What are you currently doing ?
I am working as a marketing executive in a Japanese firm, dealing with imaging devices. I also happen to be a freelance photographer, and write photographic articles in my spare time.

What equipment are you using ?
An assortment. Mainly Nikon for 35mm and Hasselblad for medium format, and sometimes the Contax G2 rangefinder camera for recreational shoots.

Why did you take up photography ?
It's a  way I could ogle at pretty girls and hide my face (behind something) at the same time. Or maybe it is because I can't draw even if my life depended on it.

Tell me more about your photography.
I do portraiture, product shoots, architecture and interior and food photography. My philosophy when shooting is to keep it simple. I like Swiss and Swedish designs for their elegance and simplicity. Which is why I'll prefer Calvin Klein over Versace any day. There's nothing wrong with complexity, it is just personal preference that I have for classy yet simple and powerful designs.

Is there anybody whom you want to take a picture of now ?
Definitely Nicholas Cage. He has such a powerful presence...

I realized there isn't any picture of you on this website.
Yes. When I called technical support hotline and told them that my PC keeps hanging, they told me my photo was much too ugly for the PC to handle. Cool... an great excuse for me to get the Apple PowerBook that I always wanted.

Any advice for beginning photographers ?
Yes. Stop whinning and start shooting. Quit complaining about not having the best or latest equipment and making yourself miserable. Buy rolls of film and start shooting, then evaluate to see how you can improve. Spend the money to buy books and film instead. Watch and observe what works and what doesn't. If you find yourself more at camera shops than outside shooting film, you're a camera collector not a photographer.

Any photographers that you really admire ?
Ansel Adams for his mule-like determination in lugging his glass plates and 8X10 view cameras around National Parks. Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier for their unique portrayal of stars. Robert Capa for his superb photos with a 50mm standard lens. Irving Penn for his deceptively simple and extremely sharp portraits and still-life.
 

What do you really hate ?
- People who talk loudly in buses
- People sitting behind me who prop their legs against my seat
- Second-hand cigarette smoke, queues and crowds
- Couples who hug and hold hands, walking slowly in the middle of passageways
- Feminists who keep whining for equal rights, without shouldering equal responsibilities
- Programs for housewives in the afternoon TV slots
- Dangerous and drunk drivers
 

What is your most treasured possession ?
Anything that money cannot buy. For example, old photographs and memories.
 

What is your biggest foul-up ?
I'm pretty careful when it comes to photography, so there's no major screw-ups yet. If there should be one, I would think it'll run along the lines of wrong settings of aperture or shutter speeds. It won't be something stupid like not loading films or such.

Actually, I screwed up once when my film magazine had a light leak. All the rolls taken that day were damaged by the light streaks. But my insurance agent said it's an act of God, and so the incident will not be covered by the policy. God sure has a weird sense of humour.
 

Is there anything you wish you're doing now ?
Yes. I was hoping that Stuttgart will pay me $10,000 to shoot a series of commercial for the Porsche Boxster, at my own discretion (read, no art director) and no time limit.

Actually my dream nearly came true when I was presented with the opportunity to photograph the new Lambourghini Murcielago - the fastest production roadcar. The car was the one and only brought in from Italy for a motorshow, and I was involved in a project that enabled me to shoot the supercar privately. I think I was the first photographer in Singapore to have the honour. Unfortunately, there was no $10,000 cheque at the end of the day. Shucks... you can see the image I shot here.
 

What would you like to do in the future ?
I would like to own a big corporation, earning big bucks. Then I'll recruit competent managers to do the work, and I'll idle in the office the entire day. If there's blue skies outside, I'll go shooting (photography) or fishing with my buddies.

Wait a minute... fishing is probably too cruel... let's stick to photography.
 

Any favorite websites ?
There're too many to mention, but Photo.net stands out.

What do you think of the local photography scene ? And your view of the future ?
We're too orientated towards salon photography. It's not to say that salon photography is not up to standards (in fact the standards are pretty good), it's just that the photographs all end up looking beautiful in some sense, but all look damn similar !! Rays of sunlight illuminating a subject in darkness, some long-necked women from the Karen tribes, kingfishers diving into the water, some foggy lake scenes from China, old man enjoying a puff and backlit by the morning sun… c'mon !!! They are no doubt very technically competent, and the photos are beautiful in their own rights. But the fact is that they are so cliché. European and American works are beautiful too, but they are creative at the same time. We got to get out and look at the world.

Future ? It's a changing scene. Most of the teachers of photography belongs to the older generation. That is not meant as an offence. They are more orientated towards salon photography as said earlier. Salon is very strong in the Asian scene. Many beginners start by admiring salon photos. There is nothing wrong with that. The danger is when they are unable to look beyond salon-type photography. If there's any consolation, many of the up and coming young photographers I know are displaying more advant garde and modern experimental works. They are potentially the leaders of the next generation. We may move away from salon photography in five to ten years time.
 

So why did you start "Photography Happenings !!" ?
When I was the President of the NUS Photographic Society in 1997/1998, I had a hard time trying to promote the activities, and so did all the other clubs. We would have our own mailing lists and activities. When we had an activity, we would mail our own members about it. The rest of Singapore remained ignorant about the events because there is no mailing list on a national level. So it struck me that I could create a national-scale mailing list, so that all the photographers in Singapore could be informed of any activities and events that may interest photographers !!

It can save a lot of trouble for those who wanted to promote a event or course. And it slowly developed into more and more sections, and expanding its scope. Of course, it meant much more work for me, and I have to be very careful not to let it grow out of its original intent. So I'm constantly monitoring the feedback from list-members. Also, since it is an independent site without sponsorship, so there is much less of any bias compared to other sponsored sites.
 

So when did you start photography ?
If you consider snapping swans at Botanic Gardens with a toy 110 camera photography, then I started when I was 9. Graduated to autofocus compact camera when I was 11, and finally a true SLR when I was 13. But then, I'm always a slow learner. So it was a good thing I started early.
 

Hahahaha.... slow learner, eh ? That's surprising, considering that it came out of the mouth of a egoistic person like you. Any favourite photography commercials ?
I think that Absolut vodkas advertisements are absolutely superb. Excellent concept - some of them. Also, there was this milk moustache ad series that ran in the States. You should see how innovative those milk ads are.
 

Tell me about your life.
Uh... what life ?
 

Is there anything puzzling you at the moment ?
Sure. With all the camera shops mushrooming in Singapore, sales of photographic equipment seems to be damn good. So where are all the good photos ? I do not believe that there are none; it's just that people are unwilling to showcase them or it's too expensive to hold an exhibition. I just hope that with online galleries on homepages, more people can share their photography creations.

Actually, I'm puzzled as to when this interview is going to end. I'm falling asleep...
 

It's gonna end soon. What makes you think I'm not falling asleep ? So ... what is the most under used piece of gear that you have ?
A slide duplicator. Quality absolutely sucks, even those sent to commercial labs for duping. Now I'll take multiple copies of the same scene if I think that it'll turn out nice.
 

What is the most used piece of gear that you have ?
My Domke camera bag. Not exactly cheap, but extremely comfortable and quite "stylo". Swallows a lot of gear too !
 

Thanks for the interview. I'm not sure if they're even gonna run this. You should probably put the Domke bag over your head.
Thanks. Why don't you demonstrate it ? Here... oh yes... I see how it fits now... okay... hold still there.... pull it tight over your head.... very nice....  *POW* !!!