by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 2nd of May 2022

Andika Oky Arisandi loves to capture moments straight out of daily life. His work is of great human interest value. His story telling photographs have a great empathic impact. Let's travel with him through Indonesia and learn more about the man behind his images.

'burden and hope'

'twilight with tengger tribal children'

Dear Andika, first I would like to thank you so much for taking the time to answer this questionnaire! To begin, please introduce yourself shortly and tell us more about you, your hobbies or other projects you are involved in!

I would like to say thanks to 1x for interviewing me. It's such a honour to me.
Let me introduce my self, my name’s Andika Oky Arisandi, you can call me okyarisandi. I come from Indonesia, precisely from a very beautiful island called Java. I am a full time photographer, and I have a brand photo tour named Kampung Nusantara. We travel every month in various regions in Indonesia to capture wonderful images.

When and how did you start your photographic journey?

When I was in high school, I have always been interested in photography. I used to pore through drawers of photos and photo albums that my parents made, looking at them, rearranging them and remembering the moment that they were taken. but at that time photography was just a hobby. I graduated from college, get bachelor of education and became a sports teacher. But shortly after that, I made the decision to resign and became a full time photographer. That was a bold decision to follow my wishes.

For many of us photography is either a hobby or a way of life. How would you define your relationship with photography?

Photography is something that gave me a great way of life, because I love nature and it's many photographic opportunities. I want to live a continuous and fabulous vacation, I want to meet many people with different traditions and personalities. I also want to enjoy wonderful moments anytime.

What would be the most important experience so far that has influenced your steps in photography?

My most important experiences are winning in several photo competitions, in my country and in other countries. My photos have been published in the UN office, and several times in foreign newspapers and magazines.

Describe your overall photographic vision.

I think we are making photographs to capture the moments having been shot, for eternity in the deepest sense of the word.

Your documentary images are excellent! What is your secret and why are you so drawn by this photography type?

Documentary is Human interest photography. The quality and impact of the stories engage attention and sympathy by enabling oneself to identify with people and situations. I really love photographing people, photographing human activities, especially in the rural areas of Asia.

Can you please tell us something more about your workflow from the idea to the final product?

Something that being done with pleasure will definitely produce much better results.
That is also true in photography. To get good results, you have to make photography become a great thing.

Where do you look to find inspiration for the visual stories you want to convey? What inspires you?

Human life in all forms and daily activities are always and really interesting subjects for documentary photography. I also am inspired by a painter, an Indonesian master named Raden Saleh.

Many are of the opinion that the gear is not very important when the passion for photography is strong. However, can you please share with us what gear you use (camera, lenses, lighting, tripod, etc.)?

In this modern era, we can learn the art of photography more easily. Technical progress and improvements allow us to avoid to spend a lot of money to buy photographic equipment.

What would be your favourite photo? Please tell us the story behind it.

'leaf cave'

I took the photo while I drove along the riverside. It's wasn't easy to wait for the best moment. There were people cycling and I found taro leaves not far from this place. Suddenly I got an idea to draw the focus to the subject in the photo by blocking other parts of the image with a taro leaf. Shooting from that position with this framing made me feel happy. The position of the people in the picture almost came out perfectly well. It’s looks like a leaf cave.

Who are your favourite photographers or mentors whose works have influenced you and your photography?

As mentioned earlier, my biggest inspiration comes from master painter Raden Salh Sjarif Boestaman. His paintings are corresponding with the nineteenth-century romanticism which was popular in Europe at the time. He also expresses his cultural roots and inventiveness in his work.

Is there anything else you wish to add and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?

1X is certainly an excellent home base for my work.  I'm glad I joined this site which is exactly the inspiration and the challenge I needed to increase my skills. Without photography, people cannot special moments in life. All memories living in the heart can get lost, but with photography, they become eternal.

'juwiring painting umbrella'

'independence celebration'

'Rawapening in Black and white'

'Puri tree'

'palm sugar tree'

'happy family'

'panji'

'Mbah Kasan'

'Panji'

'onion farmer'

'morning sun and farmer'

'Puri'

'Sirah kencong Tea'

'a tradition in the archipelago'

'Mojolaban'

'buffalo herder in bulakpepe'

'morning mist in kemloko'

'fishing boat maker'

'Harmony Of Bromo'