Committee Picks: Open Category

Caption
Love is…
Stealing away for a kiss when no one’s looking.
Feeling giddy with delight when hands touch.
Saying yes to a lifetime of kissing and feeling giddy.

Love is…
Black coffee and toast for breakfast.
Dinners in front of the television.
Always being in the beige.

Love is…
Working two jobs when he’s been laid off.
Making facial scrub from baking soda because the kids need new shoes.
Smiling over black coffee and toast as the rest chomp on chicken drumsticks.

Love is…
Learning how to cook.
Changing her TENA Lady’s every four hours.
Kissing a stranger each morning.

Inspirations

• Tell us more about what inspired your entry?
  There isn’t much backstory behind this photo - I was out on a photo walk to test out a new lens when I chanced across this scene. I observed the couple and then took a few shots. This was the best photo of the lot.


• How does your entry connect to you personally to the theme This Is My Story?
  The photo speaks volumes about 2 common things all of mankind understands; love and loss.
  Love, because you can imagine it when the man massages his wife.
  Loss, because you can see that the wife is not well.
  And that is the human story.
  
  I’ve been working on a collaboration with 2 local writers, where I’d contribute a photo and they would write a 100-word short story off it. The caption in the Instagram is from this 100-words project.


• How did you conceptualise your shot? Did you use any specific techniques to achieve certain effects in your shot?
  I enjoy street photography and I believe in capturing “candid and unscripted but relatable” moments. Honestly, the real skill in this is just becoming a better observer to identify/anticipate stories on the street.
  
  I think I purposely shot nearly wide open – f1.4 on the Fuji 56f1.2 lens – to try and isolate my subjects as much as possible. It worked for this scene.


• Was there any external inspiration behind your shot that you have used as reference?
  I think there are many good street photographers who strive to tell stories in their photos but at this point when I took the photo, I was really into this particular photographer Kevin Mullins who takes such meaningful story photos in his wedding photography.


• How did the use of post-processing enhance the storytelling ability of your entries?
  I didn’t do much post-processing to this image I think. Boosted some colours, did a bit of sharpening, and maybe cropped it a bit.


• If you had the chance to retake your shot(s), what would you do differently?
  I am quite pleased with this photo but I wish I could have given this photo to the couple. I think this would have been a celebration of love in their family.

About the Photographer

• When, how, and why did you get into photography?
  I started getting serious maybe in 2015 when my job required me to take photos. I started taking photos a long time back using an old iPhone 3GS (1st iphone with a camera!) and this was because of my late cat.


• Do you define yourself by any particular style(s) of photography? If so, what are they and why?
  I picked up street photography because there is value in documenting the everyday happenings of people. People are important. People are special. People change. People are dynamic.


• How has your photographic journey been affected by COVID-19? Are you more inspired to take more photos? Have the restrictions hindered, or conversely enhanced your creativity?
  Well, staying home during the Circuit Breaker let me re-examine my photo editing. But when I could go out, I just went about documenting this very interesting time. There’s more reason than ever to go out and take photos because of the COVID situation! I think with everyone wearing masks, I have placed more emphasis on gestures/body language than expressions.


• What are your photographic goals after Montage 2020?
  I hope to finish up more 100-Word stories and perhaps release a collection of them as a book maybe? I also hope to go on an overseas trip to document a people group. Since I work in NUS, I might have the chance to do so. More immediate goals would be to meet more like-minded street photographers and head out on photo walks together. Lots to learn and be inspired from!