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 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.

Interaction: Jason says the social aspect of fashion photography is what keeps him coming back for more.

“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.

“I actually learned a lot from graphic design, it taught us about taste, continuity, management and working with different mediums.”

And it wasn’t like he ever abandoned photography anyway. While studying in Melbourne, Jason continued to utilize his self-taught teen-years photography skills to finish assignments. Photography was, he says, always with him.

“However, I really felt that fashion photography was really my calling when I became an assistant to [Satriyo]”. There, Jason says, he “truly learned about how the industry works”.

“I immediately knew that this is what I wanted to do and decided to take a year break from my studies — which ended up being permanent,” he recalls, laughing.

Jasons’ talents landed him gigs with notable fashion magazines such as L’Officiell and Clara, where even more people learned about him.

Keeping it real: Jason prefers a simple shooting setup to make his photos look more natural.

Jason knows what he likes and what he is best at.

“Basically anything with humans present within the image always interests me, not too keen on most still life and landscapes images, I do enjoy some though, but not so many,” Jason says, noting that it is the social aspect of fashion photography that keeps him coming back for more.

“What I love about fashion photography is, you get to meet people — and new people as time goes by, and I felt that I can concentrate and do better work when I can talk, as I am quite talkative and direct, whereas in landscape and still life photography, you can’t really talk to the objects,” he says, thoughtfully.

Showcasing a notable maturity for his age (Jason is in his mid-20s) and a strong sense of teamwork, Jason says that most of the time, he is but a cog in a machine. He credits the models with 50 percent of the image’s success, the fashion 25 percent and the setting 25 percent ”depending on the type of shoot”.

“I can safely say that I rely mostly on the stylist and model, as [the] stylist is also the one who helps me with the overall concept.”

It isn’t difficult for Jason to describe his personal visual preferences. He likes them “quite moody and raw, no matter what the setting is”.

Unique style: Jason describes his visual preferences as moody and raw.

He notes that people have also said that he liked his objects and models to look “aloof”. He also requires a simple setup, usually shooting with the available lighting, which he considers “the best”. Sometimes he also rids of the reflector, a regular part of fashion photography, because he feels, it gives the photo a look that is “more real”.

“I don’t exactly try too hard to stand out, even though I think it is important to stand out, but as long as you stay true to your own style [and] not be a second rate version of other photographers, and dare to be different, the path forward will present itself to you.”

Jason’s modesty makes him feel as yet unsuited for a solo exhibition or a photography book. He is, however, always open to one his favorite formats: zines.

“With zines, it’s a totally different feeling. I think it is more accessible, and for the time being I do think it’s more suitable for me.”

— Photos courtesy of Hilarius Jason