been awhile.

Rebirth.

I would probably name this post that word if I'm in the mood to be pretentious enough. But nope, I think for the last two and a half months, I peeked out to a world where letting go, letting in, broadening possibilities, keeping myself occupied, I mean I see myself taking care of myself. This is something I've lost in New York; I was a total tube man flailing the shit out, somewhat out of control. Even in Jakarta I've tried and failed to go back to where I used to be in terms of photography. I was adamant that I can do 'this', but never see the possibility of 'that'.

So, I went back to the basics today: light-hunting, animal-preying, simple appreciations, and smiling while doing the photography. All unedited. All just there to be a part of a narrative, just like how this blog have started. Back then, it was just me, and no techniques, no clients, no pressure and expectations.

As a fake bum with chronic mental health issues, I just want to filter it down to that person that appreciates and play with the camera that her parents gave to her.

The Whys have changed to Why Nots. Bad days visits but not everyday. Mornings come and go but always ready to greet the sleepy 6 AM Olen. And I have never felt the deliciousness of a full-day day off when I was a freelancer.

Here we are then. I will stop rambling and this post is a g'mornin from Olen and her little Poleng troops; Penny and Molly the kittens, JoJo the puppy, Ganesha the housekeeper, Lucy the ginger cat (but she was sleeping inside the house), also featuring my neighbor slash fellow photographer Krisna and his dog Bule.

S'wastiastu!

P.S. You can click the picture to put them on slideshow mode :)

tenth of october.

I've decided to make my website public since about two weeks ago, therefore this blog would still be running as more of a personal platform. Honestly I'm still a bit annoyed about not being able to share all of my pictures both from work and daily life in one place anymore. It's not that I can't, but I'm still trying to figure out how to manage two sites at the same time. I mean, hell, I didn't even update this blog that often.

But yes, figuring things out is not the same as cooking a cup noodle. Instant gratification is the last thing I wanted to practice right now.

Aside from tech dev and work, I've also started a short project with a mystery model. She's fifteen years old, and despite her young age, she's been babysitting my nephew from time to time.

I also just got back from China and committed a crime by buying a fake pair of canvas shoes --only because they're navy blue plus it's China, what can you expect? They're not the ones in the photograph, though. I bought this orange pair for a good price on ZALORA.

OH and I styled! Man, it's been awhile since I did that. Remember Ray from the previous post? He introduced me to Bowo, a photographer and adorer of all things Japanese. We ended up collaborating at my house the week after we got to know each other;

You can check his works here and follow his instagram @prabowbow.

Yes, ok, that's all for the greeting post this month.
With that, I wish you all a fucking one hell of a great weekend!

news x instagram.

Hello summer peeps!

First, I'll give you some intentionally-made-to-be-difficult-to-read news.

2nd of all, the lack of updates can be healed temporarily by following my instagram: @olenriyanto. I've been a bit obsessed with instagram these days because it's very compact and instant. Plus, it's another way to keep yourself posted of my upcoming posts here.

 

Have a great dose of the sun, then!

wait,

Greetings from Jakarta!

May is ending but I happened to save this one shoot I did back in the midst of the month. Yes, ask away about the 'when' and I'll answer you with the full set of pictures next month. For now, I am happy to announce my collaboration with Beata Primana and Josha Ponggawa for the final presentation of these pictures featuring the most hipster-looking 14 year-old I've ever did a test shoot on.

I would like to apologize for being such a lazy ass. Summer so far turns me into a cat; I did nothing much aside from rolling around the bed from morning 'till night. I did took some pictures but they're mostly for work, so I wouldn't be able to post them until it is published.

But hey, I am up for any freelance job/collaboration for now. Trying to find an internship at the same time. Not an easy task after all.

Wishing you all the wellness of the world!

coming soon.

"Where are the updates?"

"Why do you keep on posting previews at Instagram and not post any pictures?"

"Is Olen still alive?"

Yes, this is all I've been hearing for the past two months despite the fact that this visual blog doesn't have much followers except you, yes you, all of my loyal friends and people who got the updates notice from Facebook.

If you're wondering why the updates are getting longer and longer, it's because I've been living without a laptop for almost three months by now. How is that even possible? IPad. That practically saved my cyber connection. Yet when it comes to keeping the blog updated, it's pretty difficult especially with the library closing at 11 PM and the weekends spent getting distracted with food, friends, and artworks.

Just to keep you posted (and interested, believe me I'm trying hard) I have two batches of pictures to edit ...hopefully soon. One would feature a new friend of mine that looks like an asian-caucasian cherub, and the other would be a comeback of one of my four muses. They're just simple stuff, since  I'd like to keep my things far from grandiose. But who knows, you might find me doing glamour during the summer.

And so here I am, keeping all of you curious with a sneak peak above.

Hang in there, pretty minds!

Calins pour vous,

Olen

'13

First of all, happy new year 2013! Hopefully we all will have a better year than the previous. Personally, I wanted to be able to update this blog more, and so I shall not restrict myself on posting fashion-related pictures only this year and so forth.

A lot of people said to me about how I don't need to make a website, and I was never really sure that I need one either. Pretty Merdes so far allows me to interact with the viewers about the creative process and product of each project, and even slipping some personal-related things when I don't have any projects. I'm also at a place where I still can't claim to be above amateur, and so calling myself a 'photographer' is always a bit shameful.

But sometimes you just have to stop thinking too much, they say, and in the meantime you can take things slowly but sure. So here I am giving a preview of what hopefully will grow into a realistic creative outlet.

For those who didn't know, my name's Florentin Riyanto, nicknamed Olen since a few months old, and so that should explain the 'f' and the dot above.

I'll be seeing you all soon with new updates!

good morning sandy.

This was taken on October 30th, 2012, 6-something AM. Sandy was already downgraded to a post-tropical storm by then. The power outage stayed for days, and even until now.

Sandy, you swept the sun away from me. But it was exciting. Thank you.

post-christmas @ the salim's

merdeka