Seeking the Creative: Elaine Tantra, Photographer and Director

CREDIT: Elaine Tantra

How would you describe your art in three words?

colorful, glowy, bold

Elaine Tantra, a 19 year old Photographer and Director from Jakarta, Indonesia, produces glamorous, eye-catching, and dreamy visuals that make you stop and stare. The young creator began her work back in 2018, back when she was originally making travel and concert vlogs. Since then, Elaine has advanced her creations by specializing in chic portraits and one-of-a-kind music videos. You can see a pattern in her artistic outlet, with every piece of work reflecting her aesthetic of intimate and soothing shots full of pink and blue hues at up close and personal angles. In the future, Elaine dreams of working in the music industry, working with the top artists and sharing her youthful vision with audiences bound to be in awe by her talent.

Where/how do you gather inspiration?

For my photography, I gather inspiration from other photographers like Derrick Freske or Jerry Maestas. I also sometimes get inspired by song lyrics or scenes from movies. For the music videos I’ve created, I was inspired mostly by Drew Kirsch and Wes Anderson’s work. I love the way they frame their shots and the bold colors they tend to use in their work.

What do you hope audiences retain from your work?

I don’t really think my work usually has some sort of message behind it. The main point of my work is that this is how I express myself. I like to make art that is visually satisfying to me. I also want to leave people inspired. If there’s anything that my work shows, it’s that with practice and time, you can improve a lot. I see that in my work and hope to see it in many others’ as well.