From the moment Dad gave me a half share of his own pocket camera, I knew I was blessed with this kind of very high visual sensibility over something that relates to humanity, especially human acitivities. I thank God for giving me a responsibility to own Trua (my EOS 400D camera) and Nalani (my 50mm lens) and for giving me a chance to earn my own money in 2011 that I could purchased both of them without giving my parents any burden at all.
All feels like I have been given a chance to live my life in a much different way than the common people. For example, when I was bringing my camera with me somewhere, almost every people recognized me as one who was able to capture good pictures eventhough I myself had never ever considered so. That kind of reliance feeling on my integrity and strength from others is what makes me want to seize every minute. It made me want to appreciate their trust they had placed on me. With the camera on my hand, and a mix of curiosity, confidence, and creativitiy, the best thing I could do immediately was taking pictures of them, of those people that gave me the confidence and positive attitude. Already there are travel photographers who know about this kind of principle. The good ones realizes that taking pictures of people who are native to places they visit is more or less like giving your best appreciation to objects you have stolen a moment from. And that's a really good thing.
The island itself was basically felt quite homy and a bit quiet for a populated one. Its people didn't talk too much, eventhough the children acted just like every innocent creatures on the planet did, which were screaming over everything, begging their mothers or fathers to get something they want, and running everywhere that they bore the roads. But there is still the difference. In Jakarta or Bandung, I always meet children with full eagerness to be captured by my camera. As normal kids they sometimes get shy, but already we once have got their full attention, they would give all those expressions you could imagine to you. When I was in Pari Island, the children here were not shy at all, yet not screaming for photos too. They just kept being quiet, smiled a bit shyly for some times, then waited for me to approach them. They didn't feel like being intimidated by my jet-black Trua or even my presence. There was just that kind of feeling. That trust I've told you before.
Meeting local people, especially with their own cultures and traditional habits, always inspires me to do something better as my form of being grateful of what God has given to me to date. I'm not talking about educating the less fortunate ones, but I always feel that I have to make those locals realize that they're supposed to know what's happening to their own place. Take Pari Island as an example. The island is among the most populated ones of Thousand Island Regency. I can't say much about whether the natural resources are still in good shapes or not, but I can sense the threats are there. Most of them come from people who exploitate the fisheries. Only God knows what those people do, but there is the urge to inform the local people about this.
I can't do much about things going in Pari Island. I just can say that the place needs to get its value on economic and potential of its natural resource. It was really good to know that there were still many gastropods sticked themselves on mangrove forests because that would be mean the water qualities are still good. Otherwise, the food chain was still going.
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Greetings from kids of Pari Island! :)
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