# Wandering around Indonesia



## Indofred (Jul 19, 2013)

Before I start, I'll explain.

I went on holiday, met this really cute lady, got married a year later, moved to Indonesia because she said England was too cold and started snapping things.
I'm not technical and the quality of the cameras vary wildly.

I'll post a few and, if you like them, I'll add a few more.

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Middle class and up pay for rubbish collection. The costs varies from $3 or so per month, upwards but not that far up.

Poorer people and people in areas not covered by a collection service have to sort their own out.

This usually means tossing it away by the side of a road or burning it.






Just some old dude.
The thing on his shoulder is a sarong, a cloth that is worn like a skirt in mosques here.
In villages, many people still wear them as everyday clothes.



Bananas aren't the only crop from banana plants.
The leaves are commonly used a plates in local restaurants.


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## Indofred (Jul 19, 2013)

This tiny family rubbish collecting business stops them starving to death but promises no future for the kids.





A mosque viewed from the top of a shopping centre car park



People commonly rest or sleep in mosques



Indonesia's strict traffic laws and unwavering police enforcement ensure safety for travellers.


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## Indofred (Jul 19, 2013)

As I said, many are technically rubbish but it's all street snaps so no time to set up.
Point, shoot and pray jobs.

As I said, not technical and not a pro, just some dude with a camera.

I leave the new Fujifilm HS50 on it's highest continuous shot rate and it's always on continuous focus.

Want more or is it rubbish?


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## Indofred (Jul 20, 2013)

A woman tenders the grass on the central reservation



This guy sells pineapples from the back of his motorbike


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## Robin_Usagani (Jul 20, 2013)

$3 is how much minimum income earn over there per day.  In the US, minimum is roughly $8/hr?  So that is about $64/day.  Here in Colorado I pay about $20 per month for both trash and recycling combined.  That is about 1/3 of a minimum wage.  It is 100% of minimum wage over there.  So if you put things to perspective, it is not that cheap.


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## Indofred (Jul 20, 2013)

Outside of Jakarta, but still in the city satellite areas, I believe min wage is around $120/month or around $4/day.

Out here, the law and what happens aren't always the same thing so many get far less.
The worst common salary I'm aware of is around $200/month but that was very low level work and in villages where you can just about survive on that if you don't have electricity or running water.


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## EIngerson (Jul 20, 2013)

I just left Jakarta last month. It's interesting that within 100 meters you can go from the photos here to a 5 Star resort with Lambos and Porches right back to the these photos. It was absolutely one of the best places I have ever been though. The friendliest people I have ever met. Thanks for sharing Indofred.


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

EIngerson said:


> I just left Jakarta last month. It's interesting that within 100 meters you can go from the photos here to a 5 Star resort with Lambos and Porches right back to the these photos. It was absolutely one of the best places I have ever been though. The friendliest people I have ever met. Thanks for sharing Indofred.



I've been here six years and I love it. I just can't see me going back to England. I carry a camera pretty much all the time but tend to get the most interesting snaps when I go to a new place.

EDIT - I get to places bule (White foreigners) never go and most Indonesians never see.


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

Building a school requires a lot of material taken upstairs.
If you haven't got the cash for a real crane - make one.




















Electrical safety








Veggie markets in the street.


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

Building is commonly a cowboy job. This bridge may or may not be safe.


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

Street traders sell pretty much everything


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

Mosques vary a lot here but a lot are open air style as there is a lot of sun and just as much rain but not all that much wind.
That means, you need a roof but don't much care about walls.


Unlike in some places, women are just as much a part of mosque life as men but men and women have separate doors and separate preying areas. The two areas are visible to each other but there's no physical contact.


The mosque








Men's and women's entrances 














Ritual washing area.








the praying area.


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## Indofred (Jul 21, 2013)

The roads are amazingly terrible out here so there's always something new to find.

























THat's today's wander over and done with. 
bye bye


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

Fishing is very popular here but not for sport.
It's free food.





S0158255 by peb1962, on Flickr





S0108240 by peb1962, on Flickr





S0128246 by peb1962, on Flickr





S0138251 by peb1962, on Flickr


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

This dude sells toys and fireworks. I saw him selling mini bangers and mini rockets to kids.








The rockets are potentially very nasty; the kids hold them in their hands, light them and let them fly.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

Food, glorious food - well, BBQ fish


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

This old dude collects rubbish in an attempt at some way to make money. That drain was full of something smelling suspiciously like poo but he was in there anyway.
I suspect you'll do a lot when the other choice is starvation.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

There must be millions of street places selling drinks but I won't use them.
You have no idea where the water for the ice comes from.








This was less then mouthwatering but he was using it to melt down the surface of the ice as he cut it.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

A sugar distribution warehouse.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

With a strong Muslim tradition and a growing population, there's a need for many new mosques. 



















Note - the three above were taken from the same place. That big zoom is really handy.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

Pedicab drivers at rest.


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## Indofred (Jul 25, 2013)

That's my hour of free time done with.
I must get some stuff ready for tomorrow so I will post more when I get a moment.


