Peter Tan with his camera at The Secret Garden of 1 Utama.
Photo by Wuan.
I have been taking photographs since I was fourteen years old. That makes this the thirtieth year that I am into photography. This also means that that I have been doing this consistently for that long. No other activity comes close. I am still doing this because photography has been a fulfilling passion for me. It is the conduit to self expression, one of the few that I can still do independently, by myself. The other is blogging.
The technical aspects aside, photography is a challenge especially when I have to shoot from a seated position all the time. The angles and perspectives for composition are limited. My weak hands make holding the camera steady difficult. I have resorted to using a monopod. Those drawbacks notwithstanding, I have come to love photography for what it does to my mind.
The sense of liberation that comes with photography is priceless. I had to give up doing so many things after my spinal cord injury. I lost control of my limbs and more. I loved the great outdoors. I loved swimming. And I loved playing the guitar. These I could no longer do, except photography. With the camera, I am in control again.
There is more to it. Photography has been a good way to freeze those memorable moments in time. Mum left a stash of old photographs dating as far back as the 1940s that gave me a peek into her life back then. She also kept photographs of me from the time I was a infant until I went to primary school. These black and white images I treasure very dearly.
I want to do the same for myself – to capture those moments for posterity. Many years down the road, I know I will appreciate myself for what I am doing now. I look forward to many more years of chronicling the events around me through photography, and blogging. Both activities have made my life colourful, photography more so. My life has been richer for it. I would not want it any other way.
I thought you took it up to meet girls!!
Peter:
With you, I have no secrets!