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Photographer Prabowo Prajogio finds beauty and 'joy' in colors
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Vivid muses: Some of the subjects whose photos Prabowo “Bowo“ Prajogio have captured are Asmara Abigail (pictured), Ramengvrl and Warren Hue. (Courtesy of Prabowo Prajogio) (Courtesy of Prabowo Prajogio)
T
he 30-year-old photographer impresses different branches of photography with his playful exploration of color schemes and polychromy.
After hustling and bustling in the professional photography scene for almost a decade, Prabowo "Bowo" Prajogio learned what he considered the most important key to being the crème de la crème in his craft: That the best way to succeed is by being in a class of itself. Long story short, Bowo is now regarded in his community as the lensman known for his colorful compositions and polychromatic portraits.
During a conversation with The Jakarta Post on Dec. 14, however, the 30-year-old photographer let slip a little secret. "To be honest, back in the day, I wasn't an avid fan of colors," he said with a grin.
"The thing is, I think it was around 2015 or 2016 or 2017 when most Jakarta-based photographers would capture photos in muted colors, what was trendy back then was photos that were monochromatic or photos whose [color] tone was more on the dark side. That's why I was like, 'Hmm, how can I stand out, then'," he said.
Bowo's strategy ultimately paid off. Over the years, he captured some of Indonesia's most regarded public figures such as Ruangguru's cofounder Iman Usman, Raisa, Ramengvrl, Samo Rafael and jazz-pop outfit Maliq & D'essentials, in their, quite literally, most prismatic form. Lucky for the photographer, he eventually started developing an affection for color compositions as well.
"There's a saying, 'When you take photos in black and white, you capture the [subject]'s soul.' I don't think that's me, though. I like to capture the energy and the joy," he continued.
