Indonesia in Black and White – a Photo Essay

Ever dreamed about what it would be like to take travel photographs professionally? For most of us, going to exotic destinations and capturing our experiences on film is something we only wish we could spend more time doing. But for Charlie Hatch-Barnwell, it’s how he makes his living. Here he shares a photo essay of breath-taking black and white images taken in Indonesia…

All images copywright of Charlie Hatch-Barnwell.

“Nusa Lembongan Island, a short boat trip from Bali. A young girl wades home after a day of searching for sea urchins. The people of this island live off a diet that is prodominantly sea based. In the background is Mount Agung in Bali. Two days later an earthquake measuring 6.3 shook this area. Nobody was hurt.”

“The Asmat tribe from Central Irian Jaya. One of two remaining tribes in Indonesia still practising cannibalism. Members of the tribe don traditional dress in preparation for a ceremonial dance to honour the Gods.”

“The Asmat tribe from Central Irian Jaya. One of two remaining tribes in Indonesia, still practising cannibalism. A ceremonial dance to honour the Gods. Members performing often fall into a trance like state and can’t be stopped from moving uncontrollably.”

“Ubud, Bali. A young girl carries a ‘sajen’ or peace offering. Today is a mass cremation in her village. The cremations are held once a year, but poorer villages can wait anything up to five years before a Ngaben ceremony. The mood is always jovial, as it is when the families get to send their dead family to a better place, and is more a celebration of their life rather than the passing.”

“A view of the vast savannas of Sumba, East Indonesia. Only 100 years ago the landscapes were dense sandal wood forests. Due to an explosion in demand and a lack of environmental planning, the island was stripped bare of the valuable wood, and as a result has little to offer in terms of export materials now.”

“Waignapu, West Sumba. The beachfront of a small village where each year the ‘Pasola’ horse festival is held.”

“Karang Asam, Bali. A mass cremation. Each family exhumes their dead relative, cleans and prepares the body. They then re-wrap the body and place it on a stage that will be set alight.”

“Kodi, Sumba. Women queue to lay offerings in a graveyard in front of a traditional house, many of which are still used to this day.”

“Ubud, Bali. The queen of Ubud has a huge royal cremation ceremony. More of a tourist attraction, although some of the tradition has been kept. Here a young performer readies herself before a dance in front of a crowd of at least 1000 people.”

“Sabu, a small island just off Sumba in the east of Indonesia. Villagers perform a pre-harvest ritual that involves a short dance followed by a prayer. This will in turn bless their crops. Each dance must be performed on the beach.”

“Mount Agung in Bali. Taken from the island of Nusa Lembongan, as the evening sun sets.”

Bio in Brief

Although he graduated with  a BA in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts Central Saint Martin’s in 2006, Charlie’s sense of art direction and composition coupled with a passion and strong curiosity in the world of photography led him to complete a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication in 2009 under the expert tuition of Paul Lowe of Panos picture agency and John Easterby former picture editor of Magnum. Charlie’s strong documentary style of photography landed him a contract with The World Food Programme, United Nations after graduation. He then went on to working for The Times newspaper as a photojournalist. Charlie is currently based in Jakarta working on features around Indonesia for Corbis.

Check out some of Charlie’s other work on his website.

You can find more info about Indonesia in our Dreamguides.

Plan your trip to Indonesia.

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to check out some of our other photographic compilations, such as 20 Stunning Underwater Photos, or Photo Essay of Trip Through Jordan.