Looking Back and I Realise
My website has been in cyberspace for years. I did it myself, everything from scanning the negatives (most of the pics are taken on negative film or slide film) to the page layout using Dreamweaver, image and text editing and uploading. Out of the blue, I decided to surf through my own website. I have not done that even since taking up the job of a full-time news photographer more than a year ago. I guess that is because its not so important anymore. I was wrong.
On looking back, with every click through the pages I have created, I realise how much it means to me. It defined my passion for photojournalism, for story telling. Those pages were created bit by bit, after my day job as an engineer. I learnt the webpage software from books borrowed from library, and started building up my online portfolio. It took me about a year to complete most of it. Then I stopped.
As an amateur, I worked as a waiter during university holidays to save for my first autofocus SLR (Digital cameras were for the pros during that time). Autofocus was good enough then. With that and a heart full of passion, I managed to do a story in Vietnam and Cambodia, without any press credentials or liasion personnel. And there was the solo bike ride up the hills of East Timor. I almost got stranded when the engine almost died on me. It was really fun. I was allowed to photograph my subjects freely, with no agenda or readers-oriented mindset. I even thought that I was getting a feel of what the photojournalism greats have experienced during the industry's heydays back in the 60s ad 70s. All that for building my portfolio, in the hope of getting a job to do that every day of my life.
Ironically, I have not felt that way for a long time. Daily assignments are mostly "on the surface" type of coverage. It keeps the mind sharp for new angles, but its nothing compared to doing my own story and going out to a foreign land and getting access to photograph the way I feel is the best way to tell the story.
Time to get back on track and keep the passion alive. Its entirely up to ourselves to do that.
On looking back, with every click through the pages I have created, I realise how much it means to me. It defined my passion for photojournalism, for story telling. Those pages were created bit by bit, after my day job as an engineer. I learnt the webpage software from books borrowed from library, and started building up my online portfolio. It took me about a year to complete most of it. Then I stopped.
As an amateur, I worked as a waiter during university holidays to save for my first autofocus SLR (Digital cameras were for the pros during that time). Autofocus was good enough then. With that and a heart full of passion, I managed to do a story in Vietnam and Cambodia, without any press credentials or liasion personnel. And there was the solo bike ride up the hills of East Timor. I almost got stranded when the engine almost died on me. It was really fun. I was allowed to photograph my subjects freely, with no agenda or readers-oriented mindset. I even thought that I was getting a feel of what the photojournalism greats have experienced during the industry's heydays back in the 60s ad 70s. All that for building my portfolio, in the hope of getting a job to do that every day of my life.
Ironically, I have not felt that way for a long time. Daily assignments are mostly "on the surface" type of coverage. It keeps the mind sharp for new angles, but its nothing compared to doing my own story and going out to a foreign land and getting access to photograph the way I feel is the best way to tell the story.
Time to get back on track and keep the passion alive. Its entirely up to ourselves to do that.
posted by Kwang Peng at 7:04 AM
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