Flower Friends 002 - Keng Pereira

Hello friends and welcome back to another blog. We will continue with last weeks template and feature another lovely human. We will go through a few questions and get to see what the professional running world looks like through his lens. Let us introduce you to Keng

He came by to pick up a copy of Mental Athletic and he very humbly mentioned he had some photos inside. This lead to a flowing conversation as we connected over an afternoon coffee and got ridiculously nerdy about the state of running culture, niche brands and we actually ended up going climbing later that afternoon. 

Keng has a unique eye, his photo style becomes quite easily recognized and he is very easy to get along with. His work captures some moments in running and life that might be overlooked. It’s really fun to look at. We enjoyed a few runs, he woke up at 2 am to shoot Balap Lari and we are excited to work with him in the future. Until then, here is the interview and a few photos.

Who are you?

Hi there! I’m Keng Pereira, a Dutch/Indonesian photographer living in Amsterdam. My work focuses on combining movement, stillness and storytelling.

photo: Iman Perdana

Tell us about how you found Flowerboy?

I found Flowerboy through the LSD runs they were organizing with Satisfy Running.

My friends from Mental Athletic in Milan are also part of this group that organize these long runs monthly. I then found out that there was this little cafe in Bali, not too far from where I used to live, that was hosting these amazing sunrise runs in the most beautiful scenery, with such a lively and diverse group of people. The following trip to Bali , the first stop I made was at Flowerboy for a coffee. And then stuck around for a long while!

What’s your relationship to running?

I always tried different sports, but was into cycling from a young age. Raced track, cyclocross and crits, but then lost interest due to the lack of mountains in the Netherlands and the long days of training. Shorty after I put on some trainers and started running. My body hated it, still does to this day, but the mind loves it!

Other than it being something I do often, it’s also one of my main highlights in my work. Running is something that I love to shoot. The intensity, the calmness, the drive to be better and enjoyment of running is something that I capture. 

Tell us what you have learned about potential….

I think most people would agree potential comes from within. It’s the goals we set out to achieve, it’s the benchmarks or standards we hold ourselves too. But I think there are certain people in life that can cross paths and unlock or motivate specific potential. These people can inspire you, they can believe in you. they can give you strength and hope.

I think what i’ve learned about potential is that is achieved together. 

What’s your favorite photo you’ve taken lately?

I think one of my favorites of the most recent series, is a photo that was taken during a traditional funeral ceremony in Toraja. Hundreds of people, ceremonial welcome songs, coffee and local snacks were all around. But also in abundance was cigarettes and their home made alcohol, tuak. 

It was around 10:30am and I found this man, cigarette in hand, glass of tuak in the back, fast asleep whilst his peers were joking that he was already too drunk. Apparently he had been going at it for hours already, but now he finally gave in to get some rest haha. 

Share a piece of advice with your younger self. 

Cliche things are cliche for a reason. It’s really all about trusting the process, staying on your own path and not comparing yours to anyone else’s. Do what you love, with the most pure intent. And all will work out in the end.

I hope haha!

Coffee on us, what are you having?

 

BONUS: Draw a new Flowerboy logo 

So he just one upped our own logo! Hope you got something from this and you can go out and create your own images of what running / the world around means to you. 

Thanks for taking the time! Hope we can run together soon. 

See more of Kengs work here : WEBSITE or INSTAGRAM