The harbor of Muara Angke
by Michael C. Geiss
The harbor of Muara Angke in Jakarta, Indonesia, is a microcosme, in one of the biggest cities worldwide. It´s a place, where you can see the impact of a problem, not only due to the local population: The heritage of our consumer society, resulting in pollution by mountains of plastics and chemicals finding a final destination in a place, where you presume to find healthy food.
In the middle of this small world, people who work hard, to feed their families under conditions we are not used to, but always smiling and open for a talk.
When you live in country like I do, were you have to wear hard-toed boots, at the moment you take a small screwdriver in your hands, you will be seriously confused watching those tuff workers on and under a wreck in the harbor.
While observing them dismantling the wreck on deck, I discovered a diver coming up from under this steel-monster. I couldn´t believe that he was doing his dirty job there, getting "fresh" air, by a tube attached to a compressor on the shore. After a while, they stopped for a break and I could ask the diver for a portrait- shot on the pier, what he accepted with a big smile, while his fellow, who came out of a whole in the wreak, only wearing a T-shirt and trousers, asked me to have a noodle soup with him in the shadow. Communication was very simple, they did not speak English and my Indonesian is very poor. I am still wondering, how much of the liquid they work in ... is water? Conclusion: I will never again complain about my job ;)
My name is Michael C. Geiss, I am an editorial and commercial photographer, based in Bavaria (Germany) born in 1957. I spent many years in the south of France, before moving back to Germany, where I studied photography and then started in fashion & food photography, before working as a cameraman for German TV during a period of 10 years.
When I'm not taking photos, you'll find me volunteering at my local NGO, or for an international foundation as a kind of project scout, exploring new countries, or spending time with my (furry) family.
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