My purpose in photography.

I don't consider myself a master in the craft nor claim to know it all. My images are always full of flaws. What I do have is considerable years of experience. I've been through a lot. I've seen a lot.

I used to be in the camp of chasing after the latest trends. Following what everybody is doing. It gave me a feeling that I was doing the right thing. Since everyone is doing the same thing, I lack individuality. Colourful visuals created by cool techniques with fancy gears interest me no more. Terms like sharpness, bokeh, ISO noise control mean nothing to me. I feel that they are overrated and new photographers are misguided by them. Pursuing camera equipments with the most superior technology has clouded a lot of young minds. If these things are important to you then I recommend you go out more often rather than sitting in front of your computer. Have you ever printed a photo before? If yes, print more. Heck, print a photobook. Looking at your images on a paper rather than on a screen is a different thing.

There was a time where I felt unmotivated to pick up my camera or even leave the house. I had no clue what to photograph. The passion I once had was slowly slipping away. Knowing this has to stop, I retraced back what got me started. It was a simple portrait of a happy bride. I was intrigued by the fact that I could feel emotions just by looking at the photo. And then looking at my other personal favorite images throughout the years, I concluded emotions and stories are my thing.

I realized what I truly wanted to do is to photograph life time moments. Moments that can't be repeated. Moments filled with emotions. I wanna create photographs that meant something to people. Photographs that can invoke emotions when they look at it. However, I don't aim to please everyone. If my images meant something to only one or two individuals, that means I've accomplished my goal.  

And so, my purpose in photography is to share stories and moments. I wanna let people know what I felt when I clicked that button. The camera has become just a tool  for me to tell stories. A tool with an expensive price tag, no doubt. But you can't put a price tag on captured moments that would last for ages.If you have read this far and got a different opinion, that's OK. You may keep on taking pictures of what makes you feel happy. I don't expect you to have similar preferences with me. But I appreciate the time you spent on reading this. Cheers.