In a country that is home to an ever-increasing number of aspiring photographers, Vatsala Devi speaks to one talented man who is plotting a course that will help him pull away from the pack.

1. KL Cityscape at night

2. Lone mangrove tree at Pantai Jeram during sunset

3. This is where KL started, where the two rivers meet

4. Federal mosque sunrise at Sri Hartamas

5. Abandoned pier at Melaka

6. Dawn at Tengku Ampuan Jemaah Mosque in Bukit Jelutong

7. Dead trunk at Pantai Kelanang just after sunset

8. KL cityscape at dawn

9. Thean Hou temple after sunset

10. Yacht Club in Putrajaya at night

11. Part of Bintang Walk at night

12. Dawn at Dataran Merdeka

13. Kellie’s Castle in the afternoon

About the Photographer

Seated in a café at Bangsar Shopping Centre, Edwin Ng could easily pass for a young man in his late 20s who was passing his time by watching shoppers milling about. When I asked him about it after our initial introductions, Edwin told me with a sheepish smile that when he watches a scene unfolding before him, he is usually composing an image in his mind. He shrugged, and in a way of explanation said, “I am a photographer; it is what I do.”

Born and bred in Petaling Jaya, Edwin Ng is quite reserved and coy when it comes to talking about himself, but when he got started on his favourite topic – photography – he chatted animatedly about what drove him to make this popular pursuit his career. “Even as a young boy, I was always fascinated by photos. I could spend hours gazing at photos because there is so much to look at. When I look at a photo, my mind immediately looks for details such as the subject, lighting, composition, and other elements that go on behind the scene to help make the shot memorable,” he explained.

A particularly young-looking 35 years old, Edwin credits his youthfulness to doing the job he enjoys the most. “I wake up every morning to the thought that I’ll be spending the rest of my day doing something I love. To many, working means going to an office and spending at least eight hours doing tasks that they might or might not enjoy. But I go in to work every day with a spring in my step knowing that photography, which started out as my hobby, is now both my passion and a source of income,” he said enthusiastically.

A Tangled Beginning

Though now enjoying a good tide of fortune, Edwin explained that life when he was growing up wasn’t all that easy. “My parents were divorced when I was young, and as a result my older brother and I lived with my mum. As a single parent, it wasn’t easy for her to provide for us and bring us up with all the trimmings in life, but she did her best and today my brother and I have made her proud by making our lives count,” he said.

If growing up wasn’t easy for Edwin, the future was certainly starting to look up for him when he reached the age of 17. Upon completing high school, instead of furthering his education, Edwin worked odd jobs while trying to find his career path. “After leaving school, I worked odd jobs during the day to sustain myself and took Computer Studies courses part time,” he recounted. Not entirely sure of his next course of action, Edwin decided to move to Penang – a move that proved to be a life-changing experience for him in more than one way. “During my three-year stay in Penang, I decided to further my studies and enrolled in the Computer Science course towards an advanced diploma, and it was also in Penang that I met the woman who later became my wife. “Although I had a diploma, I was tempted by the idea of making my own fortune instead of working for other people. I decided to give it a go and ventured into different businesses from real estate to insurance, but after a while I realised I wasn’t cut out for it. And it was my wife who showed me it was possible to turn my hobby into a profession.”

Unlike some of his peers in the industry, Edwin didn’t discover his interest for photography in his early years; it was only after he got married at the age of 27 that he realised (with a good measure of help from his wife, of course) he had an eye for taking good pictures. “It all started when my wife and I were planning for our first overseas honeymoon.We planned on going to Hong Kong and we were pretty excited about it, as it was our first overseas trip as a married couple. It was at this point that we realised her point-andshoot camera had spoilt and we needed a camera to capture the moments. Left with no choice, we bought the cheapest DSLR camera we could find then – a Nikon D40 that cost RM1,400 – and set off on our trip. It was quite comical, actually, if you come to think about it as we were both clueless on how to use the sophisticated camera, which had so many features on it. We experimented with the features and took as many pictures as we could (many of which weren’t as great as I had hoped for), but came back with the knowledge that with practice, I could be good at photography,” he said, recalling the moment fondly.

