Harjanto Sumawan is a photographer from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, known for his travel, street, and documentary work. He has a gift for capturing everyday life, showing the beauty and rhythm of different cultures in a way that feels both honest and alive.
His photographs draw you in, inviting you to pause and notice the little moments that often go unseen. From bustling streets to quiet corners of the world, Sumawan’s work lets ordinary life feel extraordinary.
More info: Instagram
#1 “Spirit And Balance”, Yogyakarta
“It really is not easy to ride a bike on a 1.2m wide bamboo bridge.”
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#2 Ijen Volcano’s Caldera, Indonesia
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#3 “Rainy Days”, Colo Dam, Sukoharjo, Indonesia
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#4 “Fire Dance”, Kesongo, Semarang, Indonesia
“When the sun sets, the dance begins.”
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#5
“Livestock animals gazing on the dry land of rural Myanmar (Burma) near Bagan. A herd of cows and calves moves to the village at sunset.”
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#6 “Sulfur Miners”, Ijen Crater, Indonesia
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#7 “Morning Activities”
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#8 “Morning Activity”, Situgunung, Indonesia
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#9 “Planting Season”, Bali
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#10 “One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure”
“All these people gather to find something worth selling from the city garbage in the Piyungan final landfill, Yogyakarta.
May this pic remind us to appreciate what we have at the moment.”
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#11 “Traditional Market”, Surakarta, Indonesia
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#12 “Morning Break”, Jokhang Temple
“Jokhang Temple is the holiest temple in all of Tibet. Pilgrims from all over flock to this temple to catch a glimpse of the Jowo Buddha statue.
Some pilgrims even prostrate all the way to the temple, even if it takes them years to travel from their home village to Lhasa. Others travel to the temple daily and prostrate in front of it, or circumambulate it while saying prayers.”
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#13 “Rays Of Light”
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#14 Blue Fire And Sulfur Miner, Ijen’s Volcano Caldera, Acidic Water Crater With Ph 0.5 In East Java, Indonesia
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#15 Pinggan, Kintamani, Bali
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#16 “Bau Nyale Ritual”
“Village Elderly starts looking for sea worms at dawn in West Sumba, which can only be found once a year.
This Nyale ritual initiates the Pasola Festival and was intended as a way to bring faraway communities together in order to find a partner from a different village. The young men and women, dressed in their best, formed separate groups and courted each other with poetic songs and subtle word games.
It reminded us that while such celebrations hold a strong symbolic meaning, they are also a cherished occasion for distant members of the family to come together, to chat or laugh over a clove cigarette, and ultimately, to strengthen their community’s bonds.”
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#17 “Puppet Show”, Bagan, Myanmar
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#18 “Fly Your Wish To The Moon”, Vesakh Day, Borobudur
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#19 “Weep….and You Weep Alone… (Ella Wheeler In Solitude 1883)”
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#20 “Prambanan Temple, Aerial View”
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#21 “Net Fishing”, Colo Dam, Surakarta, Indonesia
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#22 “Palm Sugar Maker”, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia
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#23 “Morning Activity At Pancer Beach”
“Fishermen with their unique boats unload the catch.
In October, thousands of these boats participate in ‘Petik Laut’, a sea thanksgiving event in Muncar, Banyuwangi, Indonesia.”
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#24 “Baloons Over Bagan”
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#25 “Like My ‘Superhero’….please!”
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#26 “When A Cow Goes Shopping”
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#27 “Farmer”, Li Riverbank, Quilin, China
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#28 “Inle Lake’s Fishermen”, Myanmar
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#29 “Top Of Mt. Ijen”, East Java, Indonesia
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#30 “Waiting For Sunset”, Timang Beach, Yogyakarta
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#31 “The Horsemen”, Bromo, Indonesia
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#32 “Yosemite Valley View”, Yosemite, Ca
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#33 “3 Generations”, Sarangkot, Nepal
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#34 Mt. Fishtail, Annapurna Himalaya, A View From Sarangkot, Pokhara, Nepal
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#35 Mcway Fall, Big Sur, Ca
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#36 “Milky Way Over Everest”, Everest Basecamp, Tibet
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#37 Namtso Lake, Tibet
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#38 “Shepherds”, Bagan, Myanmar
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#39 “Lower Antilope Canton”
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#40 “Scramble Offerings”
“This is called ‘Sesaji pekelem’. During the Melasti ritual in Bali, white ducks and chickens are thrown away alive into the sea, and children scramble to get them.”
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#41 “Melasti Procession”, Bali
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#42 “All About That A**”, Kampung Warna Warni Jodipan, Malang
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#43 “A View From Esplanade Jetty”, Singapore
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#44 Plaosan Temple In Infrared, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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#45 “The Spiral, 100m Below Surface With Underground River”, Jomblang Cave, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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#46 “Fishermen In Li River”, Quilin
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#47 “Melasti Ritual”
“On arriving at the beach, after the pratimas abode in the position prepared, the ritual commenced by preparing ‘mecaru’ or exorcism rite as a symbol to purify the location and neutralize the power of ‘bhuta kala’ in order that the ritual will accomplish flourishingly.”
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