Capturing moments

When most people think of the phrase "concert photography", the image that is conjured up in their minds might be the bewitching scene of a rock star belting out in front of thousands of screaming fans. In Hafiyyan Faza's mind, however, "concert photography" is all about the thrill. To be specific, that singular moment that takes place on the stage that should be immortalized as soon as possible—because he understands very well there is no such thing as a do-over.

Bright lights: 30-year-old concert photographer Hafiyyan Faza has assumed a professional alias. (Courtesy of Haffiyan Faza) (Personal Collection/ Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza)

"It's about the moment and nothing else," said the 30-year-old photographer in a conversation with The Jakarta Post on Jan. 8. "That moment that happens in only milliseconds and will not be repeated the same way ever again."

For more than seven years, Hafiyyan Faza—also known by his professional alias "HIGH ISO" referring to the photography term ISO —has made a living by chasing that thrill and immortalizing those unrepeatable moments. From national music icons such as Padi and Slank to notable global acts such as Foo Fighters and Linkin Park, the young lensman seems more than amped up to grab the music by the camera under the best lighting possible.

Concert vagabond

Born and raised in Jakarta, Hafiyyan is the oldest of three siblings. As an adolescent, he took pleasure in playing in a band. Indonesian rock bands such as Slank, Padi and Dewa 19 were among his personal idols. "You could say I'm a 90s kid. And in those days, Indonesian bands were in top form," he mused. As he grew older, however, he developed a "self-awareness" that being a musician was not in his toolbox.

The allure of photography started taking shape when Hafiyyan finished high school when his father bought him his very first camera as a graduation present: a Nikon D5000 with an 18-105mm lens kit. He continued his education at BINUS University, soon obtaining a bachelor's degree in information systems. He spent his college days pursuing two things: his degree and self-taught photography skills. For the pursuit of the latter, he sharpened his craft by taking snapshots at indie and local music concerts.

Hafiyyan soon discovered that his interest lay specifically in concert photography.

Global moment: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performing in 2017, as captured by Hafiyyan Faza. (Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza) (Personal Collection/ Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza)

"I loved music and I played in a band, so when I took the photos [of live music performances], everything just fell into place. It is hard to explain, I just became more alive. Turns out, music was [still] the realm I loved the most."

Hafiyyan's first paid gig as a photographer was far from glamorous—he was paid Rp 50,000 ($3.50) by his friend to take photos of his band's small gig. Nonetheless, the experience empowered him to aim higher as an aspiring photographer. Long story short, he started looking for concerts and live performances by the more high-profile, mainstream music acts. Considering he was not linked to any media outlet, he had to rely on his wit to obtain access to the venues.

In some cases, he had to rely on his finances as well.

"I would ask for access from acquaintances or I would just buy the tickets myself—all to grab myself an opportunity to take photos of the big ones," he said, looking back.

Regardless of the perplexing and sometimes costly measures he took, solely to hone his camerawork, Hafiyyan asserted that he had no regrets whatsoever.

"There was a singular satisfaction that I experienced when I took home photos that I adored," he added.

Passion and excellence

To respect his parents' wishes, Hafiyyan did not immediately kick off his career as a professional concert photographer after graduating from college, but instead, he chose to take on a regular salary-paying job. "I used to have this thought that I would like to live like my dad: become an IT guy, work in an office, provide for his family," he said.

His daily grind did not last long. A year and a half later, Hafiyyan decided to resign and focus on turning his passion for concert photography into an actual livelihood. His reasoning was simple: "I wanted to try to do this while I was still young. I was afraid that I would regret not doing it when I got older."

Hafiyyan spent the first three months of "unemployment" by compiling a proper portfolio—he curated the photos that he had taken back when he was an undergrad and printed a 40-page booklet consisting of what he deemed his best body of work at the time. His next step was digging for contact information on the more prominent music acts’ Instagram and Twitter accounts. He compiled all the contact information he could find on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and started making calls using his home telephone.

"That showed how eager I was!" he said, laughing. "My face was as thick as a wall."

Band up: Piyu of Padi Reborn performing in 2017, as captured by Hafiyyan Faza. (Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza) (Personal Collection/ Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza)

Besides employment, another thing became Hafiyyan's source of aggravation: his name. Believing that his real name would be "too difficult to spell" by others and prospective clients, he decided to take up an alias of "HIGH ISO", inspired by his tendency to "capture images at high ISOs".

Hafiyyan's eagerness soon paid off—in November 2014, Indonesian pop-rock band Nidji hired Hafiyyan as the band's in-house photographer. The band's rising popularity at the time soon became a stepping stone for the burgeoning lensman as his photos started drawing interest from other high-profile music acts. Cut to 2021, his clientele has encompassed both veteran icons and emerging fresh talent such as Iwan Fals, Kotak, Barasuara, Bunga Citra Lestari and Virzha. Moreover, he has been commissioned as the photojournalist for major events and music festivals, namely Liztomania Indonesia and Synchronize Festival.

Rock thrill: Chester Bennington of Linkin Park performing in 2011, as captured by Hafiyyan Faza (Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza) (Personal Collection/ Courtesy of Hafiyyan Faza)

Music and esports

As an experienced concert photographer, Hafiyyan explains that to capture the best possible image, the photographer must familiarize themselves with their subject first and foremost. He believes that the photo should evoke a similar "vibe" as its subject would in reality.

"I'm always familiar with my subject's music. I would always listen to their music first. In fact, when I edit the photos, I do so while listening to the subject's music as well," he chuckled.

Looking back on his seven years of being a professional photographer, Hafiyyan picked up a relatively outré career lesson: that a good photo "is born from the bad ones," he said with a laugh. On the flipside, he defines a bad photo as the one "that conveys neither information nor meaning".

Funnily enough, despite his personal fondness for high-wire rock acts, the artists on the top of his photography bucket list happen to be some of the poppiest stars on the planet: Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. "I just love their songs. I swear!" he said with a bashful smile.

For the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered Hafiyyan's work, put simply it is difficult to be a concert photographer when there are no concerts. "If anyone asks me how to be a concert photographer, I would advise them not to," he chuckled.

To cope with the lack of gigs, he has had to rely on his wit once again—for instance, by accepting commissions for non-music projects. Last December, he was hired as a photographer for Piala Presiden Esports 2021. The experience proved to be unexpectedly enjoyable.

"Esports could be one of my 'realms' in which I can create a good body of work, especially considering 'esports photography' is still unheard of in Indonesia," he said of his future.

Different realms, same thrill.

For Hafiyyan Faza's portfolio, check out his Instagram @high_iso and his website high-iso.com.