Bio: Born in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, on March 24, 1963, Hengki Koentjoro is an accomplished black and white photographer. He is a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, California, where he majored in video production and minored in the fine art of photography. Hengki returned to Indonesia to set up his own film and video production house, PT Indochroma Productions, specializing in nature documentaries and corporate profiles, and now lives in Jakarta with his wife Lana and their three children. In addition to running Indochroma Productions, Hengki is a full-time practitioner of the art of black and white photography, which he believes to be his true purpose in life’s journey of expression.

Interview

These photos seem to be much more than observations captured on film. In each of them, the familiar world overlaps with the surreal, creating several new emotional and thematic possibilities. Could you talk about your approach to composition, how you discover and decide on the shots that you take?

The first step is to look for a contrast in lighting. A scene that has a range from the brightest white to the darkest black. A photograph that has this great latitude usually has a three-dimensional look to it. For composition, I always go for minimalism, something simple that is easy to digest and remember.

Could you provide a brief background for each of these photos? Where were they taken and how did these photographic opportunities come about?

The painting photo is special to me. The glass canvas made it all possible. Here I got a chance to merge the painter and his work into a single frame, a total absorption/immersion with his work. I love his intense and focused eyes concentrating on the hand—total hand-eye coordination.

The boy in silhouette is a product of a fisheye lens used underwater. The background sky is distorted making it looks like a full moon. The silhouette of the boy made it more dramatic, as if from another planet. I took this picture in the Eastern part of Indonesia called The Raja Ampat Archipelago.

"Vulnerable" is also taken in Raja Ampat. I like the sense of vulnerability; humans are small compared to nature.

The girl in the pool was lots of fun to shoot. I had my Canon pocket camera with underwater case and just kept snapping away without even looking at the viewfinder, a free form of photography. I love surprises, to expect the unexpected.

The hand with fire was taken at a Fire show in Oakland, California. It was toned down in scale from the Big Daddy "The Burning Man". Like everyone else, the scene just took my attention, it's just dramatic.

What camera(s) did you use for these shots? Could you explain any post-production work that occurred?

I started using DSLR about 2 years ago which was when I retired my Nikon F5. I now use a Nikon D700 and a Canon 5D. For underwater I use a Sea & Sea housing for a Nikon D80 with a 10.5 mm Nikkor fisheye lens. I shot in color then converted them to B&W using Photoshop. Tweaking the Channel Mixer is a method I normally use. The traditional darkroom technique then applied using Photoshop. Common techniques I use are dodging, burning, vignetting, blurring and contrast.

Much of your work that can be found online consists of ocean and underwater photography. What attracts you to the sea and how did that fascination develop?

The huge ocean has a calming effect, it is soothing and absorbing, however at the same time it can be fierce and powerful. It is a source of inspiration for me. A place to retreat and escape. Most of the work I enjoy comes from the ocean. You can't help but crave to explore and experience more. It's a labor of love. Being certified as a diver also gives me more room to play and share a different perspective under the water.

In your bio, you mention you run a film and video production house that specializes in nature documentaries and corporate profiles. Could you talk a little more about PT Indochroma Productions and some of its recent projects?

Indochroma was established in 1992, it is a production house that specializes in video production. We do documentary films, TV commercials as well as corporate profiles. Our most recent project is an IPO video profile of Adaro Energy, an integrated coal producer in Indonesia. My wife Lana and I are running Indochroma Productions.

You also state that traveling and encountering different cultures inspires you as an artist. Can you name a few of the places you’ve visited in your travels that influenced you the most and explain the impact they had on you?

I have the privilege to live both in the West and the East. America and Indonesia. My most admired is without a doubt San Francisco. The hilly streets, fog, cable cars, waves, and redwood trees are just a few of the things I adore about it. It is a place for inspiration for photographers who love nature. The fog and mist in particular influence most of my work in America, mythical and full of mystery. The place gives me the spirit of freedom, a trade I always stand firm in expressing through the medium of photography.

You graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography here in the U.S. What were some of the most important skills and lessons you learned while studying video production and photography in school?

The knowledge of traditional film photography and the darkroom technique. It gave me a strong foundation of what photography is all about. Manual exposure, film type, grain, development, printing, papers, and chemicals to name a few. Jumping to digital, I felt so much more confident.

Were there any abilities you had to acquire on your own?

I love free-form/experimental photography, a trade that I've been practicing all my life. I also keep training my eyes to see in black and white, a practice preached by the great Ansel Adams.

Now that you’re back in Indonesia after living in the U.S. for a while, is there anything in the Indonesian art scene that you believe deserves more attention in North America? How about vice versa?

We have a traditional theatre in Central Java called Wayang Shadow Puppets. I think it deserves more credit globally. It is a great play of the classic book the Mahabarata played in silhouettes of puppets performed by a story teller called Dalang. I loved to watch Wayang as a kid, maybe the silhouette was a source of inspiration, the dark silhouette figures evoked my imagination.

Who are some of the photographers working today whose work you most admire? Why?

My favorites are: Michael Kenna for his simplicity, Rocky Schenck for his haunting images, Susan Bernstein for her dreamy worlds, Bruce Barnbaum for his print, Raymond Meeks for the candid works, Nick Brandt for putting character on his animal portraits, Debbie Fleming Caffery for her honest and down to earth portrait of "Polly" and Alexey Titarenko for his ghostly images.

Are you currently working on any photographic projects or assignments that readers might be interested in?

None in particular.