Nadya Andhita, a student from batch 2017, has a particular fondness towards the art of photography. She has known of photography since she was little, but started taking it more seriously as she entered an extracurricular activity during high school. There, Nadya learned of the theoretical bases and techniques of professional photography. Her skills became better as she practiced, and she proved it by placing second in a Canon Photo Marathon event. She recalled, “the theme of the photo was ‘Appreciating Each Other’, and I submitted a photo of two siblings, with the older one feeding her younger sister.”
Her main interest has always been human-interest photography. She feels that through photography, the stories of her subjects can be told and shared as positive and inspiring messages. For Nadya, the interesting part of human-interest photography is how she can build connections with her subjects. “Interacting with my subjects has always been a memorable experience of this genre. I talk to them, see if they are comfortable with having their pictures taken. When they agree to be photographed, that’s when I start to capture their activities and emotions.” In the earlier days of college, she went photo-hunting around the streets of Jogja (such as the Kali Code area), considering that she comes from a different city. She also takes pictures of parades and festivals that rarely take place where she’s from. “Jogja is a different environment where I can find things that are unique.” Below you can find a sample of a photograph that Nadya took!
Apart from the skillset that she currently possesses, Nadya mentioned that she is determined to try and learn different things related to photography. One of them is the use of analog cameras. She said, “using an analog camera is fun because there is an element of surprise. You will never know the result of the shot until you get the film developed.” Plus, Nadya is a firm believer in printing photos, because physical photos are closer to the heart as opposed to digital ones. One more thing that will be her next adventure is product photography, such as culinary photography. She has not yet delved deep into that field, but she hopes that one day she may explore more in that field.
A message that she wants to share to other students is, “don’t focus too much on your studies! Your hobbies are equally important!” That’s why during her studies, she went on to join Psikolens, a photography enthusiast club that is made up of psychology students in UGM. Nadya admitted though, that her time to freely do her hobby is only available before the 5th semester. So, it might be better for everyone to make the most of the free time that they have before the heat of the 5th semester strikes!