1) For finding an elusive Hani translator online and getting the job done quick and good.
2) For finding an ex-student, sweet Duc who sat down for 7 hours straight with me to translate the nightmare of a week’s worth of Vietnamese interviews. Even when I almost gave up, he didn’t. Thank you for your remarkable attitude and for making my day when you thanked me for being the first person in your life to pay you a salary!
3) The mighty little red ants, especially dear Kang Li, for helping me produce the six slideshows and lifting off a huge weight on my chest.
4) Jeanette for buying me lunch on a stressful Friday, and for the familiarity of it all.
5) Iggy for being with me every step of the way. No day no night for me, no day no night for you.
6) Emails of encouragement from people who matter
7) Xinyi and Pi, I would not have made it without you. And my sweet friends scattered all over.
8) Jony for ensuring my house is a home (Food).
9) Mike Tze for so many things, that led to even more things.
10) My mum and dad for imparting their tenacity to me, and teaching me that passion matters, a lot.
11) Uncle CY for being in Beijing and readily helping me photograph Mr Bird, who luckily happened to be there for a conference too.
12) Mr Bird for accepting our interview.

Crazy work week, character building.
Whatever it is, I know it’s all going to be worth it.

Silver sunlight and city magic.

Route: Tokyo – Nagano – Tokyo – Nagoya – Takayama – Shirakawago – Tokyo

 

I derive a satisfaction from portrait photography because of its ability to connect myself, the subject and audience. By engaging them in a direct manner, I get the opportunity to exchange ideas with people in a limited time and express those interactions, the subject’s character, history, influences and social significance in the form of an image. I have photographed people from all walks of life including families, soldiers, monks, scientists, artists, lawyers, celebrities and activists and am always looking to meet more.

 

I have covered a wide range of events including opening ceremonies, speeches, birthday parties, concerts and conferences. My approachable personality and ability to engage big groups means you won’t have to worry about dull, lifeless shots spoiling the party.

 

Although we had just been through an 18-hour flight, the first thing we did after dropping off our bags at the hostel was to sprint a few streets down into the heart of Times Square. I was thrilled to be in NYC and shouted out in joy. Around me, a huge Starbucks café, the M&Ms building, the Morgan Stanley building, a huge C.S.I banner… it was all so familiar, just like on TV. I was in America!

 

SOMETIME earlier this year after reading that Singapore would host APEC and President Obama, I was determined to get myself involved in one way or another. As the months went by it was always at the back of my head – How can I photograph it since I’m a freelance photographer and the wires would definitely have no space for newbies to be in the thick of action.

Sometime in late August, I received a phonecall from S. S was one of those people I knew online from my teenage blogging years. Although we hardly ever had a face-to-face conversation, she always lurked in the background with utmost support for what I do. It was also thanks to S that I got to represent Singapore at the ASEAN Youth camp in 2008. This time round, she had connections to an official photography job for the APEC Business Advisory Council dialogue meetings – on condition that I had to pull together four other photographers and work around the allocated budget.

I was absolutely thrilled. Managed to round up four other guys and grew progresively excited as the whole country went into full preparation mode to welcome the APEC delegates and leaders. I was especially excited to see Obama, Arroyo and Hu Jintao up close and personal, without having to jostle with the other media. Alas on the morning of the assignment, the papers reported that Obama’s flight was delayed and he would miss the dialogue session. Damn! Huge disappoinment there.

Still, it was a very privileged experience to have official access to photograph these world leaders. I was trying to reconcile the preconceived ideas I had about them — These people were on the papers 24/7. I grew up watching some of them on CNN. Their words moved markets, their policies moved people. They were loved, hated, respected, shamed.

And at some point while trying to avoid getting shoved by Hu Jintao’s bodyguards and chasing Abhisit before he vanished into the crowd, it struck me that these prime ministers and presidents were mere human (with an unimaginable great weight on their shoulders). Suddenly my camera bag didn’t seem that heavy anymore.

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who came by Objectifs last Saturday. This was my third photo fair, having taken part in last year’s Affordable Photo Fair and 2902 Gallery’s On the Wall event, and definitely my most successful one to date.

I love photo fairs because I get to meet people and share with them what I do. To kick it off, the thrill of having a very nice lady buy not one, but five of my photo prints pretty much got me on an adrenaline high for the rest of the day. Thank you to everyone who bought sets of Road Stops 2009 and a print or two. Even if you didn’t buy anything, thank you for just coming by my booth and asking me questions… questions that remind me of the stories behind the images, the motivation that pushes me to walk this path. I am really glad to have you listen to my stories. Special thanks to the superwomen at Objectifs for organizing this smashing event in their lovely new home, my dearest friends and family who came in full force with lunch and snacks in hand. :)

Here’s a slideshow of the prints up for sale this year.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

If you missed the fair and are still interested in ordering prints or Road Stops 2009, please view free to view the Catalogue and contact me. I’m always available to meet up.

You are invited to The 4th Affordable Photo Fair on 21 Nov (Sat) from 11am – 7pm.

Here are some of the images on sale. I will also be launching Road Stops 2009, a set of 12 greeting cards.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

For more information, check out the Catalogue and visit http://www.objectifs.com.sg/apf/

See you there!

Route:

Home as it is to me.

 

This project was exhibited at the Shooting Home Class of 2008 reunion show.

Project statement:

In The Modern Nomads, Jean Qingwen Loo pieces together a personal documentary project of her relatives in Beijing as they take on the Chinese dream.

Since young, she has been in awe of how her Uncle C.Y., his wife Fanny and their son Alexander ­­split their time and lives over homes in Beijing, Hong Kong and Melbourne. Even though they only visited Singapore twice a year, there was a tight kinship that grew stronger with distance and every moment together.

Regular visits to Melbourne were always the highlight of any school holiday. And somewhere, sometime in between feeding the geese behind her uncle’s lake house, running wild into fields of lavender and lapping up aunt Fanny’s cheesecakes, Jean caught the winds of wanderlust and decided she would try to see all of the earth when she grew up.

Today, as a 25-year-old trying to find a foothold in a world that’s moving too fast, these are the carefree memories of yesteryear that ground her. Some people grow up and grow apart, but Jean is determined to keep her family close.