What is photography ? a record, an art, a form of communication, a favourite pass time, a job, or maybe all of the above ? But, what is the meaning of photography ? why do we do what we do, or in many other cases, don't ? It's a philosophical question. As with all things, the moment we start digging, we'd eventually start asking philosophically.
It's true we would get some level of satisfaction when recognised as an artist photographer, and it'd be incredibly satisfying if we could manage to sell our work, and it's a big wet dream should our work be collected and displayed at a reputable museum.
Truth is, you could be doing many other things that are equally satisfying and challenging. But why did you pick photography as a hobby, a career, a way to realise your wettest dream ? This is the question I've been asking myself.
I think Yoga provides an answer, or at least a glimpse of what the answer is. That we are living in a continuous stream of fleeting moments, that no two moments are identical and can never be repeated. Yet they are cyclical, like the cycle of life and death. It's a complex notion to grasp, I get it.
This is why the upcoming exhibition is called 瞬間剎那 A Moment In Time. Photography is a display of the fleeting moment. And a camera is the tool to capture the moment. Just how cool is that?
IMO, the underlying answer to what photography is, it's you the photographer, in the most elemental form. An image taken by you is a manifestation of what you'd seen, the camera you'd used to take the image is, but an extension of who you are. Remove that camera label, it is certainly not taken by a Leica, but by YOU!
We really shouldn't be hiding behind a camera, instead we should be unapologetic of our work, be able to say "these images are taken by me" with our heads up.
This is why we do an Exhibition, to give us an opportunity to meet in person.
