It's Been Two Years

Can’t believe it’s been two years since I started my photography diary in Jakarta. The same two years since the first time I befriended the two genius behind Cotton Ink label. The first time I, Carline and Ria “met” on the cyber world and I was just simply an admiring customer of their clothing line who bought one of their leggings. Not long after my first purchase, Carline emailed me back and offered to collaborate for their lookbook.

 Their first lookbook (with Nina Zatulini as the model) was done near my house. I remember really well back then Carline and Ria still did their own make up on the models, and no assistant was there to offer a helping hand, everything was taken care of by themselves alone. The shoot was fun. It was our first lookbook ever so we got very excited. It was my first lookbook ever in my career, which was printed and given away at Brightspot Market event.

 Not long after that, Cotton Ink started to give me challenges, such as indoor photo shoot, product photo shoot (by that time I haven’t done any photo shoot for products at all, and I used lighting so little my whole life working as a photographer) and also outdoor photo shoot at places like Ciwidey. That was around the time when I asked Marlene to join us as Cotton Ink’s makeup artist. There are plenty of funny, memorable, random things we’ve gone through together the four of us. From going to Stasiun Kota at dusk, a silly fight with a gangster in Cikampek, that very proud moment when Cotton Ink won one of the nomination at CLEO Fashion Awards in 2010 and many more stupidly happy things that had made us laugh so much we can’t breathe, and others that had made us down too sometimes.

 Every time I clean up my room and found Cotton Ink’s lookbooks slipped in many corners, those I took from Brightpot event, and every time I look at my previous works and compare them to the photographs I take now, it feels funny. Time flies indeed, and it’s been almost two years. Me, Ria, Carline and Marlene, we’re not only job partners anymore, our strong bonding takes us from the client and the photographer, or the client and the makeup artist, but we’re practically sisters to each other now. Marlene and I are Libras, Ria and Carline are Geminis, if I superstitiously think of it, no wonder we click so much as our characters are alike. I can’t wait for next year, I heard Cotton ink is preparing a “surprise” for their beloved customers. Love you so much girls!