Sandy Wijaya
Sandy Wijaya is a self-taught photographer who began his photography career in 2001. In 2010, he joined Perhimpunan Amatir Foto, the oldest photography club in Indonesia. Sandy quite often wanders to various exotic destinations around the world especially in the Himalayas, Silk Road and Asia. He ventures on roads less travelled, in pursuit of enchanting lights and to be on the scent of one’s culture. His aspirations lead him far away from home, visiting 92 countries in many wondrous places in the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.
“For all the software magic that smartphones can bring to the photography table, it cannot compare to having a larger sensor. Thanks to its stacked 1-inch sensor, RX100 VII captures better image quality with lower noise, greater depth-of-field, and better colour rendering.”
Name any country and Sandy Wijaya may have most likely visited it. Afterall, his photography pursuit has taken him to as many as 92 countries in the last 20 years.
Don’t mistake Sandy as one of your regular sunglasses-touting tourists. Always setting off with intention, the Indonesian photographer ventures on roads less travelled, roughing it out on the Silk Road or scaling mountainous terrains in the Himalayas. It is because of his boldness for adventure that resulted in some of the most arresting visuals that earned him popularity in the photography industry. He even offers workshops and photography tours in various parts of the world.
While most great shots happen spontaneously for Sandy, it is probably his contemplative approach to travel photography that nails his visual stunners.
RX100 VII | 35 mm | 1/125 sec | F4 | ISO 800
He aptly elaborated: “Travel photography is an image that expresses the feeling of a time and place, portrays a land, its people, or a culture in its natural state, and has no geographical limitations.”
With every great capture comes a great apparatus to realise this vision. Sandy has looked to Sony’s RX100 VII for this. Right off the bat, he gushed that the camera is not just “small and unobtrusive”, but also “fast and responsive”, “durable” and “has a good battery life.” He also loves the pop-up eye-level viewfinder.
RX100 VII | 24 mm | 1/1000 sec | F8 | ISO 100
Sandy shared that the RX100 VII is small enough to keep in a pocket, allowing him to capture every unexpected moment. But what is surely not small is the camera’s stacked 1-inch sensor that captures high-resolution photos with reduced noise, along with richer colour rendering and intense depth of field.
RX100 VII | 24 mm | 1/250 sec | F3.2 | ISO 1250
Furthermore, the RX100 VII’s 24-200mm lens has proved ideal for Sandy’s documentary needs with its flexible zoom range. He recounted how he can easily shoot a wide-angle landscape scenery, then switching to a close-up portrait of one's face, while still maintaining stunning sharp quality.
RX100 VII | 200 mm | 1/320 sec | F11 | ISO 400
RX100 VII | 24 mm | 1/640 sec | F11 | ISO 50
In his field of travel documentary, Sandy deals with a lot of fast-moving subjects that require a fast response from a camera to determine the right focus point. Thankfully, the RX100 VII is both fast and responsive, in terms of camera basic operation, autofocus and burst shooting.
He added: “ The camera’s controls are intuitive and well laid-out, so I am not missing the moments by hunting through the menu.”
RX100 VII | 200 mm | 1/2000 sec | F8 | ISO 200 With 20fps blackout free shooting
RX100 VII | 24 mm | 1/320 sec | F2.8 | ISO 1000
The RX100 VII’s high speed is proven by its incredible 0.02-sec super fast AF for once-in-a-lifetime captures. The camera’s fast image sensor also offers up to 20fps blackout free continuous shooting and up to 90fps Single Burst Shooting that takes seven shots in rapid succession.
RX100 VII | 200 mm | 1/320 sec | F4.5 | ISO 800
High speed is also demonstrated by the RX100 VII’s Real-time Tracking. This feature automatically zeros in on Sandy’s target and maintains constant focus, capturing every moving moment of a speeding vehicle or a galloping horse.
Real-time Eye AF also plays equal importance in Sandy’s photographic works. The feature lets him concentrate on the framing and storytelling of his subjects, while leaving the eye-focusing to the camera. “With Sony’s AF technology, miss-focus is a thing of the past,” he added.
RX100 VII | 105 mm | 1/30 sec | F5.6 | ISO 1600
RX100 VII | 200 mm | 1/500 sec | F5.6 | ISO 200
Along with all its pro features, the RX100 VII’s durability is truly displayed in Sandy’s many adventures, from the humid-heavy tropics to ice-capades.
RX100 VII | 24 mm | 1/100 sec | F5.6 | ISO 1000
Without a doubt, Sandy is regarded as a serious, professional photographer. His captures are made with precision and purpose. However, getting his hands on the RX100 VII has reminded him of the joys of creative shooting.
“I rediscovered the meaning of true fun and creativity in photography,” he shared, particularly crediting the RX100 VII
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of Sandy Wijaya. They do not reflect the opinions or views of Sony Singapore.