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KRISTINE SERVANDO

Robin Fall




LISTEN TO SINNA TALK ABOUT HER PHOTOGRAPHY

Risna Hermanto, now 30, was just out of high school when she moved to Hong Kong from her native Indonesia to become a domestic helper in 2004. 
A keen writer, Risna (nicknamed Sinna) started penning in diaries her experiences in the new city, then soon after discovered the joys of blogging. Inspired by those blogs, she started yearning to add visuals to complement her writings.
There was just one problem: she couldn't yet afford a camera. She was sending most of her earnings to her family in Ponorogo, East Java - about 650 kilometres east of the capital Jakarta - including paying for a younger sister's education.
It was five years into her stint as a maid, after her sister graduated from high school, that she was able to save money for her budding photography ambitions. "I saved money for more than two years and got a DSLR in 2010," she says.

"Every holiday [day off], I always bring my camera. Even on weekdays [when] I cannot go out, or sick days stay when I stay at home, I take indoor photos," she says.
In one experiment, she placed her camera inside her employer's fridge, pointing at herself, and took a self-potrait.
She joined a Hong Kong-based photography group called Indographers, a mix of Indonesian residents of various professions. She also taught herself photography and editing techniques by reading articles online.
But it was when she found out through Facebook about a Hong Kong social enterprise called Lensational that she was able to truly hone her skills.
Lensational, co-founded by Bonnie Chiu and Peggy Tse in March 2013, aims to "empower women in developing countries economically and emotionally by equipping them with digital cameras and photography training". Since its founding, it has held photography workships with helpers and workers in Myanmar, Britain, Pakistan and South Korea, among others.
Sunnie Chiu (no relation), a programme leader from Lensational, says the group has trained hundreds of women in basic photography.
Sinna, who first started going to Lensational's workshops in October 2013, developed an eye for abstract photography.
She likes double-exposure snaps that merge two images in one frame. "My favourite photo is one called Pointing at a Star. I took a photo of my friend's silhouette on the first click and on the second click, I shot a bush in Kowloon Park," she says.
"I like to take pictures that nobody can copy [even if we shoot] the same model, the same angle," Sinna says.

She also says she feels empowered by her ability to handle a camera, as it proves that she is "more than a domestic helper".
"While most people think that I am only good at cleaning, cooking and ironing  ...  I believe I can be a professional photographer and writer one day," she writes in one of her blogs.
However much she shares her photos with the world, even sometimes contributing photographs to Indonesian-language magazines for free, there's one person whom she says doesn't know of her hobby: her employer. "Sometimes it's complicated," Sinna says with a shrug and a laugh. "I prefer to keep it private [from them]."
Next month, though, her work will come to wider attention when Lensational features her work, along with other trainees, in a photo exhibition at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. 
"With my photography I want to show the spirit of Hong Kong people - that they are hardworking and they follow the rules," she says. "Hong Kong is modern and traditional blend together. It has a rich culture."
Lensational will hold an exhibition of the migrant workers' photographs from August 15-17 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. For more information, visit lensational.org.


Shooting for the stars: Hong Kong domestic helpers discover their hidden talent for photography

"Pointing at a Star" by Sinna.

Sinna (pictured) experiments with perspectives by placing the camera inside a refrigerator, putting on a timer, and snapping a self-portrait.

Sinna Hermanto poses with her camera at Victoria Park. Photo: Robin Fall

News

Hong Kong

Education

First in a two-part series, SCMP brings in focus two Indonesian maids/photographers Sinna Hermanto and Asti Maria
