Making money by immortalizing mount Merapi

Wed, January 15, 2020 / 01:49 pm

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At your service: A Mount Merapi tourism photographer waits for the right moment to take pictures of tourists. No waste: Used syringes are used to inject ink into printer ink cartridges. High demand: Photographs are printed on a number of printers to ensure speedy service. Take your pick: As printed photographs are displayed, tourists promptly choose the ones they wish to buy. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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High demand: Photographs are printed on a number of printers to ensure speedy service. JP/Boy T Harjanto
+ See SlideShow

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No waste: Used syringes are used to inject ink into printer ink cartridges. JP/Boy T Harjanto
+ See SlideShow

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Tangibie memories: A local named Ayem is in charge selling printed photos by diplaying the pictures in the tourist bus parking area. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Take your pick: As printed photographs are displayed, tourist promptly choose the ones they wish to buy. JP/Boy T Harjanto
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Say cheese: A photographer takes picture of tourists on the southern slopen of mount Merapi.JP/Boy T Harjanto

Boy T Harjanto

Noisy sounds of printers fill a room with minimal lighting.

Inside the room, operators print photographs of Mount Merapi, a daunting yet mesmerizing volcano located about 28 kilometers north of Yogyakarta.

Once printed, the photographs will go to the hands of photo sellers, who will then display them for tourists to purchase.

Mount Merapi tourism photographers have been actively taking photographs of the volcano since one of its largest eruptions in 2010.

The eruption has made the volcano somehow more attractive to tourists during holidays, when demand for photography services increases.

The demand for photography services has also created new opportunities for locals. Photographers, such as Wijiono, have trained many locals to work alongside them and now they have also become independent photographers with their own equipment, including cameras, laptops and printers.