This is part of my written entries about the Canon EOS Youth Ambassador 2017 programme. To read more from this please click on the 'CANON EYA' tag on the left bar of this website :) To be updated on the next batch for this programme, please follow the Canon official instagram and facebook page.
A group of men resting in the temple of Batu Caves.
One of my biggest dreams was always to be a photojournalist. I'd devour books and read magazines showcasing imagery from foreign cultures, events, and conflicts from around the world. The act of archiving extraordinary and everyday human acts seemed so noble and exciting. Over the years I found my interest veering more towards landscape and architectural photography. It gave me a sense of serenity and escape instead. But I never forgot my initial interest, and when the Canon EYA programme organized a course on photojournalism with AP photographer Vincent Thian, I was extremely excited.
We started off the morning early as usual and headed off to Batu Caves for our assignment . We were divided into groups and told to take a photowalk to capture some images, edit them in the bus back home, and submit them as soon as we arrived. Again it sounds easier than it looks but I guess my style and way of photographing has always been relaxed - and to operate under the hot sun, through the crowds, climbing up the steps, ensure your lighting, composition and framing is correct, and to make sure that your subject has a story... it was a lot of things to take in and all of us gave our best shot.
Back at Canon HQ, Vincent shared with us how 'back in the old days' they had to shoot with film and carry tanks of chemical in their bags to develop it on the go. How later, once digital came about, when shooting in remote locations, they endured spotty internet connection to submit the photos to the news agencies for publishing. He shared with us his works photographing in conflict situations from around the globe. How you had to take care of yourself, respect victims, and make friends along the way.
One of the biggest aspect of photojournalism, especially when you are working with a news agency, was the level of commitment that's needed on a daily basis. You never know when there's a breaking news story, or a natural disaster occurring, and you would need to be on stand-by, or drop any other commitments, to get the work done. It's not a job for the faint hearted and for the unfit. I learned that day that it can be a mentally, emotionally and physically straining job. But without photojournalists, the news landscape and media in this world would be at loss.
All of us left class that day feeling like we'd gone through a battlefield of knowledge. Unlike other branches of photography (Eg wedding, commercial) journalism is one in which you are in no control of the subject or the situation. You are at the mercy of the present, a witness, and a participator - this is especially true for news agencies. I suppose if you're a features photographer, it wouldn't be as hectic. I grew a newfound respect for journalists that day and I'm extremely appreciative of my learnings from this session with Canon.
A woman overwhelmed at the steps leading up to the caves as her parents looked on.
Three men overlooking construction inside the cave.
A boy climbs up the walls that are carved with names of worshippers as his mother looks on.
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