If you wonder when I got acquainted with photography, it was 17 years ago when I received my first 35mm compact camera, a gift from my dad for my Primary 6 graduation. Immediately, I was amazed by the wonders a little black box could bring; I fell in love with the sound of the camera shutter clicking and film winding; I anticipated eagerly for days and nights for the film to be developed into photos; I piled up my cabinet with photo albums and shared with friends enthusiastically till midnight; and I learnt to see the beauty of the world with just one eye, and a heart.
What a roll of film contains are not only images produced as a result of its contact with light; there are also excitement and hope that bubble up after the release of the camera shutter, of which the ‘fruit’ only unfolds after the film is developed. If the image turns out the way we envisioned it, we feel like we’ve hit the jackpot. If the anticipated result does not materialized, we are hit hard by disappointment because the chance is forever gone. Such is the ‘uncertain’ film era, which I still miss today.
When digital came of age, everything becomes instantaneous – the image, the joy, as well as the disappointment. We see immediate results. Joy can be kept; disappointment will not linger, because there can always be another try, until you are completely satisfied. It becomes a matter of ‘choice’, a choice to keep the good and disregard the bad. The good can become even better after post processing. Despite so much convenience at my disposal, I still remain disciplined to get the picture right the first time. This might not hold true all the time, but at least the essence is there, and most importantly, the heart is always there - a heart on a mission to capture the beautiful; a heart eager to explore the unknown and remains open to take in all the different scenes in the world; a heart willing to go the extra mile for that special shot.
Don’t waste your entire life to live, and not a single day to explore. I hope you find the same excitement I found when you explore my photos and journeys. To me, the journey lives on - like moving memories, today and tomorrow, in this space. Here, everything is taken care of – the ‘unknown’ is unveiled, disappointment is non-existent. All that is left for you to do is to soak up the excitement of the journeys that are uniquely ‘Seeming’.
A passion without heart won’t take you far. I will continue to see the world through an eye and a heart. I hope you too.
Seeming
★ 22.12.2004
