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An exposure of talent, hard work
Courage is not the only trait that has catapulted Nicoline Patricia Malina to fame as a world-class fashion photographer
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Courage is not the only trait that has catapulted Nicoline Patricia Malina to fame as a world-class fashion photographer.
Despite her young age, Nicoline, 31, has built her own brand, with her work of top models featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines as well as exhibitions around the world.
Her work has won a number of awards from international institutions and she is often mentioned as a 'wonder girl' and a role model for Indonesian females as she successfully made an international name for herself.
Even when removed from all the accolades and perhaps the lucky charms, the Surabaya-born woman has in her the two bare necessities of the industry: a set of good eyes and the right kind of attitude for the profession.
In an interview in her office at the NPM Photography studio in Cipete Raya, South Jakarta, Nicoline ' who herself has the looks of a model ' talked about her passion for visual arts that lead her to study fine art in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 2002.
As most of her friends abroad were hobbyist photographers, she learned to make pictures in ways other than using a paintbrush, and soon mastered the camera.
At first it was street photography and portraits that interested her, but in 2006 she got an editorial job at a magazine. Nicoline bode farewell to school.
'The only obstacle to expanding my work and getting bigger clients with a sophisticated studio was my student visa. For more than a year I barely had a job as they were reluctant to hire me,' she said.
'I've always wanted to work in advertising. It would feel good to see my work on billboards.'
As an only child, Nicoline found it difficult to convince her parents that photography had become her way of life, as they thought the creative industry did not pay enough. She was determined to prove them wrong by stepping up her game.
She returned home with her portfolio and visited Jakarta where she was introduced to Sam Nugroho, co-founder of the Indonesian Professional Photographers Association (APPI).
She was offered the chance to join the association with the perks she wanted: an office, an array of studios to work in and big-shot clients.
She declined it at first, thinking that she could continue living overseas with whatever work she got.
But things that took place in the course of five months after that changed her life. She made her international debut by winning the 2007 Iconique Societas Excellence in Fashion Photography Award during her time in the Netherlands.
'The exposure of my work was incredible. Reporters from many parts of Europe came to my messy student dorm for interviews. But some of them described me as an Indonesian-born Dutch citizen, which, actually, made it easier for me to make up my mind.'
She returned for good and joined the APPI for three years, where she learned about the business and the style of fashion photography in Indonesia, which she said was different to that in Europe.
'Indonesian [clients] prefer to highlight the material but, fashion-wise, Indonesia has more elements to explore,' said Nicoline, who set up her own company in 2011.
Thanks to her painting skills and studies, she is able to produce dramatic images with high-level techniques in lighting and composition, although she relies more on her eyes.
'My style of photography is storytelling. I always try to depict the mood, the emotions of the objects, so they can speak profoundly by themselves.'
'Simple but captivating' describes her work well, as evident in her images currently on display on the ground level of Pacific Place shopping mall in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD), South Jakarta.
The exhibition, titled Rupa-Rupa: The Faces of Art Photography Exhibition, which runs until Aug. 17, is a leap back to her early years of learning photography.
This time, however, instead of taking pictures of random people on random streets ' a habit she still kept up while traveling ' she captured the strong personas of Indonesian contemporary artists who had been overshadowed by their own works.
Her photos feature Eko Nugroho, I Nyoman Masriadi, Agus Suwage and Uji Handoko Saputro, as well as married couple Dyatmiko Bawono and Santi Ariestyowani, who are collectively known as Indieguerillas, among others.
Nicoline said she did some research on the artists ' not only on their work but also to gain some insights into their personal lives and special traits.
'I prepared myself that the artists would be either introverts or extroverts, at each end of the extreme, and I guessed right. I spent two to three hours on each shoot to get to know them better and to make them feel relaxed. But some of them did not even utter a word. We talked about things other than their work, such as music and the things they love to get in a [creative] mood,' said Nicoline, a fan of some of the artists.
She chose to take the pictures of the artists at their workplaces where they were in the best frame of mind, and used their favorite objects or area of their studios in the shots.
As a result, each portrait features the strength and passion that drive the artists' creativity.
Nyoman, for example, was pictured sitting on a giant chair in his studio. 'It fits his image. Despite his small frame, he is a giant,' Nicoline said, referring to Nyoman's works, which have sold for many times their estimated auction prices at Sotheby's and Christie's.
'I learned a lot from my experience taking the portraits of the artists. It is their strong personalities that makes the pictures look good,' Nicoline said, while also giving credit to her team.
For her team members ' none of whom are Jakarta natives ' Nicoline is not only a boss, but also a tutor and elder sister.
'With my Javanese and Chinese upbringing, I believe that to be successful in life we have to respect one another, to stay humble and polite no matter what. That's the basic rule here. And so far, there have been no problems arising at work.'
In three years her business has expanded, with sub-teams providing services to clients who have small budgets but expect high-quality results.
She also opened a class for amateurs, accepting only 10 students for the first batch, which will end its course by the end of August.
Her post-exhibition plans include working on a personal project themed on Indonesia.
'It will take a longer time than scheduled, I guess. But that's OK. I'm here for traveling and capturing moments. That's what I love about my work.'
