Hi Ozi, it’s lovely talking to you! First of all, could you introduce yourself to our readers? Who are you, where do you come from, where do you live now? Tell us a little bit about your personal background!
Hi, I am Muallif Fachrozi, you can call me just Ozi (most of friends call me Ozi). I am 30 years old. My background is in Environmental Engineering, and I graduated in October 2013. Talking about photography, I am still an amateur, but I love taking random pictures. The majority of photos I take are about traveling, food, art, and many random things around me. Currently, I live in Borneo Island, Indonesia, specifically South Borneo Province of Indonesia. This province has many islands. In my "diary", you can find many random things. If you are interested, please visit my Instagram @mlfchrzi
What do you do for a living? When did you discover photography for yourself?
I work as a Banker at one of the banks in my city. To be more specific, I do Credit Analysis. Photography is not my professional job, but I love it so much. I can imagine many things only from a picture. I think photography is my cup of tea, more than just a hobby. Moreover, from the pictures that I have taken, I was able meet the Pickmotion team. It is one of my huge achievements in my life, oh God, thank you!
Besides lovely travel pictures, you also shared some amazing motifs where you have played with flowers! How did you develop this style?
Honestly, I love anything related to nature, like something blooming, flowers, leaves, colour blocks, and so forth. Initially, I often bought flowers just for the display in my home, but it feels sad to see the flowers wither just like that, and I thought… why not capture the flowers and let them be something that can be enjoyed forever? Yes! Taking the picture now!
What inspires you and why?
Inspiration can come anywhere and suddenly, even from the closest things around us. I always try to see anything as an inspiration, and then modify it to be what I like.
Do you have a favorite type of flower?
In my country, it is called Krisan or chrysanthemum flower. The price of this flower is affordable. It has many lovely colors, it is easy to get, and it is really "photogenic" if you take a picture, you must give it a try!
Can you tell us something about your creation process? How do you come up with your ideas and how do you edit your photos?
The ideas on my mind are so random, hehe. Sometimes I cannot manage my mind to find ideas for pictures. Everything just flows, and I do whatever I think is beautiful to me, and I hope that others can enjoy it too.
I always use the app VSCOcam for filters, and SNAPSEED to fix the details. But for sure, I always try to present natural pictures, for example by looking for good lighting when taking pictures. Then, I do not need a long time to edit a picture and can immediately upload it to my account.
Many of your pictures have a lovely composition of pastel colors! What are you trying to look for when choosing your backgrounds?
Yes, I love colour blocks in pastel colours. It gives happiness to the viewers. For the background, I usually use leftover paper of food packaging or buy some colorful paper which can be found in many places. With the help of a colorful background, I want to make many people feel the happiness that I feel when I take that picture.
How and why did you start using Instagram as a platform to share your photography?
I started using Instagram in 2012. In the beginning, I just uploaded everything I wanted to. I did not know how to make a composition, how to choose the colors or capture something interesting for others. But as time went by, I found what fixed with my personality, and tried to be consistent with it up until now. If you pay attention, I always upload the pictures on my feed in a "square" size, because I think this has been the hallmark of Instagram from the beginning. Instagram is a simple application for me, I can use it as my digital diary, I can inspire many people, share a lot of moments, and find a lot of new things in it.
Do you have a favorite photograph which you have created and shared? Can you tell us the story behind it?
This is one of my favorite pictures, I created and shared it a few years ago. A simple object but with the deepest story behind it. This picture I created and shared coincides with the "13th World Wide Insta Meet" celebration. At that time, the theme was #LifeOnEarth. You can read a full story behind the picture from my caption on Instagram, but briefly, I explain that the earth is getting older and needs all of us to continue to take care of the environment around us, so it can be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren in the future. One way is to reduce the use of single-use plastics and start switching to more environmentally friendly packaging like a cloth bag that can be found anywhere.
How do you feel about your Instagram community? Do they inspire you a lot? Have you been able to meet some people?
Instagram opened up a lot of space for me to get to know many great people in it. I met a lot of inspiring people and found a place to share many stories and bring something close to me that usually feels far away. Through Instagram, I have met people several times who I consider a positive impact. I have to thank all the content creators on Instagram who have brought so many positive changes to many other communities.
Could you name some of your favorite Instagrammers who inspire you?
Everyone present on my feed can be my inspiration, but if you want me to name a few, I choose 3 accounts that inspire me a lot. For a flat lays theme is @dewideong, for professional food photography I have @sazhabusha, and at last for traveling and lifestyle I like the most @aridarmapremana.
Do you like sending and receiving postcards?
Yes, I really love it, but sending and receiving postcards is not very popular in my country. I think it looks like the trend will continue to spin, people come back to like something unique and everlasting. I also think that postcards can be the option for that. Through postcards, we can share about anything only from the picture and the story behind it. And yes, Pickmotion is one of the pioneers for this.
Did you know Pickmotion before we started our collaboration? If yes, how did you become aware of us?
Honestly, I did not know Pickmotion before. Firstly, I was surprised when I received an email from your team in 2016. I doubted myself and asked why Pickmotion chose me as a contributor in their community? At first, I didn't think we could work together this far but here we are now. I hope we can always share inspiration with many people out there.
Would you like to share a little story or anecdote with us? Feel free to tell us anything!
I have many random stories in my life, hehe. Those are about my family, friends, the love life, and my job. Everyone has an interesting story behind it. What recently happened was when I had to be separated from my parents and family, because I live a bit far away from them. All this happened because of the pandemic where I could not see them for more than 2 years. Until finally, I decided to take some time off my job for a while and got to meet my parents and sister whom I love so much. Because of this, I understand that distance will make you appreciate your time together even more. You will realize that family is everything in your life and also cannot be replaced with anything in this world. I dedicate this interview to my parents and sister whom I love very much.
You can find many pictures by @mlfchrzi in our online shop! Among other things, you can find a variety of folded cards, such as photostrips that can be used as practical book marks! Feel free to take a look and have lots of fun sending some lovely greetings to your friends and family!
