An ever expanding process that is photography.

Monkey crossing, Semenyih

It's already going to be the second month of 2011 and I know that this post is a little late, but nevertheless, I find it is essential as 2010 was the year I was blessed by the insights of photography. Never would I have thought before this that taking a photo is so complicated and deep and is actually attuned to your inner self. It is also a never ending process as well. To further accentuate on this point, take a look at the last photo you can remember that you took. Why did you take it? What inspired you to press the shutter button? Was it because you saw a fleeting moment on a child's face? Maybe you spotted a rare Sumatran tiger that is on the verge of extinction and you wish to capture it forever in time. Why did you take it? What did you see in it? The answer all depends on who you are in an artistic sense. Personally, I find that as we grow older and learn new things about the world, so does our photography. In another words, photography is a way of life. How I see the world itself is my photography. I don't need a camera to have a vision. Because without my vision my camera is nothing. But with a vision I can always make a picture though it may not be on a piece of glossy paper, but at least I know it existed. Think about it, the first thing that always comes to your mind when photography is mentioned, is the camera of course. However it is naught but a tool to show the world how I feel and view the world through my own eyes. The real source of the photos that I took came from inside me. Cliche' as it may sound, it was what was inside me and the vision I had that made the photo. What one sees when he or she looks at a photo is actually the photographer's mind itself. Therefore as I mature and change as time goes by bit by bit, inevitably so will my photography, because this will indirectly in the end affect my vision one way or another. I have been photographing for a little over a year but surprisingly it has felt as if I have been shooting for years already. However I think this is only because I honestly feel as if how I viewed the world has changed a lot since I started photography. This is only the beginning though, and I look forward to facing the future with an open mind and see where it takes me in my photographic journey.

An old man at a leprosy center

Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.