Commercial Photographer and Founder of Bacteria Photography

Print, Book Publishing, Video Creation, Graphic Design 

INDONESIA

Eric Dinardi is a commercial photographer based in Indonesia. Having worked in several genres of photography since 2004, he found his passion in food, architecture and product photography.

Eric’s company Bacteria Photography has branched into production work, helping clients with print, book publishing, video creation and graphic design. He also conducts workshops on lighting technique and complete commercial photography workflows. 

1. Tell us a little bit about your background and work in the creative space

As is the case with any newbie photographer, I jumped into all genres. I said “Yes” to everything. Weddings. Portrait work. Food photography. Commercial photography. If it included snapping photographs with my camera, I was in!  

Working in all genres of photography fine-tuned my skills and eyes to see subtle nuances in light, image quality and colour accuracy.

Gradually, I transitioned from “pure photography” services to specialised projects or “photography applications”. This includes printmaking, post-production, video editing, graphic design, digital media and commercial television. 

With my company, Bacteria Photography, my focus revolves around automobile, product, architectural and corporate commercial photography. We also recently expanded into production work. 

2. What was your workflow like when you started, and how has it evolved?

When I set up my photography business, we were on a shoestring budget. My limited resources consisted of an entry-level camera, low quality lighting and an old computer. 

It was a very basic workflow, and predictably, we had several colour management issues. Without a complete understanding of the importance of the monitor in the workflow, I went through a lot of trial and error. From changing my camera and its settings, and lighting systems, to upgrading my computer system!

The photographer’s workflow begins with the camera. As such, my first step to improving my process was upgrading to a medium-format PhaseOne camera. To find the most neutral colour from my lighting equipment, I used Broncolor. While this helped improve my output greatly, what was missing was an accurate reference tool. 

THE CHALLENGE

3. What was your biggest problem in your creative workflow?

As I began specialising in high accuracy photography (i.e. automobiles, sensitive colour products, commercial projects and architecture) and printing, texture and colour became more important. What we see in the camera display looks different in the output file. 

The biggest challenge was, “How do I match the colour of the object I am capturing to the picture on screen and the print result?”

4. How was it affecting you and/or your clients?

More than our clients, it was impacting our business. Due to all the trial and error, we were wasting a lot of time and money printing and reprinting pictures. 

5. Why did you choose EIZO monitors?

While I had heard about EIZO, my first experience with the brand was at ShootSIN 2016. 

Seeing how the images showed up on the screen and the impact EIZO monitors had on the production workflow amazed me. Plus, the ColorEdge CG range even had self-calibration! These monitors were the perfect solution for colour accuracy and honest representation of my work.

6. What would have happened if you had not upgraded to an EIZO monitor?

We would have been depending on guesswork to get accurate colour. The end result would have been more wasted time and money. 

Plus, I’d have the prickly feeling of knowing we are not working with the best equipment in the market. which means, we are not giving our clients the best service possible. 

RESULTS

7. What EIZO monitor(s) do you use?

ColorEdge CG319X. 

8. What areas of your creative work do you use the monitor for?

A lot of my work is in food and product photoshoots. In these specialised areas where subtle colour nuances matter, off-the-shelf monitors just won’t do.

For example, food photography is colour sensitive. Our challenge is to create images that look “fresh” and appetizing but are in real colour.

During a shoot, I’d use a grey card to adjust the grey balance neutral. This ensures what I see on my EIZO is the real colour that I captured. I then use the output file in sRGB or AdobeRGB. 

In product shoots, I’ve found clients wanting to produce colour variations with specific colour codes (besides capturing real colour). This happens a lot in automobile photography. We photograph only one car. But, we edit the colour variations according to specific paint codes. My EIZO monitor makes this process easy with the true calibrated neutral parameters ( the neutral grey colour across the screen, correct and stable colour temperature, the correct colour palette, etc.).

There’s more - Gradation is crucial in product photography. Adjusting the colour in gradation parts can only be achieved in a uniform monitor. The uniformity in EIZO helps when I need to adjust hard and sensitive colours such as yellowish-white. In my experience, I’ve found that only the 10-bit EIZO screen can reach that colour spectrum. 

9. How has using an EIZO influenced the overall quality of your work?

My entire workflow from photoshoot and graphic design layouts to editing and printing is streamlined. I never realised that the colour management problems I faced could all be rectified with the calibration of the monitor. My CG319X’s self-calibration makes colour management easy and I’ve eliminated all sorts of colour distortion problems. 

The EIZO monitor shows details that other monitors simply cannot. I am able to trust what I see on my screen and know what I print will be accurate. 

10. What advice would you give for photographers who enter the industry without colour management experience thus have a “camera-centric” workflow?

To become a “complete” photographer, one must focus on every aspect of the workflow. This means, you must not only be looking at the latest camera, but you must also equip yourself with a good lighting system and a monitor that helps you view your images truthfully. 

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