Digital Photo Media: Camera Obscura By Abelardo Morell

His name is Abelardo Morell. He is one of the best photographer I have ever knew, introduced by my lecturer. A photographer who uses the natural light and the surroundings as his subject. He is well known in the photographic community for creating camera obscura images in various places around the world and photographing these. A Boston based photographer but was born in Cuba. I really love his unique approach. Very abstract and imaginative, as if we are in a magical land. He turns the darkened room into a magical landscape. He used to block all the possible sunlight with black plastic, making the space as dark as a cave, cut a dime-size hole in the material so that the light will pass through. The image formed will be inverted. The camera obscura received images just like a human eye, through the small opening and upside down. Light from outside enters the hole at an angle, the rays reflected from tops of objects, like trees, coursing downward, and those from the lower plane, say flowers, traveling upward, the rays crossing inside the dark space and forming an inverted image. I really admired his creativity and technique. Something different. I might want to give it a try one day. 

Storytelling 3: Lost on Planet Xyro (Based on a Journey)

“Mayday mayday, our ship is being hit by some kind of asteroid!!”

“We need assistance and back up right now as soon as possible!!”

“Boom!!!”

I looked about me at the desolated landscape. I realized that I was the sole survivor. Our ship had actually crashed on a planet known as Planet Xyro. The planet had been called that as there were very few things on it which could support life. Unfortunately, I was on it. I am totally doomed unless they sent me rescue ship.

Me and my fellow crew were on a journey to search for the lost Earth’s settlement on the planet. One of the Earth’s settlement on Planet Xyro had gone off the air a month ago. Earth’s government is concerned about it and there were many speculations made as to what could have happened to them. To the best f our knowledge, the planet was not inhabited by other beings. The planet itself is fertile at only one end and so the settlement had established itself there.

They were to make radio contact once a day to report that all was well. They had not called for months and this has made us on Earth worried. We had been sent to see what might have happened to them. Coincidentally, our ship crashed landed here after being hit by an asteroid. Our journey itself had taken a month, so it meant that we had not heard from the settlement for quite long time.

I buried my friends and said a short prayer to the Divine One. Then I seized hold of the survival kit and walked away. I could expect to be rescued in a month’s time. The desert sun was furious and I rationed my food and water supply. I decided that if I wanted to survive for a month, I had to reach the fertile side of the planet. I took my bearings and walked. It took me a few nights of walking before I came to an oasis. I walked at night and rested during the day. Here in planet Xyro, the day and night cycle is much faster than in Earth. The journey to the fertile side was endless and I almost gave up.

Before long, I realized the hopelessness of the situation I was in, but love of life made me struggle on. Then one day, I had it. I decided that I could not move another step and laid down to die. I must have passed out. When I woke up, I realized I was in a home. The lady who was attending to me explained that they had found me in the sand few hours ago. I was dying. I realized then that this was the earth settlement. They were alive and well. Only their radio had broken down.

I stayed with them until another rescue mission came to rescue us two months later. I did not go back to earth but stayed on at Planet Xyro as one of the settlers. I just grew to like it and the simple life it offered. Finally, my journey has ended…..

Storytelling 2: The Old Warrior (Based on Location)

Labrador park, one of the historical site in Singapore. This is where the battle took place between the British and Japanese soldiers during the Japanese Occupation. I love spending my time there, jogging through the nature trails and taking photographs of the old relics of World War II like the bunkers and the old forts. On every Sunday morning, I would definitely go here and this place is also where I met the Old Warrior...

He was an old Malay man. His name is Pak Hassan. At ninety years old, he was as healthy as a fifty year old man. He walked erect and and often see him strolling the nature parks and along the coast. He's usually alone, all by himself.

So one day, while I was taking photographs there, he approached me. I was surprised! From what the other joggers and strollers told me, he was an arrogant man. He doesn't talk much. Well, he seems friendly to me. What made me more surprised was that, he was a war veteran who had fought during the Japanese Occupation. Somehow, he had survived all the battle that he fought in.

Every time when I meet him, he would often tell stories of his glory days. He told me that he used to fight alongside with the late Lieutenant Adnan Bin Saidi, who has fought the Japanese in the Battle of Singapore. He is regarded by Malaysians and Singaporeans today as a hero for his actions on Bukit Chandu. Fortunately, Pak Hassan survived that battle. No one knew that he was the sole survivor and that was also his last battle.

He lived alone. He was looked after by a part-time maid, whom he remunerated very well. His wife passed away a long time ago and his daughter had left him. He really missed his daughter so much. It’s been a really long time. After he left the army, he worked as a clerk. He was a workaholic and had no time for his family. One day, his wife was hospitalized as she was suffering from pneumonia. He was at work, too busy. He was not aware that his wife has been hospitalized even though his daughter had tried to call him many times. The hospitals call him about it and rushed to the hospital. But it was too late. His daughter blamed him as the cause of her mum’s death.

For now, deep within him, he had only one wish… he wanted to die fighting, like a warrior once again, like most of his war comrade had done. Peace bored him.

Then one day, it happened. Pak Hassan was on his way to Labrador Park to meet me as usual when he heard a muffled cry for help. Taking his sturdy walking stick in his hands, he went towards the noise. A robbery was in progress. A middle aged malay lady was asked to removed from her car and valuables. Pak Hassan charged at them and taken by surprise, the robber took some time to recover. Seeing him as an old man, the robber pushed him aside and laughing all the while. Pak Hassan staggered to his feet and struck the robber’s head with as much force as he could. Like mad man he struck out at the robber.

Meanwhile, the lady screams attracted passers-by. I was on my way there too. When me and some of the passers-by arrived to the scene, we saw the bewildered robber. One of the guy pounced upon the robber while I called the police. The lady went to her rescuer. He laid still. Then she burst out crying. Turns out, the lady was Pak Hassan’s daughter. She intended to visit and seek forgiveness from Pak Hassan as she misses him too. Well, it was too late. Pak Hassan was no more. He had got his wish and had gone like a warrior… fighting.

Digital Photo Media: Beneath The Roses By Gregory Crewdson

His works seems less like a photograph, but it rather more look like a moment captured from an epic film. American photographer Gregory Crewdson, has achieved in creating light as part of his subject in his photography. Light has play an important role in photography has it helps to create the emotion needed in that particular photograph, create space and a depth of field into it.

Gregory Crewdson shots are full of quiet moments where you can tell that something gruesome has just occurred. He is known for building large scale sets on which he stage his shots, including hanging spotlights in the sky and using almost cinematically-scoped wide lenses. His pictures are intimate and epic. There is some dark notion into it at the same time.