads, offering prayers and taking a dip in the river. The photo captures a barber at work, reflecting the fragile balance between life and death, steeped in tradition.”
Regarding challenges that street photographers face, Snehasis commented: “The biggest challenge is being one with your surroundings. I identify myself as more of a street photographer than a travel photographer, and it gets challenging when there are so many things going on around you and you need to be at the right place at the right time, as you will never get that moment back again.”
Lastly, Snehasis added, “The way I look at a street photo is, does it tell a story. For me street photography is an unique way of telling stories that is frozen in the moment forever.”
