Professional Photographers Association (Singapore)

Inside The Photographer's Studio: Jimmy Fok

Dual Tones

Quiet is how Jimmy Fok describes his non-commercial photography masterpieces but as a person, he is rather vocal about almost any subject under the sun. The 33-year-old founder of his eight-year-old studio Calibre, for instance, frequents the museums but opines that they "only promote the big names".

Old School, New Direction

The problem with labels is that they pigeon-hole people into a stereotype. Take Peter Chua of Caesar Commercial Photo for instance. The 46-year-old veteran is almost synonymous with the "old school" thought of photography. In fact, it was a term that cropped up frequently during this interview.

Keeping the Faith

Inside the photo studio of Ruth Soh, the 43-year-old willowy mother of two teenage girls was a picture of contemplation. Her head in a bowed position, her eyes shut and a finger resting on her forehead, she was not in a hurry to answer what you thought was a straightforward question. Then in a moment least expected, she snapped her fingers. Her thoughts had crystallised into words.

Of Nuances and Narratives

Names often evoke the lofty hopes of parents for their offspring. Yet, rarely do these parents realise their child’s chosen name also speaks volumes about themselves. As for the name of Gulzar Aman Wadhwa – son of CJ Sameer Wadhwa and Imelda Wadhwa – it is an embodiment of his parents’ flair for meaningful storytelling.

Toy Story When Steve Nge was about six years old, a present from his doting grandmother was to chart the course of his life. It was a made-in-Hong Kong vintage toy camera that looked like any 120mm film camera. The humble toy was not designed for focusing and it came with a fixed aperture. It did come equipped with a flash component though – which was enough to make any kid gush in glee.
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Inside The Photographer's Studio: Jonathan Tay

The Man behind his Gingerbread Man
In one of Jonathan Tay’s personal works, a gingerbread man flees frantically from a chasing dog. At first glance, it seems to mirror the award-winning photographer’s signature surreal style. But hearing the 32-year-old lens man recount his journey to making a name for himself on the world stage, the gingerbread man connection may not be a mere coincidence.

At the risk of going over-imaginative, perhaps the gingerbread man is Jonathan’s alter-ego, the barren wasteland being Singapore, and the dog symbolising his inner demons, or more specifically, creative plateau. After all, in 2001, a fatigued Jonathan did spend a hiatus in New York where he recharged his batteries, broadened his horizons and later developed breakthroughs in his works. Still not convinced? The strongest hint lies in his actual words: “Your work is inspired by your life.”

The Accidental Photographer
True love indeed can be found on a cruise ship but for Kimberly Tok, it was love of a different sort.

As a marketing executive for international cruise liners during the early 1990s, she often found herself onboard such love boats. Carried away by the refreshing salty breeze, the sea-loving Kimberly would whip out her dad’s compact Nikon 35mm film camera and start snapping pictures. Not long after, the shutterbug bought herself a Nikon SLR and enrolled in a basic black and white photography course with the Photographic Society of Singapore.

Happy Go Plucky
There's an impish quality in Sin Kok Wai, from the way he bloats his boyish face for the camera, in an attempt to imitate the appearance of his studio's namesake. Interestingly, the 33-year-old founder of Pufferfish Studio did not name his photography outfit after a dangerous dalliance with the famed Japanese delicacy. In fact, he has yet to sink his teeth into one. But he plans to do so one day, when he gets to the Land of the Rising Sun, he says.

Guiding Light

Come Sunday mornings, as sunlight enters his kitchen and shines on the oven, Chuang Lee Jen grabs his Leica camera and captures that ephemeral moment.

Light too appears at the end of the tunnel, the 55-year-old photography veteran will probably tell you. At 14, he lost the use of his left eye and left hand during a home experiment gone awry. The optimist in him however saw the ordeal as a blessing in disguise that mellowed him down and channelled his energies into photography - his chosen craft since 1977.

Ngiap Heng is the founder of The Pond. He started his photography career shooting for the performing arts in Singapore. He then became a well-known wedding photographer in Singapore. He now focuses on portrait and dance photography. His long term interests are in the human form and human emotions.
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Inside The Photographer's Studio: Joyce Choo

It's been said that the photography scene in Singapore is a mostly male domain. But Joyce Choo of Joyce Choo Studio has outlasted a fair number of colleagues with a career that spans almost twenty years. Well known in the industry for her intuitive grasp of beauty and detail, the veteran photographer has won numerous awards for her delicately rendered images of subjects as diverse as portraiture, landscapes and living creatures. Prior to establishing Joyce Choo Studio in 2004, Joyce was the co-founder of Cactus Studio, which is still fondly remembered by industry people today.

At 51, Sebastian Tan, owner of The Shooting Gallery and Wishing Well The Imaging Station is one rare individual who can truthfully say he has taken the road less travelled, and enjoyed every minute of the rollercoaster ride. Formally trained in advertising art, Sebastian or Seb, as he is affectionately known by friends; fell into photography entirely by accident, and has never looked back since. This chance encounter jump started an impressive career that is instrumental in shaping Singapore's creative industry into what it is today - a regional production hub for top media agencies worldwide.

Dear PPAS Members and Fellow Photographers,

We'll like to invite you to communicate with John Clang via the PPAS website.

If you'll like to ask John questions or want to find out more from him with regards to his work etc, get onto the forum with CLANG from 27th to 31st August 2007.

Have fun!

Click here to access forum here.

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