Fashion photographer Hilarius Jason Pratana's works stand out with their blend of style and playfulness.

Having graced a variety of campaigns and fashion publications, photographer Hilarius Jason Pratana's works have become a major element in the Indonesian fashion scene. But his career almost didn't happen.

Having been urged by his parents to major in accounting during his university days, Jason dropped his photography dreams – something that he had been passionate about since his early teenage days.

Fortunately, Jason soon realized that the dullness of the numbers was something that, if he kept at it, would have made him miserable. He then rebelled (gently) and decided that if his parents weren't going to bless his photographic pursuits, they would at least let him study graphic design. He did so at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

But sometime during his new studies, Jason vacationed back to Indonesia and landed an internship with established fashion photographer Hakim Satriyo. It led him to tackling a few freelance projects that reminded him where his true passion lied. Since then, he hasn't stopped taking those photography gigs.

“Deep inside, I've always known that I never really wanted to be a graphic designer, but I do not want to study photography either,” Jason says, explaining that he doesn't feel like his formal studies were a waste of time.

Popular

As users surge, Indonesia falls short on AI talent

Vale Indonesia to seek up to $1.2bn financing in 2026-2027, official says

Japan to export used destroyers to Philippines to deter China