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## The_Traveler (Jul 25, 2013)

You have a great opportunity.
Some of these pictures are really interesting but unfinished.
It would be very worthwhile for you to 1) get a better small camera and 2) learn a bit of post processing.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

The_Traveler said:


> You have a great opportunity.
> Some of these pictures are really interesting but unfinished.
> It would be very worthwhile for you to 1) get a better small camera and 2) learn a bit of post processing.



Camera first. I've just changed to the Fujifilm HS50.
I went that way because I needed a camera that:

I could get out of it's case and shoot in the shortest possible time (1 second is nice). No time to set up on most shots as it'd be long gone before I messed about changing lenses or whatever.

has a high frame rate on continuous shot and that had continuous focus. Many targets are moving at speed so I must be fast. That in mind, those setting are the default.

has a long zoom without changing lenses. The Fuji has 42X optical.

Processing

2 reasons why not:

I have thousands of snaps and no time to edit them
I don't want to.

The latter is because they're real life, not pro studio shots, so I want them to remain exactly as I saw.
I'm trying to show what life in Indonesia is really like.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

War is short for, Warung (a shop)
Tel is short for, Telepon (Telephone)
Wartel is short for a shop that's pretty much like a big telephone box.
These used to be very popular but mobile phones have killed most.








Smoking is a bad habit and a common hobby in Indonesia. Many western restaurants have smoking and non smoking areas but there are very few smoke free zones except kids' play areas.








A common habit with rubbish is, toss it in the river and it'll go away.
Of course, it doesn't go away, just moves.








I love my push chair.


Born to a rubbish collecting family, will grow up without education in a rubbish collecting family and probably die after a shorter than average life as the father of a rubbish collecting family.


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## The_Traveler (Jul 27, 2013)

Indofred said:


> The_Traveler said:
> 
> 
> > You have a great opportunity.
> ...



In real life, Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate by making the important things bright and the unimportant things dark.
In point of fact, the images won't be as you saw them because the camera doesn't see what the human eye does.
But you seem to have all the answers and want to keep snapping the way you want.
IMO, a tremendous lost opportunity that I sincerely hope you will live to regret.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

A train








the level(ish) crossing.








Street bands usually hang around at traffic lights in the hope of getting paid by motorists waiting for a green light (in the few places anyone bothers what colour the lights are).
They more commonly get paid to bugger off than they get paid because they're good entertainers.








This one was really tired.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

The_Traveler said:


> Indofred said:
> 
> 
> > The_Traveler said:
> ...



Most of the time, I try to keep the sun to my back (if possible), point and pray.
I'm pretty sure many could be improved with editing or colour correction but I just don't have the time (or the inclination) at the moment.
The thread has been running for several years and has a lot of views so I'll just march along in my own merry way and use my usual expletives later if I've mega cocked up.

I don't know if this thread is interesting to users of this forum but, if you guys don't care for it, I'll stop posting.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

Another rubbish collecting family.
They sort out the plastics and sell it to recycling firms. Hard, dirty work with little pay.
There are thousands of families like this in Jakarta alone. Many are from Java and come to the capitol in the hope of a better life than they can have in the villages.
Without education or skill, they either end up doing this sort of thing or some poorly paid job with no future.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

Almost forgot.
I don't do regret. 
I swear sometimes but end up saying, "Oh, bugger it, it'll work out" and move on.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

On a slightly brighter note (and in the spirit of communism and/or religion), it's Ramadan at the moment (Muslim holy month) so many more people than usual are engaged in charity work.
Big business often do a little something as in this case.
The bags contain a couple of KG of rice, some cooking oil and various other bits and pieces.
This company sells them to the villagers at Rp25,000 (about $2.5), far below retail price.
The residents have to give in the voucher and you get the voucher from the local official by showing him/her your ID card.
Each area has a village head and local officials working for him that take care of their few streets.
Many still wear the Surhato era uniforms but that's falling out of favour in many places.


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## SCraig (Jul 27, 2013)

Indofred said:


> Most of the time, I try to keep the sun to my back (if possible), point and pray.
> I'm pretty sure many could be improved with editing or colour correction but I just don't have the time (or the inclination) at the moment.
> The thread has been running for several years and has a lot of views so I'll just march along in my own merry way and use my usual expletives later if I've mega cocked up.
> 
> I don't know if this thread is interesting to users of this forum but, if you guys don't care for it, I'll stop posting.



No, don't stop posting.  I find it far more interesting than most of the street threads on this forum.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

People in England commonly take their dogs for a walk but this is Indonesia.








Four kids on a bike. Traffic laws are a bit of a joke out here.


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## Indofred (Jul 27, 2013)

SCraig said:


> Indofred said:
> 
> 
> > Most of the time, I try to keep the sun to my back (if possible), point and pray.
> ...



OK, I'll just plod along with it.
No problem to do as I just C+P new posts from the original thread on another forum. I started some years ago when I was asked about Indonesia and it seemed to get popular so I carried on.


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## Indofred (Jul 30, 2013)

This guy is not young but will probably work until he either drops or simply can't any more.
Far too poor to afford any sort of pension so that'll be the plan for what's left of his life.








These kids will have about the same to look forward to.








