DSLR Tales: Nasi Goreng and the Stranger

A long-overdue thank you to the stranger in Bandung:

Dear Stranger in Orange, 

I want to thank you for saving me from a disastrous first attempt at food photography. I was about to check out of the guesthouse then, debating whether to spend my last three hours in Jalan Progo photographing the cosy cafe downstairs or analysing what went wrong with my photos the day before. I chose the latter. I ordered nasi goreng, brought the DSLR out and tried my best to capture the delicious Indonesian food before me. Without luck. My photos could not capture the brown fried rice and the chicken satay looked like it was drowning in gravy in my photo. I finished my cafe late and still couldn't figure out what's wrong. 

You and your friend just checked in that morning, and your friend thought I was Indonesian (no surprises there). She talked to me in Bahasa, and I gave the most puzzled look I have and told her that I'm not from Indonesia. She asked me how long have I been a photographer, and I told her that it was my first time. She offered help - your expertise apparently. I passed her my camera, which she then passed to you, and she left the two of us to discuss how to take good photos. In the limited English you knew, you told me about the aperture, the shutter speed, and some other DSLR jargon I couldn't remember. You adjusted my DSLR's settings. And when your friend told you that it was time to go, you instructed me to get my phone and took a photo of the setting you've used.


I said my sincerest thanks; you smiled, you said goodbye and wished me luck. 

And after our encounter, I remember my Film 110 professor's word: "You have to believe in the goodness of people." Indeed. 



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As of this writing, my food story was out. I managed to take a good photo that escaped the tools of Photoshop. Thank you Mr Stranger, I hope I could master photography, and I will make sure to pay it forward.