Category: Expression

Seller of Joy (售喜)

Seller of Joy (售喜)
Photography has always encouraged me to look beyond the obvious subject and consider the stories that surround it. In this scene from Shenzhen, China, the balloons naturally draw attention. However, it was the vendor carrying them who held my gaze. The photograph became a reflection on the unseen effort behind the small moments of happiness that brighten our daily lives.

I am honoured that Seller of Joy (售喜) has been selected for the 21st Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (NAPE) 2026. The exhibition holds special significance for my family, as my late father, Tan Lip Seng, was the inaugural Photographer of the Year when the exhibition was first launched in 2005 and remained a regular contributor for many years thereafter.

Where the Day Begins

Where the Day Begins
Lower Seletar Reservoir became one of my father’s favourite morning grounds with a camera. During his health journey over the last few years and through the quiet months of COVID-19 restrictions, he returned here often to watch the day begin over the still water. In the later years he sometimes left the heavier cameras behind and simply used his iPhone. By then, it was less about equipment and more about recognising the scene — the light, the reflections, the calm before the city fully wakes.

This photograph was taken just this past Sunday morning. I captured the moment with my Canon R5, though I also made an iPhone version at the same time. The R5 image feels a little more natural to me, less shaped by computational processing. But I suspect my father would have reminded me that what matters most is noticing the moment in the first place. A version made with the iPhone can be viewed here.

And on mornings like this, it is easy to understand why he kept coming back.

Following the Light

Following The Light
Lower Seletar Reservoir was one of my father’s daily playgrounds with a camera during the years when he was battling cancer. Many mornings began here for him, walking along the reservoir’s edge and watching the changing light over the still water. I joined him on a few of those walks before, but it has been a while since I returned at sunrise. This morning felt like briefly stepping back into the quiet rhythm he once enjoyed.