Calvin Tiono – Photographer- Interview

1. What do you enjoy most about photography?

I started as a landscape photographer and I like to travel around. There was a time when I went to a big waterfall back in my country in Indonesia. I guess that was my first outing experience in photography, and it was so memorable. With my uncle and my dad, we went there by foot. I thought it was going to be an easy and “walkable” trip, but apparently this was not the case. It was a 2 hour walk to the waterfall with a stony and wet road, big rocks, and low air. When we made it and I saw the waterfall, the excitement set in. I took my camera, set it up, and clicked the shutter. After seeing the results, I was completely over whelmed with pride. I had taken such a beautiful creation. And that’s what I enjoy the most about photography. Not only the result, but all the effort, motivation, and experiences behind it.

 “Curug Seribu” (Thousand Waterfalls) – Bogor, Indonesia

2. What do you try and express through your photographs?

My dad always tells me that every time I take a photo, I should be able to tell the story of that photo, especially if I want to show it to others. He said, maybe in the future when I have the time to tell a story of that photo to younger generations, I will be able to express every moments in that photo, and share the story.

“Scenery of Tasmania” – Mount Wellington, Tasmania

3. Do you remember the first photograph you took?

The first photograph that I took it was from a trip to Bali with my friends. I think I was the only one who used the camera differently with other people. I tried to set it up properly, playing around with all the features in the camera, finding a good angle to capture the object, while all my friends just did a “happy-snap” for the whole trip.

4. Who would you like to work in collaboration with in the future?

I haven’t thought about any big future collaboration project at this point. But, I would say I’m happy to work with everyone, because, photography is always fun for me.

5. Where do you imagine photography taking you in 5 years time?

The only thing that I have always want to do, is travel around the world with my camera, and my own website or blog that could tell all the stories from my trip. Also, I always dream about having my own photography-studio in my house, so I could run my own business, and get some extra cash

I keep saying to people, that photography won’t be my main job.

But who knows.

“Thunder in Singapore” – Marina Bay Sands, Singapore