One of the most important moments of my career happened in 2019.
It happened when I photographed Uncle Jimmy.
In my pursuit of photography, I have created some award-winning pictures and some artistic works. But, it’s not why I do photography, and not my origin architecture. Awards and creativity are by-products in my search for creating meaningful memory capsules.
Are pictures in a form of memory capsules really important? And why do i do photography? Led me to the following question:
Is photography a necessity, or a privilege to have?
It was a random night when I dropped a text to Phoebe, a bride whom I photographed her wedding and her dad – Uncle Jimmy, last year. As random as it could be, sometimes human connections are beyond explanation. That night, I thought of my mum; and Phoebe thought of her dad. We somehow shared a little about how photography can essentially remind us about love and cherish the most, and how we can rethink our values over time. She feels that her dad, who is now in a better place, would love me to do a post for sharing.
Back in October last year, I got to know that Uncle Jimmy was very ill before the wedding. Phoebe and Marcus were considering moving forward with their solemnization so that Uncle Jimmy could hand her over to Marcus and blessed their marriage. The planning and discussion didn’t go on for long as they canceled the plan when Uncle Jimmy was admitted to the hospital.
My mum’s passing left me a heavy heart and it took me some time to recover from it. I learned that death is part of life, and the meaning of living in the Now.
So, I rang up Phoebe and Marcus, offering them my willingness to help them get some pictures of Uncle Jimmy in the hospital.
I then reaffirmed one of my values that I really want to help people celebrate the stories and moments of their loved ones, including the hero(es) in their life.
Phoebe told me a few weeks ago that the last moments with her dad feel fuzzy to her and she couldn’t remember much, but somehow she felt better after looking at the pictures i took.
Memory can get fuzzy at times, but I’m very sure that the legacy and courage left by Uncle Jimmy will forever live in their hearts. My mum imparted the quality of patience and observance to me. Uncle Jimmy instilled the core values of family bonding and courage to his loved ones.
From his family, I know that Uncle Jimmy plays the role of a family man, and undoubtedly a hero in their hearts, because I heard they shared about:
\\ Every time you see him, he is smiling.
\\ He never says ‘no’.
\\ Family is about respecting and accepting the differences.
\\ Family is about not being paiseh.
\\ Family is about sacrifices and patience.
And all these made me think that….
Photography is essential. Because it creates memories of your heroes. And your heroes bring you hope and courage.
– Kai