Carlos de la Rua was born in San Sebastian, a medium sized
town on the Cantabric Sea in the Basque Country of northern
Spain. In his life he has held many jobs, mainly relating
to painting, decorating interiors and furniture restoration.
For many years he owned a shop where he would hold workshops
teaching people how to develop their skills in those fields.
He first came to Bali in October 2002 in order to make a fresh
start, to discover Bali and also to discover himself.
Why did you choose Bali as a place to live?
I chose to live here because Bali gives me enough space to
develop my creativity. I find Bali full of beauty everywhere.
My goal is to try to capture that beauty and at the same time
express my point of view.
When and how did you first become interested in photography?
My first contact with photography happened when I was a child.
My father owned an advertising agency for a cinema, so I used
to join him shooting movies in 36 mm, helping with the lights,
camera, etc.
Do you have a speciality in photography?
I don’t have a speciality. I find everything interesting.
The water, the people, their hands and feet, whatever attracts
my eye. I am not specially attracted by any one subject. I
am amazed and interested in as wide a variety as possible.
As long as a situation, an object or whatever can express
something, not only physically but also on an emotional level,
I try to capture it’s essence.
Which professional photographers do you most admire?
I have great admiration for Enrì Cartier Bresson, Helmut
Newton, Javier Valhonrat and Alberto Garcia Elix who is one
of my favourites because of his ability to express the inner
life of the environment surrounding him, especially street
life and its people.
Why do you like the people of Bali as subjects of your photographs?
The people and the culture of Bali are unique. Most everything
they use is made from natural materials, a mixture between
nature and art, which makes their culture very special. The
daily life in the streets for me is wonderful and interesting
and it’s also highly photogenic. Not only the ceremonies
but also numerous almost unperceivable details. If you stop
and observe these details, you will realize they are absolutely
inimitable. The way the past lives alongside the island’s
modern culture also absolutely intrigues me.
Do people in Bali like to have their pictures taken?
Most of the time people in this country are glad to have their
pictures taken. Every time I take a picture of a Balinese
or Indonesian, it’s a tribute to them and their culture
because I try to capture their life and their history.
Have you photographed other places in Indonesia besides Bali?
I’ve been in few places in Java, Lombok and the Gili
Islands, and Nusa Lembongan. For me the most interesting was
Sulawesi and especially the Tana Toraja area.
Do you use any special techniques when photographing people?
I practice two different techniques when photographing people,
depending on whether they are in the streets or in my own
studio. In the streets I tend to be spontaneous and take pictures
when the subjects are unaware, whereas in a studio I ask people
to just be who they really are and express themselves with
just their faces and their eyes. I ask them to express what
they feel, trying to eliminate that fake postcard smile and
bring out their emotions from deep inside themselves.
Is it difficult to make a living from photography?
Anybody can tell you that everything in life is difficult,
nothing is easy. But life often deserves the effort that you
put into it if you do it with positive attitude and with good
intentions and purpose. The effort that you put into life,
life will pay back.
What words of advice can you give to a young or beginner photographer?
Be passionate! Do not give up shooting exactly what you like
to shoot. Pay attention to the reaction of people looking
at your work, take criticism as constructive commentary, and
be critical of your own work as well as being positive and
analytical.
Where can people see a selection of you photographs? Do you
have a website?
I have a collection of about 30,000 pictures and to make a
selection out of those pictures, which I am currently doing,
is very time consuming therefore it will take awhile longer
before the selection will be ready. Another issue is that
since I keep taking pictures, my selection gets bigger by
the day. A better picture to me is always the picture I will
capture tomorrow. A website is an idea that I am developing,
and it will come with time.
My e-mail is carlosdelarua@yahoo.es or if you are lucky
enough you might bump into me and my German Sheppard on Sanur
beach.
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : pakbill2003@yahoo.com
Copyright@2006 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
