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Although it was difficult for Stanley to find the courage to leave his career as a mechanical engineer—a good job with a good salary and a comfortable lifestyle—in April 2018, he could no longer ignore the desire to pursue something bigger. Stanley recognizes that life is short and precious, and he doesn't hesitate to take calculated risks and venture outside his comfort zone. To Stanley, photography is about the journey.
Stanley is a celebrated figure in the field. He has collaborated with top brands such as Canon Australia, won over 100 awards, including the 2018 Australia Photo Awards for Photo of the Year, and was the runner-up in the 2020 Canadian Geographic's 34th Annual Photo Competition. His work has been exhibited in Australia, Japan, and the US.
Stanley Aryanto was born in Bandung, Indonesia. He went to Australia to learn about engineering and get a job as a mechanical engineer at the largest aluminum company in the world. "I was very excited - it was fresh and it was new. I thought I had the dream life that I always wanted," the artist shared.
"And then, I went through a transformational period where I went through a tough time moving on from a break-up. At that time, all I wanted to do was to run away, and one of the things that I decided to do was start traveling. Before that, all I cared about was materialistic things like being able to afford a nice car, a big house and getting a promotion so that I could buy more things. I used to hate traveling. I thought it was a waste of time and money.
When I started to travel, I realized that there’s more to life than materialistic objects. I started to embrace and love meeting new, like-minded people and many have become life-long friends. I love being able to have new experiences and I love the sense of excitement and uncertainty that traveling brings."
According to Aryanto, one of the coolest things to capture in the wild ice is its texture. "Frozen lakes sometimes look transparent but sometimes melt-freeze cycles create unique textures on the ice. To capture this, we need to get down low on the ground and use a technique called 'focus stacking' or 'hyperfocal distance' to be able to capture as much sharpness as possible throughout the depth of field.
But the biggest and most important skill to have is the ability to see and appreciate the beauty in front of us. That’s what I believe gives photographers the ability to frame a perspective and tell a story through one single static image. That’s the main goal as a photographer, and if you're able to deliver that, then we have accomplished our mission."
The photographer doesn't like to put a limit on what he wants to do. "If there's anything I've learned from my previous career, you don't know till you try," he says. "For that reason, I've tried and succeeded in many different aspects as a photographer. I've tried high fashion, worked with 5-star resorts as an influencer, taken countless portraits, engagement and maternity photography, product photography, events... you name it. But when I left my engineering career I promised myself that I would never chase a career solely based on money for the long term. I want to make sure I am doing something that brings fulfillment. That's why I chose teaching, mentorship and travel as my main business model."
If you're someone who wants to pursue a career in photography, here is some advice from Aryanto. "I would advise you to decide and commit because that is the most important thing. The quality of our life is based on the micro-decisions that we make every single day, and those decisions can either lead you back to the safety net or push you to find the courage to move forward outside of your comfort zone towards your dream life. Without commitment, every single small excuse and every challenge that comes up will hinder you from achieving your goals. So, first of all, decide that this is what you want, and second of all, commit.
The second piece of advice that I would give is to act as if it has already happened because when you're able to act as the future you, when you're successful, you will do what successful people do. So why wait until you become successful? Why not start right now? And if you do it now, act, think, and do like a successful person, it's inevitable that you're going to become successful.
The last piece of advice is that you don't need a portfolio, a website, thousands of followers, or an expensive camera to make money from your photography. These are misconceptions, the old ways that are no longer valid today."
