At 4am; I was already in a small town in West Java at the Bazaar. Early in the morning, it was already crowded inside; the sound of customers haggling, vendors bargaining, loading and unloading, it was boisterous.

The market was vibrant, full of energy.

I walked around, looking for my subject.

The locals were friendly. When I pointed my camera at them, many laughed and shouted, “Reporter! Reporter!”

I smiled and said, “No, not a reporter, a photographer.”

They all returned the smile.

After walking for a while, I noticed that this vendor selling salted fish in the picture, she was particularly cheerful, so I asked if I could photograph her.

She laughed out loud.” I’m not pretty! Don’t photograph me!”

“You’re pretty!” I said.

I took her reply as a yes and started photographing her.

When I showed her the photos, she covered her mouth and laughed.

“Semoga ada rezeki pagi ini.” In Indonesian, the phrase means.” May you have a fruitful day.”

She nodded with a genuine smile.

It was a rather productive morning; the people being photographed were delighted, the people taking the pictures were satisfied, and everyone was happy. As the saying goes, “Ada rezeki pagi ini.”

Has it been a fruitful day for you?