From Fitness to Photography: How creator Febri flexed his creative muscles and discovered a new career path

Febri Arta is a skilled product photographer based in Indonesia who has been an active and inspiring member of the Creatively Squared community for over a year. Balancing life as a Dad to two adorable daughters, his journey with Creatively Squared began when he discovered the platform through a fellow creator. Since then, he has consistently participated in our creative challenges and shared his expertise with the community.

Febri's exceptional eye for product photography quickly caught our attention and he was soon collaborating with renowned brands such as Aveeno, TRESemmé, Shiseido and Anessa through our platform. His work showcases his ability to capture the essence of the products through visually appealing and engaging images.

The most inspiring aspects of Febri's presence in the Creatively Squared community is his eagerness to experiment with ideas and willingness to share behind the scenes content and creative tips with fellow creators. His insights and techniques have proven invaluable to those looking to improve their own product photography skills.

Keep scrolling to delve deeper into Febri's background, his creative process and the secret superpower that fuels his creativity.

Let’s chat with Febri

Hi, I’m Febri, a photographer from Surabaya, Indonesia. Before I began my journey as a product photographer, I worked in the fitness industry. I then decided to quit and pursue my passion for photography. Initially, I started with food photography and eventually, I developed a great love for the art, challenges and the excitement of capturing the best photos of beauty and wellness products.

I consider myself a jack of all trades in content creation, skilled and comfortable working across a variety of areas. From my initial explorations in food photography to my current passion for product photography. I like to tackle new challenges. This not only improves my creativity but also enables me to adapt and succeed in different projects, continually expanding my portfolio and experience.

My personal aesthetic in photography is minimalistic. When it comes to colour, I enjoy both pastel tones and vibrant contrasts, sometimes it's hard to choose just one between them.

Outside of my photography activities, I enjoy spending time with my family. I especially love playing and spending time with my two little daughters. They take up a lot of my time when I'm not in the studio, from playing together to acting as their referee when they fight over their toys.

I have two adorable daughters who rush towards me every morning, shouting "hug meee!" before I head to the studio. This is how I get my superpower that helps me create throughout the day.

Another activity I really enjoy is playing badminton, just for fun and to exercise my muscles a little bit. It seems that after each session, I regain the energy to return to my creative ideas.

Journey with Creatively Squared

I first discovered Creatively Squared when some product photos from one of the creators, Deby from Sachie Studio, appeared in my Instagram feed. I then checked out her profile and I saw several of her portfolios working on product photography for premium brands. This was one of my big dreams at the time, and I often imagined how I could get photo projects from major brands like those, and that's how I learnt about Creatively Squared. That's why I decided to join  and have a chance to feature some of the big brand products in my portfolio too. And I have never regretted that decision to this day!

The most enjoyable and challenging project in my Creatively Squared journey has been the TRESemmé Philippines project. The brief tasked me with creating a salon ambiance using a glass plinth with a reflective surface and it was a challenge indeed.

The project brief was to create a black and dark background using glass and subtly reflective materials to project our style and salon-inspired aesthetic. I have to ensure that lighting interacts to produce reflections and refractions, with plinths and background objects sharp and angular in design. Achieving this required careful consideration of lighting to ensure proper interaction for reflection and refraction effects, making it both satisfying and demanding.

Tools of the trade

Camera: Canon EOS RP

Camera Lens: 24-105mm f4-7.1 and 50mm f1.8

Monopod: Sirui P424SR

Lighting: Godox SK400II, Godox MS300V, Godox SL60W and Nanlite FS60B

Editing programs: Capture One Pro and Adobe Photoshop

My favourite props to work with are Blutack and Nano Tape. As for locations, my own studio is definitely my favourite place to work.

Febri’s creative process

Whenever I have a photoshoot, I plan it from the start before beginning. I often gather reference photos from various sources, such as portfolios from other photographers or Pinterest. From there, I combine different ideas and bring them together into my final photo.

I'm a one-man team. And if I need assistance, like a go-to hand model, I'll ask my wife or friend to help me out.

If I want to get into the creative zone, I listen to music and have a cup of coffee before I start. When a creative block comes, sometimes I need to leave the studio, put down my phone, sit outside doing completely nothing and just sip my coffee. This helps me get back into the creative zone.

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Finding inspiration

I look up to @saurik.shah, @eugene_brusco and @kwaktaein_studio.

Top creative tip

Practice and practice. I often look at my favourite photographer's photos and try to achieve similar results.

Lastly, what’s next for you?

I want to improve my skills in photography techniques that require more complexity in lighting. Additionally, I aim to collaborate more with other creators to build a solid team and move away from being a one-man team.

Thank you Febri for joining our wonderful community and sharing the creativity that goes into your Creatively Squared projects. And we can’t forget your entries in our creative challenges. Your product photography is truly inspiring to us all!

To see more of Febri’s work, follow him on his Instagram @by.febriarta and check out his portfolio on Behance.