Hitting His Stride

And so it was that as Edwin started to shoot more and more, taking different genres of photography in varying techniques, his passion for photography bloomed and has steadily grown ever since. The self-taught photographer readily admits that the Internet has been a boon to himasmuch of his technical knowledge was obtained online, along with some of the necessary “hard skills” needed for successful commercial photography. “I was a late bloomer and only ventured into photography at the age of 27,” Edwin explained. “With no formal education or training in the photography field, I relied quite heavily on the information available online to provide me with what I needed, from learning new techniques to sharpening my skills to simply taking better pictures.

I was also lucky to follow professional photographers during their assignments, such as weddings and other events. It was a win-win situation for both parties as I got to learn from watching these professionals at work while they got an extra pair of helping hands.”

These days, all the hard work and effort has paid off as Edwin is now the proud owner of an enterprise he started together with his mentor, TengWei. “Partnering up and starting a photography business with my mentor made sense because we both share the same ideas and wanted to make a difference in the photography industry in Malaysia,” Edwin pointed out, noting further that, “We felt the field was starting to become saturated with the same type of services. The number of photographers offering the same type of services has grown tremendously, resulting in prices becoming competitively low. I want to try something new that will push the boundaries of photo-taking in the country.”

Forging a Different Path

To Edwin, who specialises in interior and architecture imagery, photography is an appealing genre because it is an everchanging industry. “I like photography because of its ever-changing nature. It is an industry that will constantly have new challenges that require photographers to think out of the box to find ways to keep the industry relevant, fresh, and exciting. Taking photographs now is in some ways totally different from what it was a decade ago and, I am sure given the advancement of technology, the photography landscape will shift again in another 10 years. I also like photography because it gives me the ability and freedom to develop my own style.”

He continued, “At present, I am developing my skills in interior and architecture photography as well as portraits. My partner and I decided to focus on the former because we felt it was a niche area – one not explored by many. Initially, when we were commissioned for an interior and architecture photography assignment, we felt that we were able to deliver what the client wanted in a fresh way. After honing our skills further, we felt that it was something we could specialise in and there has been no turning back or regrets since,” he enthused.

Speaking to Edwin, I really got the idea that he is a man with big dreams and wants to achieve them in the old-fashioned manner of hard work, determination, and discipline. “Anyone with a camera can become a photographer, but to excel in photography, especially commercially, one needs to have an eye for details, be disciplined, responsible and reliable, and also be willing to try and embrace new things such as new technology.”

As a professional photographer for the past seven years, Edwin is currently hot on the trail of taking pictures of monuments, architectures, and cityscapes in black and white as he feels there is something raw, natural and beautiful about pictures captured in black and white. As Edwin is fairly new to the photography fraternity, he is still developing his skills, and is not in a hurry to create a signature trait for himself. “A signature trait comes naturally when you’ve been in the field long enough, and right now I feel that can wait as I am on a mission to establish a name for myself in the commercial photography industry. I want to master fine art photography where the beauty of each shot lies with the subject, composition, lighting, and other more subtle elements,” he said with obvious excitement.

This photographer is not simply taking the wait-and-see approach, but he is making inroads to take the industry by storm within the next five years. Edwin may have started later than many who have succeeded in this field, but he plans to make up for the lost time by going the extra mile to win the eyes and hearts not only in Malaysia, but also on an international level. With an aim to host his debut solo photo exhibition in the next two or three years firmly in the pipeline, Edwin Ng is definitely a man to watch.

Read more:

• 15 Stunning Photos of Bali Captured by an Indonesian Photographer
• 8 Amazing Photographs Snapped by a Malaysian Photographer
• 5 Captivating Photos from a Malaysian Photographer

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Source: Senses of Malaysia November/December 2014