PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The photography ecosystem in Bandung City continues to grow as technology makes photography activities more accessible to the public.

Red Raws Founder Wahyu Dhian Yudhistira said this development needs to be followed by strengthening the roles of curators, critics, writers, and publishers.

"The idea for Red Raws was actually our response to the state of Indonesian photography. We saw a major problem: an unbalanced photography ecosystem," Wahyu said at the Cikapundung Antique Market on August 14, 2026.

Red Raws exists to expand the role of photography through literacy, classes, festivals, research, publishing, and management of photography spaces.

"We believe the role of photographers has become too dominant. This isn't necessarily wrong, but in a healthy ecosystem, overly dominant roles are unhealthy. We want to develop roles other than photographers," he said.

Wahyu explained that Red Raws operates as a business, movement, and foundation that focuses on developing the photography ecosystem.

"We have a wide range of activities, from literacy to photography programs like classes. We have photography festivals, research, and photography rooms. We do a lot of things, and again, beyond photography," he said.

According to Wahyu, technology that makes cameras more affordable actually opens up wider opportunities for people to create works through photography.

"Cameras are getting cheaper, photography is getting easier, so everyone can take photos. I see technological advances in photography as something that makes things easier and more beneficial for us," he explained.

The ease of this technology is considered to be able to speed up the creative process while opening up opportunities for photographers to develop ideas through various mediums.

Wahyu sees that photography is no longer limited to a particular genre or device because it has developed into a medium that intersects with everyday life.

"We no longer see genres, but photography as a daily practice that transcends mediums. We no longer recognize any specific tools, no specific genres. Photography has become a universal medium for us to create," he said.

Based in Bandung, Red Raws strives to expand the impact of developing the photography ecosystem to various regions in Indonesia.

Wahyu hopes that Indonesian photographers will be able to find a character and way of expressing their work that suits the experiences of Indonesian society.

"How Indonesian photography finds its form, finds its character, and is able to articulate itself. We hope Indonesian photography will find its own identity," he said.

He invited photographers to use an Indonesian perspective in their work by highlighting everyday experiences as a source of photographic ideas.

"Start now to explore and treat photography the Indonesian way. Although photography originated in the West, we also have our own everyday approaches. Start articulating them properly," he urged.

The Red Raws education program has been attended by around 200 participants through various photography classes held to expand the capacity of photographers.

Wahyu hopes that the program's alumni will become new drivers who bring photography knowledge to various regions and communities.

"We hope they will prolong our breath and prolong our movement. Their impact is already being felt; they are the backbone of Red Raws," he said.

The spread of alumni in various regions is expected to give rise to changes in perspective and mindset towards photography through the knowledge they have acquired.

"Once they're spread across various locations in Indonesian photography, hopefully they'll bring about some changes in perspective, mindset, and how what they've learned at Red Raws can be developed and shared abroad," he said.

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/bhf)