Jakarta Globe,
Zack Petersen, May 26, 2013
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| Herman Wibowo showing off his drones at a seminar. (JG Photo/Zack Petersen) |
Herman
Wibowo,a drone and helicopter aerial cinematographer, has traveled the world
capturing breathtaking shots with the power of his thumbs. His
remote-controlled drones, which have multiple rotors, have traveled into the
belly of volcano craters, skirted the beaches of Raja Ampat and crisscrossed
Borobudur at dawn. As his profile grows, so do his moral dilemmas. Herman, 40,
knows that in the wrong hands, his drones could be dangerous.
How long
have you been flying drones?
I started
flying remote control in the fourth grade. I was the youngest of seven and so I
was always looking for something to do. My dad actually introduced me to the
hobby. My passion is anything that is remotely controlled.
I also race
cars and fly remote-controlled helicopters and airplanes. But my passion is
also photography and video. So I combine the two. I started my company back in
2002.
Do you
think we will see drones at demonstrations here in the next few years?
We already
are. This drone here has a camera, a GoPro HD Hero 3. I did a job for the
National Police — a Labor Day demonstration — and there I was flying at 50
meters, monitoring things.
Could you
see people’s faces?
Yes. I
could see who the ringleaders were and what was going on. In the wrong hands
drones can do damage.
Have you
worked at all with the government?
With Fauzi
Bowo, the World Bank, for a mining company, TV news, movie productions, a
production house, property management, security. Everybody needs aerial vision.
It’s something that you cannot get from the ground, you need to bring the
camera up.
What’s the
most beautiful thing you’ve seen?
If I go to
an exotic place, like an island or mountain, then you can go down to see the
crater and you can go down with a camera and you can see the scene itself.
Have you
seen the insides of a volcano?
Yes. In
Bandung, in Kampung Banten. I was also in Bromo, where we shot with a remote
camera.
Did you
manage to turn your hobby into a dream job?
Yes. But I
enjoy my hobby. I don’t consider it hard because I think it’s a gift that I can
use my hobby as my job. And I get to travel. I am passionate of traveling.
Work is
work, it’s always hard. But this is a gift. I’m going to Raja Ampat for 10 days
in October, and a movie director from America just found one of my videos on
YouTube and he wants me to come out to Yogya again to help him with a film.
What’s the
weirdest job that you have ever taken on?
The
weirdest was to take the picture of a helicopter flying nearby with my small
helicopter. Also taking shots of Ahmad Dhani and Mulan Jameela.
But I’ve
also had to take shots for the army and police when there was a Labor Day demo
at Monas [national monument].
Do you
think what you do invades people’s privacy?
Yes, if it
got in the wrong hands.
If you were
to make a commercial about Jakarta, which shot would you make sure to have?
Kota Tua
and the North Jakarta port of Sunda Kelapa. Also SCBD [Sudirman Central
Business District], and the traffic of Semanggi during rush hour.
[I would
shoot] something artistic but also the reality of what’s happening … Jakarta
has a lot to offer, not just the traffic. Also, the nearby cities like
Bogor, or Pulau Seribu.
Herman
Wibowo was talking to Zack Petersen.
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