My dear friends,
Welcome to the inaugural issue of JAYPEGS. It's an honour to have you here with me! Let's start of with a bang, and deep dive into one of the most often-asked question a photographer, or any artist for that matter, faces: why do we do what we do?
"Because it's...fun?"
We live in a society where everything you do should have a practical or monetary value. Sure, it's possible to make a living as a commercial or freelance artist (let's not talk about their relative salaries...), and art is often seen as an avenue for expression and a vehicle for a message or cause. Without any of these, we might struggle to answer this question openly and honestly.
But why do you need to have a big dream to call yourself a photographer?
You could “do it for its own sake”. - Chris Killip
Do not be afraid of calling yourself an amateur or hobbyist. Take pride in your own work and the enjoyment of the process. You'd never have such doubts if you were playing sports or watching Netflix, so why stop yourself from doing something you love? You might not even call yourself a photographer, but simply want to preserve small moments you have with your loved ones, and that is amazing too.
Portraits? Streets? Landscapes? Wildlife?
If photography is simply a hobby, then do you need to give more thought to this question? A hobby does not need to be a mindless one; it can be one given careful thought as well. For those looking for more, knowing why you photograph can further narrow down who you are as a photographer, further developing your interest, ability and craft. Let me give you 2 examples:
"I do photography because I enjoy making pictures of nature."
Say whatever you want about gear not mattering to a photographer, but you would want a 35mm or wider lens rather than a 70mm one to capture the expanse of the mountains; unless you're going to the mountains to shoot wildlife from afar instead!
You'll only know what you need when you put your mind to it, and it could save both money and time if you can be confident in getting the right equipment for yourself (unless you like carrying more equipment than you need up a mountain).
"I do photography because I enjoy capturing fleeting moments."
We all know the call of the streets; the godfather of photography Henri Cartier-Bresson's "decisive moment" is engrained in most photographer's mind. But what is it about the streets that we love so much? Is it the symphony of movements that tell a story? Then perhaps you might want to look into documentary and reportage-style photography where you can further express details in a long-form manner.
How about the interplay of humans interactions with their urban surroundings? Then maybe you would like to start asking strangers if you could take their portraits on the streets, and come up with a collection of photographs you can gift to them and see the smiles on their faces? The possibilities are endless and are out there for you to explore.
Thinking more deeply about this question allows you to come up with a clearer direction of advancement and diversification of your craft. Beyond technical aspects of color, lighting and composition, knowing why you photograph can help you better determine your subject matter, mood, and the story you are trying to tell in your photographs; it is the groundwork to finding the ever elusive and unique "style" that distinguishes one creative from the rest (more on that in another issue!) It is not just about pigeon-holing yourself into a certain photography genre, or thinking too much about a mere hobby; it's about registering the breadth and depth of our field and where you would like to go on this long journey.
Let me tell you a secret...
Sometimes, you can find meaning in fun as well. Keep asking yourself this question, and you might come to a new realization about yourself and your actions behind your craft. For the sake of absolute truth without misinterpretation, we'll use my own experiences as an example. It was more than a year into photography that I realized how much of my life experiences shaped my photographs. I had always enjoyed photographing, but did not want to spend money on equipment (I had not got into film and their low rates yet at that time...I wish I had...) and so mostly used my phone to take photos of friends, family, and overseas trips.
Then in 2019, my grandmother suddenly passed away.
It came at very much of a shock to me; I had gave her a hug and told her I would see her on the weekend only a few days before. It was the last time we spoke (she was unconscious upon her sudden admission to the hospital), and I could only hold her hand as she passed on the hospital bed. At her wake that I realised our family had chosen to use a photo I had taken as the funeral photo; it was an old photo, and a further realisation that I did not have any photos of or with her for more than a year. It still haunts me till this day.
From then on, my small hobby of photo-taking evolved. Perhaps it was a way to combat and process my grief, but all I knew was that I had many more moments I wanted to share with her. She always loved looking at my photos. I did not want to make the same mistake again. By coincidence (or maybe fate), I found my father's old Minolta point-and-shoot and went through my first few rolls of film with a little help from my friend at the camera store. I soon craved more, and told my grandfather about my desire for more control and greater expression. He chuckled, gave me some money and told me to get a better camera. I got a Minolta SLR when I was in Japan for a family holiday a month later, and the rest is history.
I bought/was given a few more cameras (my Minolta TLR and an Olympus XA2 to replace soon dead point-and-shoot), and shot through more rolls of film, honing my craft. I enjoyed shooting on the streets (and beaches) and capturing those fleeting moments, but always felt that I could be doing more (and also justify spending money on film...). It was when I showed my grandfather his portrait and saw his sad smile, that something clicked in me.
"这张你阿妈一定喜欢."; "Your grandmother would have loved this photo."
More than spontaneous fleeting moments, I wanted to capture those stories lost to the passing of time and space, especially for people and places we hold so dearly. It's why I have ventured into environmental portraits for strangers, especially for families I meet on my walks, as well as a more long-form documentary approach to my photos as a body of work. It has led to the development of 2 current projects, one on the loss we face and what happens thereafter, and another one on our ever-changing perceptions of home in the times we live in today. I photograph to capture the inevitable moments of loss, and to remake that loss into something more tangible that we can hold, appreciate and cherish. Losing does not mean forgetting, but an impetus to live in the now, bringing more with us as we go.
Of course, not every photo I take is part of my more serious projects; most of them are just experimentation and fun documentation. Understanding why I photograph, however, has let me choose my own path and better convey my message, all the while processing the experiences in my life and having fun. It has made my life a little better, and is that not all there needs to be to it?
...it's about what you leave behind.
My story is in no way a unique plot to a Grammy-winning movie, but neither is it a basic template for you to follow. You will each have your own answer to this big question, and it could be a simple or life-changing discovery. It's the little moments that you chose to freeze, and how you freeze them, that speaks of your perspective, your emotions and your life, in a way that transcends any written language. That is perhaps what makes photography so special, and why it is ultimately used to preserve memories and tell stories about people, spaces and time.
If you learned anything today (or at least was entertained), I hope you at least keep asking yourself this question, and keep making pictures of your life and your world. Use whatever you have, an expensive DSLR or the phone in your pocket; do photography for your own sake first, and for others when you have the capacity. I believe as long as you love what you do, there will be a part of you in the photos you leave behind. It is that spark that remakes the loss of the story captured, and of you, when you are gone.
"I feel like Grandpa is here when I flip through his photos".
That is why we photograph.
“I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I've lost.” - Nan Goldin