Tag Archives: journalistic photography

…. we tell stories. As photographers, we are painters using light, story tellers using moments.

For me, my love for people & their stories is the fuel for my burning passion towards travel & people photography.

Same reason why I love meeting all sorts of people daily & worldwide through my work & travels.

Same reason why I graduated with a Psychology AND Genetics degree.

Because I love to know what makes them tick. What kind of experience they’ve had. What makes them feel the way they do.

So visiting the World Press Photo expo today in our backyard (so glad they chose KL as one of their worldwide tour stops!) reminded me why I love photography, because I too, love telling stories of people through my images. Editorial & journalistic photography has to be one of the most precarious occupation in the world, often involving being in the heart of (conflict) action & countless men and women have sacrificed their lives/mobility while being on the job of capturing the moment of truth, just so that the rest of the world can see it unbiased, unedited, un-Photoshopped, unmodified.

Needless to say, there were millions of entries which the jury had to sift through, shortlist, voted & debated on before the eventual awards for the respective categories were given. It definitely is a mammoth task but hearing what the jury leader said about the winning image (Photo of the Year 2009) summed it all up:

‘There were intense debate about the image – some said it was unremarkable, some said it’s very strong. The image might have small subjects, but we all can feel that they are part of something a lot larger & more significant. This is precisely the reaction we wanted to invoke in people – to see media photos in a different way.’

One of the images that really resonated with me was this shot. It is absolutely stunning for the whole context of the situation + the subject’s fear to be conveyed in a single shot. What is even more awe-inspiring is imagine the position of the photographer when he shot the frame – the kind of hostile chaotic situation which could turn life threatening any second.

That in itself, like many other images you can see in the gallery says it all about the level of dedication these photographers have to their craft, their passion, their duty to give these stories a voice so the world can hear them.

Don’t forget, each & everyone of us have stories to tell. Those without voices to do so, they have us light catchers to lend them one :)