Behind every excellent photographer, there are countless unsuccessful photos. This phrase is not an exaggeration as it takes plenty of years and efforts to sharpen the photography skills of a person interested to venture in working with cameras.  

The recent photo that was taken by Tan Yi Yong.

A Han Chiang University College of Communication student, Tan Yi Yong, discovered his passion for photography during his diploma days. He had taken a photography course as a part of his diploma course enabling him to enhance his photography skills and eventually became fond of it.

“When I was in secondary school, there was a photography club that is quite popular, that is when I got into the terms of photography, but I did not have the opportunity to delve in detail about it. But as I mentioned earlier, in 2018 at HCUC, I took the photography course though I have no experience nor have a DSLR camera. I have to thank my lecturer for his kindness which inspires and sparks my interest to learn about photography”, Yong said.

“Most of my inspiration comes from the websites or social media platforms dedicated for photography. I follow some photographers that I admire on Instagram and Facebook,” he said.

The meaning of photography

Yong thinks photography has a lot of meaning and describes it as an art form. Photography, for him, acts as a form of preserving memories with their loved ones, friends and colleagues. He also said that photography can also act as a source of income to help him earn additional cash during his college life. 

Tan Yi Yong

He mentioned that photography is an endorphin to his spirit; that calms him or boosts his creativity. “Whenever I feel sad, I will just take my camera and go to the streets and take some photos,” explains Yong.

Yong asserts the cost of acquiring professional equipment is the biggest challenge in photography. As purchasing a new camera is expensive, he is relying on a nine-year old camera he obtained from his parents. Though he appreciates having a camera, the camera poses several complications like slow focuses and sometimes the images captured are out of the focus. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Lee Pei Yong

Lee Pei Yong, a 20 years old diploma student from Han Chiang University College of Communication, has owned a personal professional camera since 2013. It gave an edge of having three years of experience which she has converted to be a freelance photographer.

She believes improvements can always be made on every photo taken by the photographer.

“At first, I think we need to know about the basic tips of photography such as ISO, aperture and lensing. Then, we need to practise by taking more shots,” she said.

She encouraged that people who would like to shoot photos must always try to take more photos and then they can see their improvement within the photos.