#weeklyflickr

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Singapore street photographer sees beauty in the mundane

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr36/ Drink cans, shoes, expressways and tall apartments are nothing special to most Singaporeans, but they are beautiful in the eyes of photographer Yasin Rahim. The 31-year-old told Yahoo Singapore these everyday objects are part of a personal project he has been working on since 2011. “I [capture] 13 photos of the things I see on the street during the day… I was attracted to how different areas in the country evolve over a period of time.” He added, “It [the project] also acts as a photo journal of mine so I can keep track of the changes, especially since everything in Singapore changes so fast.” He uploads most of his photos onto his Flickr account, which he uses as a digital backup for his images. Flickr is also a platform he uses to learn from and engage in conversations with the photography community. Yasin enjoys looking at the island from a bird’s eye view. He does this by going to the highest storey of a HDB block to find good vantage points to create images. “From one of the HDB blocks near Lavender MRT, you can see the oil refinery, Kallang, Aljunied, the roads and the expressways. It’s a beautiful view which many people tend to overlook and take for granted,” he said. “Many of us believe that other countries look better. We criticise our country for looking boring or having too many slabs of concrete.  But when they see another concrete jungle like New York City, they will say it’s an awesome view.” Yasin first taught himself the craft in 2003 when he experimented with a cousin’s film camera. An apprenticeship gave him the chance to consider a career in photography. “I joined a local arts and culture event, Noise Singapore, in 2007 through which I was selected for a one-month apprenticeship programme. As an intern, I met other photographers and learned a lot while being their assistants. After that, I worked at a production house for three years.” He currently works as a commercial photographer. His eclectic photo project is not without its critics. Some friends and family members have called his work “stupid” and “crazy”. Still, Yasin intends to continue shooting his project until he has “conquered the whole of Singapore”. His response to the naysayers? “Do not pay attention to what people say, just take photos of whatever it is that you want. At the end of the day, it's your photo.”

[yahoosg]

Introduction of digital photography was a ‘disaster’: veteran photographer

https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwflickrphotoartcom/   Switching from film to digital photography was a disaster for now-retired photographer Peter Chen Ke Yong, 60.   “I almost died. All my years of experience [in photography] almost went down the drain. I had to restart and relearn,” he lamented.   It took him about 10 years to fully learn digital photo editing even though he had close to 40 years of experience in fine art and commercial photography.   Going digital created more work for Peter. He said, “It is tougher now. After photographing, [I] still continue working on the computer… to bring back the actual colour that I want, according to my standards.”   Photography was an expensive hobby he started at the tender age of 12.   “I had to save money to buy my first Kodak instamatic camera which cost $12. It took me some months to collect that amount… I still had to save money for film [and] after saving for a roll of film, which will take me another one year, I have to wait a few more months to process my film… then another roll will take me another six to eight months to save up.”   Peter bought another camera, a Minolta, in the late 1970s when he was working as an electronic engineer. During this period, he also freelanced as a wedding photographer.   It was only in the 1980s that he became a full time photographer at an advertising agency. He retired from the advertising industry after realising that he could no longer fit in with the current generation’s taste in photography.   “Sometimes they overly saturate or overly contrast photos but they don’t understand it because not many of them go through a proper course in photography. Today, they may overdo images but they don't realise it… If you move around to wedding studios in Singapore, China or Taiwan, you see pictures that are all overdone, the colours are a bit ridiculous, very synthetic, very unnatural – they create all kinds of colours, but clients [still] like them.” Peter is now focusing on a personal project of fine art photography entitled “Transient Passages” – a compilation of favourite works dating back to the 1970s.   The images in this series, shot mostly on film, resulted from spontaneous photo walks. Most of the subjects are lit using “ambient, natural street lights or house lights”. “I just walk around. And if I see nice lighting and good subject, I will just photograph,” he said. His subjects include clouds, rooftops and architecture.   “Fine art photography is an expression of what you see and how you interpret your subject matter through the lens. Everybody has their own way of seeing things,” said Peter, who enjoys working with natural or ambient light. Some of his works have been sold to private collectors and to hotels in Singapore, such as The Marriott, The Westin, and The Fullerton Hotel.   When asked what he thinks of photographers today, he feels disappointed that many of them depend too much on photo editing and digital manipulation – “Today as long as you are competent in using a computer, you are qualified as a photographer.” His advice to young shutterbugs hoping to take up fine art photography: “[They should] quit chasing the latest tech in photography and pay attention to developing a unique identity for themselves – through their works. The essence of photography is in taking pictures, not the equipment. Your subject and your composition should set you apart.”

Chen uploads most of his works on his Flickr account as well. “Flickr stood out from other platforms with its ease of use, simplicity and functionality. It observed an adequate level of security with regard to intellectual property, providing me with peace of mind when sharing my work.”

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The series of failures that Adam Hague from Brunei has experienced in life has put a toll on his emotional and mental health. He also finds it "suffocating".

All was changed when he discovered his passion for conceptual photography. Through this, he was able to produce surreal photos inspired by real life.

For more videos, go to Yahoo Singapore.

[triciagarrett]

One of my absolutely lovely photo friends had an experience of a lifetime. Check it out!