Lisa Siregar

Yvan Rodic is searching Jakarta and Bali for people who are "not just following trends, but who express their style in their own way.”

Facehunter Visits Indonesia to Capture Fresh-Faced Prey

Yvan Rodic may appear to have the coolest job in the world. He gets to travel, meet stylish people and take their photos. His personal blog (facehunter.blogspot.com) is a popular online destination for fashion junkies throughout the world.

This London-based Swiss photographer has visited Paris, London, New York, Stockholm, Moscow, Sydney and Melbourne. And on Sunday he landed back in Jakarta for his second visit — on a mission to find “eye candy for the style-hungry.” He plans to be in the country for five days, during which time he will attend Wednesday night’s Facehunter party in Kemang and visit Bali.

Yvan started his blog in February 2006 inspired by an interest in creativity in all forms, including fashion, music and art. He had previously worked as a copywriter in a Paris advertising agency and had no work experience in the fashion industry, although he said he appreciates art wherever it is.

“The blog is like 24 hours with me, somehow,” said Yvan, who spends hours on the streets looking for people whose images he wants to capture, before selecting, posting and writing about the photographs on Facehunter.

“The concept is to capture and photograph [people] whom I would say [are] interesting, special, beautiful people,” said the 32-year-old. “People who are not just following trends, but who express their style in their own way.”

Well-known retail brands including Topshop and Absolut Vodka trust his vision and have hired him as a photographer on specific projects, in cities including Las Vegas and Brazil. This is partly what enables him to travel so much, Yvan said, and on such trips he uses his spare time to take pictures for his blog.

When “hunting” his prey, he is looking for the special something that makes a person stand out.

“I think it’s not only about dressing, it’s about the whole feeling I get. It’s not about showing your Balenciaga bag.”

Colors are the first thing he notices, then interesting shapes or other details.

If there are major misconceptions about his job, they would probably be that people see him as fashion-obsessed. But according to Yvan, he is more of a social and cultural explorer than a style stalker. He said he is not a trend analyst at all, and would rather appreciate a person’s personal style, and how they move and act.

Yvan, who describes his own fashion style as classic with a twist, said he can be inspired to take photos at any time.

“Basically it’s not working, it’s more like a lifestyle.”

He challenges himself to produce good photos and, most importantly to him, to capture interesting content that will surprise his audience.

But the right people do not always appear at the right place at the right time and even when they do, not everyone agrees to let a stranger to take their photo.

The clock is always ticking because he does not stay in one place for long and he has to be able to absorb the social and cultural landscape of each city he visits in a short amount of time.

“It’s intense. It’s so crazy to be all the time on the road,” he said. “I don’t even have time to do the usual things that tourists do, like sight-seeing. I usually hang out with people from the country [I’m in], and try to go to the places they would go.”

But for all the pressure, he can’t think anything more exciting than what he is doing now. Traveling and meeting people inspire him and make the difficulties of being constantly on the move worthwhile.

So for any stylistas out there, don’t be surprised if a stranger approaches and asks if he can photograph you for his blog.

The Facehunter Party
Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 9 p.m.
365 Eco Bar
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 6 South Jakarta

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