Youth has never had just one face. Indonesian photographer Faisal Y. Djaja points his camera at youth from different backgrounds in his country, giving snapshots of their lives in one beautiful instant.
Djaja was born in the small seaside city of Manado, in northern Indonesia, not far from the Philippines. His hometown boasts a clear blue sea, an unbroken mountain chain, and streetscapes that combine old and new. Now in his twenties, Djaja is a full-time photographer: he previously worked for the government but now works as a freelancer. Only in his spare time can he pick up a camera and capture these subjects in the flower of their youth.
青春从来都不只有一种样貌，来自印尼的摄影师 Faisal Y. Djaja 将镜头对准了当地来自不同背景的年轻人，将他们的生命定格在这美好的一瞬。
90 后的 Faisal Y. Djaja 出生并成长在印尼北边、靠近菲律宾的一座海滨城市美娜多，这里有清澈的海、绵延的山，还有新旧文化共存的街景。这里丰富的自然人文景色，提供了他许多创作的灵感。现在，Faisal 是一位全职摄影师。他之前曾经当过英文补教老师、也在市政厅的消防与紧急事件部门工作，现在则转为一名自由职业者。空闲时间，他才拿起相机，捕捉下这些正值青春年华的人们。
Why does he take photos of these youths? “They’re the people I can most relate to,” he says. “I started doing portraits when I was younger myself, and we have a lot of things in common—for example, the struggles of being a young citizen in a fast-growing city and trying to figure out our identity.”
为什么拍摄这些年轻人呢？他回答 “原因可能是因为他们是我最能够连结到的对象。我差不多在十九岁开始拍摄人像，我和他们之间共享很多东西，比如说在年轻时候，都同样面临到身在发展如此快速的城市中，寻找和定义自我的挣扎。”
When we’re young, we all want to stand out from the crowd. But Djaja thinks that this should be something that occurs naturally—you can’t force yourself to be unique. Perhaps that’s because each of us comes from a different cultural background, or possesses a talent that sets us apart from others. Such inherent distinctive traits are one of the things Djaja pays most attention to when selecting subjects. He’s grateful to have encountered so many unique personalities in his work. “I’m lucky I met my model friends, because I’ve experienced a lot of unexpected things working with them. Without them, my art is nothing,” he says.
作为一个年轻人，每个人都想要独一无二。但 Faisal 认为这应该是一件自然而然发生的事，而不是刻意强迫自己去产出某种独特性。也许是因为来自于不同的文化背景、或是拥有一项异于常人的才能。这种与生具来的独特性，是他在挑选拍摄对象时，最重视的特质之一。因此在他的照片中，处处可见到那些散发独特气质的人的踪影，“我很幸运能认识到一些模特儿朋友，目前为止我经历了很多意想不到的事情。没有他们，就没有我的艺术。”
Djaja also has built his own home studio called Suattu Ketikka, where he can work with various clients and model friends by shooting at home only. “I was inspired by some Korean photographers, especially the ones that focus on minimalism. At the same time, I want the results to feel personal, both to me and to the portrait subjects,” he says. He hopes his own photography can be an inspiration and encourage other young artists to start creating, and not to hesitate. “Step out and start fresh, chase the sunrise or the sunset and see the extraordinary in little things.”
Faisal 现在有了自己的工作室 Suattu Ketikka，聚集着他的朋友和当地的一些年轻模特儿。他说：“我平时会从一些韩国摄影师身上获得灵感，尤其是那些极简主义摄影师。我更希望能让自己的作品具有个人特色，无论是肖像照还是风景照。” 总有一天，他希望自己的照片能作为一种启发，鼓励其他年轻的艺术家毫不犹豫地投入创作。“踏出去，重新开始，发现美好的日出日落，和那些生活中非比寻常的小事。”
