5 Duke of Cornwall Dr. Markham ON [email protected]

Felix Martua (The Jakarta Post)


Jakarta   ●  
Mon, November 28, 2022

2022-11-28
14:00
0
5101134116d2a28e548a85b1535390e8
1
People
photography,photographer,pre-wedding,Krishna-Pradana,pre-wedding-photography
Free

The lensman shakes up the wedding photography scene with Berawal Dari Teman—a photography project that lovingly deviates from the old cliché.

There is something different about the photos Krishna Pradana captures.

While most wedding photographers often produce images relying on bright lights and pastel colors, the 32-year-old’s shots for his latest photography project Berawal Dari Teman (It Starts From Friendship), frame his subjects in a different kind of environment. In one photo, Krisna’s subjects gaze at stormy seas, their faces free of touch-ups. In another, the photographer only captures his subjects’ reflections in murky waters as they drag a wooden chair while looking in separate directions.

The photos of Berawal Dari Teman might trigger different emotions for different sets of eyes—be it fascination or wistfulness. This is rooted in Krishna’s vision of capturing love from another point of view—one that is not always brimming with flowers and sunshine.

“I always say that these photos are what is not being said about love,” he said. “It’s about looking at love the way people haven’t done before. There’s a different side of a couple inside this envelope of love that you haven’t seen before.”

Visual ‘punk’

Born and raised in Surabaya, East Java, Krishna’s introduction to photography was atypical compared with other shutterbugs in the field. When most photographers would tinker with a camera before taking a dip into image editing, his origin story was the other way around.

“Back in high school, I used to help my seniors—who were already in college—to edit images and photos and stuff,” Krishna said before adding that there was no “specific something” that nurtured such a passion in the first place.

His lack of self-awareness might be to blame, but he could say that “it was always fun working on what appeased the eye”.

Younger Krishna decided to tutor himself in the arts and crafts of visual manipulation by tinkering with graphic design software and joining online art communities such as DeviantArt. Post-high school, Krishna decided to pursue visual communication design at Petra Christian University in Surabaya—where he finally got to try his hand at cameras.

“I started getting paid [as a photographer], though the scale of the assignment was pretty small. It was just for fun. I did photos for my project, whereas some were for my friends’ projects. It’s college, you know? You’ve got to try everything,” Krishna recalled with a shrug.

Funnily enough, wedding photography was not Krishna’s first love. Initially, he was interested in delving into fashion photography instead—although his interest was less about his being a fashion enthusiast and more about his inquisitiveness toward “the look and the culture” of fashion itself.

“Back in the day, everything could be boxed in [music] genres. You present yourself according to the type of music you like. This might come as a surprise, but I used to be into punk music,” he said, laughing. “Its fashion style channeled the Brits, which was the direction I often headed toward whenever I experimented with photography.”

Love is a mystery: Photographer Krisha Pradana runs a wedding photography project dubbed Berawal Dari Teman that aims to capture “the unspoken-ness of love“. Love is a mystery: Photographer Krisha Pradana runs a wedding photography project dubbed Berawal Dari Teman that aims to capture “the unspoken-ness of love“. (Courtesy of Krishna Pradana/.)

Softer, darker

Krishna’s wedding photography project Berawal Dari Teman, he divulged, was initially meant as something other than an ambitious venture. Doubling down, the lensman explained that he had no interest in tapping into wedding photography in the first place. Berawal Dari Teman first took flight in 2017 and, fortuitously, began with his friend’s nuptials.

He said, looking back, “What would I give to this close friend of mine—something that could be remotely suitable to the friendship itself? So, I offered to take photos of the couple as my wedding gift to them. There would be two photos: The ones I captured and those captured by the actual wedding photographer they hired for pre-wedding stuff.”

Krishna was game for taking the best photos possible, but there was a catch. Unlike the wedding photographer the couple had hired, he wished to photograph the couple’s special moments in his vision, not someone else’s. After looking at the result, and thanks to word of mouth, more prospective clients started taking an interest in his distinct vision.

One particular couple soon changed the course of Krishna’s career—the one who made him reconsider Berawal Dari Teman as merely a “side job.”

He enthused, “This couple asked me to do a candid wedding photoshoot. I did it as I liked, and they loved the result. Then, the same client flew me to Japan for a honeymoon photoshoot. Then, they hired me again for a photoshoot with their parents. It was insane. This job is not about good and bad photos—it’s about something personal.”

Krishna then decided to introduce Berawal Dari Teman at a particular wedding fair in Jakarta, resulting in more attention to the project, leading him to decide to “go big or go home” with his project. Five years later, the Instagram account of Berawal Dari Teman has amassed more than 38,000 followers. No longer a solo photographer, Krishna has also assembled a dedicated team for the project.

“No more joking around. We got serious because the world outside had taken us seriously. It was no longer a fad project,” he remarked.

Even though Berawal Dari Teman could not have taken off without commissions from Krishna’s clients, what made this project stand out was his singular vision that has remained intact in each of its photos. In some photoshoots, for instance, he would capture the couple’s interaction and chemistry from unusual, sometimes radical angles. Another example is when he puts his subjects in a more shadowy, monochromatic mise-en-scène.

Krishna’s punk spirit from the olden days might help influence his vision. Still and all, he affirmed that his lead idea is not a “template” one.

“Everything depends on the whole experience of the day of the photoshoot,” he explained his creative process. “When the sky is overcast, the vibe will [of course] be moody. When I feel the black-and-white tone should be softer, I will do so as necessary. The same goes if I feel like it is necessary to go darker. It depends.”

Stormy hearts: Photographer Krishna Pradana will often play with angles, lighting and settings to showcase “a different side of a couple inside this envelope of love that you haven't seen before“. Stormy hearts: Photographer Krishna Pradana will often play with angles, lighting and settings to showcase “a different side of a couple inside this envelope of love that you haven’t seen before“. (Courtesy of Krishna Pradana/.)

‘Idealism’ of love

As a wedding photographer, Krishna acknowledged that he has been lucky enough to maintain his creative freedom—something that his fellow photographers might not necessarily have. For better or worse, in most cases, it is usually the bride’s vision that dictates the photographer’s creativity, making the photographer in question seem like a hired hand as opposed to an artist.

“Idealism is the number-one thing to which I will always hold on,” he explained his approach to wedding photography. “No matter what the job is, the key for Berawal Dari Teman is always idealism paired with consistency and quality.”

How does he ensure that his clients find his unique vision agreeable? According to Krishna, it is a matter of communication and understanding—just like love itself.

“From day one, I have insisted on meeting with the couple first,” he continued. “It was mandatory for me. Not because I want to measure them in terms of their financial capability and stuff. I want to know, when they come to me, is it because they like my work, or does it have something to do with their budget, or is it completely random?”

Ultimately, Krishna believes that the best image of love does not necessarily send a literal, straight message regardless of who the subjects are and what is inside their hearts.

“The love we present is the kind of love that is implied. The unspoken-ness of love,” he concluded.

For more about Krishna Pradana’s Berawal Dari Teman project, visit Instagram @berawaldariteman


© 2022 All Rights Reserved. Event Wedding Directory - Ahlimosa Décor.