Yep, he did ride it on the road.


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## pixmedic (Jul 30, 2013)

Some of these are definitely interesting, but as The_Traveler mentioned, could use a bit of polishing. (he has also photographed many places around the world)  You may say now that you dont have the time or inclination to do any processing work on your photos, but once you learn how, it can be very exciting to see the improvements you can make to your photography. Even pics for my donation threads, that i take on a point and shoot camera, go through lightroot. Its force of habit for me now. 

Aside from actual post processing work, there are other ways to improve your photography that will glean noticeable results, like better composition. 
The_Traveler has been doing street photography around the world for many many years now, and in my opinion, is one of the forums best. He has a great eye for composition. If you are truly set on staying away from post processing for now, i would suggest at least picking his brain for compositional suggestions.

looking forward to seeing more from this part of the world.


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## Indofred (Jul 30, 2013)

I'm always open to ideas but some have to be dismissed for a variety of reasons.
At the moment; I have a load of work to do and that's been the case for a few months and will continue to be so for a couple more.
That means little pleasures such as forum posting has to take a back seat for a while as will any chance of serious editing of much.
Posting raw photos isn't so hard as I can upload whist I'm doing something else and actually writing the post doesn't take long as comments are usually short and sweet but messing with them takes ages and this is purely a hobby whist the other thing keeps me in digestive biscuits and coca cola.
Oh, a a roof over my head so my wife doesn't have to sleep in a rubbish cart as the family above does.


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## Indofred (Jul 30, 2013)

Oh, yes. composition.
Most shots are 'as they happen' with no hope of setting anything up.
However, some are less rushed so there's more chance to do something about them as far as composition goes.
I'll read up more when I get a spare moment and see if I can pop some of the ideas into the snaps.


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## pixmedic (Jul 30, 2013)

Indofred said:


> Oh, yes. composition.
> Most shots are 'as they happen' with no hope of setting anything up.
> However, some are less rushed so there's more chance to do something about them as far as composition goes.
> I'll read up more when I get a spare moment and see if I can pop some of the ideas into the snaps.



Composition isnt just about "setting up the shot", and doesn't always involve anything more than a quick look to see what angle will look best, or what background will be better.  Sometimes its just a matter of a slight change in camera angle, moving a little to the side, or moving a little forwards or backwards before taking the shot.


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## Indofred (Aug 4, 2013)

Give a man a fish.....


This guy learnt a little something from beavers. He build a dam across the river then set his net up in the only place the fish could pass.














I've seen a lot of things sold from bikes but this is the first time I recall seeing a letter box salesman using one.


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## Indofred (Aug 4, 2013)

pixmedic said:


> Indofred said:
> 
> 
> > Oh, yes. composition.
> ...



I have to agree and I try to do so where possible but street shots often make that impossible as a moving target is hard work so I commonly point and pray (at my prey).


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## Indofred (Aug 4, 2013)

A man with a smartphone camera.








a less than smart man with a phone.








A policeman without a phone








but the traffic cops carry guns so it's better not to get ratty with them.








A car that was being driven by the less than smart man who was being questioned by the policeman without a phone and being photographed with a smartphone.








Assuming the man with the smartphone was correct (he was the landscaper that has to replace the tree), the man's insurance will cover the car but may not cover damage to the tree so he may have to shell out for that out of his own pocket.


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## Indofred (Aug 4, 2013)

These guys look tyred.








This guy is really old and tired so begging is about all that's left for him.


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## Indofred (Aug 4, 2013)

This forum is really handy.
I may not post all that much but I read threads as time allows and I'm picking up a load of tips.
My camera wasn't working properly on full HD, reporting a write error but a new SDHC high speed memory card has that problem sorted.
I often take video but I can't post it as upload speeds are far too slow.


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## Indofred (Aug 5, 2013)

A famous pop star......or, judging by his lack of large car and hoards of screaming fans, maybe not.


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## Indofred (Aug 5, 2013)

The boss and the cashier









The other staff members








The restaurant








and from outside


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## Indofred (Aug 6, 2013)

There is much talk of camera quality, quality of the shot and why some cameras are better than others.
After reading much of this, I still see a view of the world where the quality is worth more than the image but this isn't what I do and not what I want to do.

I'm an unashamed snapshotter, intent on telling a story about the place I live using pictures of real life in this country.
That requires a fast draw and usually little time to decide what I must do to get the best image because, by the time I think about it, I've lost the subject.
You have no idea how long I'd being trying to get shots of six people on one small motorbike so, when I finally found one when I knew I had a possible shot, I gave chase, overtook and hoped I had time to get the camera out before they reached me.
I managed but the photo is badly framed and technically crap.
The question is; is it better to get the shot or wait until never when I could get the thing set up properly.

I remain unrepentant and will continue to snap away on continuous shot with a lower image quality but I get to tell people about my adopted country.
However, I'm learning a lot by browsing threads so I may get the odd chance to try some technically better stuff from time to time.

If you'd like me to continue, say, "aye".


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## fhudhori (Aug 24, 2013)

one from me
"floating market"




DSC_1834_012 oleh fhudhori, di Flickr


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