It’s comforting to know that in our short existence, we have managed to do a bit of that, and the mission is still high up on our priority list.

Perhaps now is the right time to bring this up to another level.

Last October, we launched Platform Ten, an initiative to identify and recognize 10 new faces whom we, the panel of nominators, believe, will make a difference in the area of Documentary Photography and Photojournalism, in the years to come.

We are proud to present another 10 newcomers for 2011.

Click on their names to see their works, and what the nominators have to say of them.

ANG Siang Li
Zinkie AW
Nadia KAMIL
Joan LAI
LIM Weixiang
Danny SANTOS II
Ivan TAN
Gary WANG
WONG Jing Wei
Zakaria ZAINAL

ANG Siang Li

Emmeline Yong on Ang Siang Li:

“The desire to understand, remember and record drives Ang Siang Lee’s documentary work. He tells stories about the connections among people – loved ones that we ‘carry’ with us on photos, meals shared with friends and people he meets through his travels. His works strike a chord with us through their universality and the simplicity in composition. Although Siang Lee has only recently made his switch into photography as a full-time career, his ability to create images that are personal and yet relatable, make him a photographer to keep a look out for over the next few years. ”

flickr.com/photos/ang-sg
chengli79@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Zinkie AW

Ernest Goh on Zinkie Aw:

“Photography started off as a curious experiment for web designer Zinkie Aw, but has since evolved into a mainstay that helps define who she is.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Zinkie believes,
Passion brought it back.”

facebook.com/aw.zinkie
zinkie.aw@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Nadia KAMIL

Shannon Castleman on Nadia Kamil:

“For the last 2 years Nadia Kamil has served as the Photo area executive at NTU. What few of the students know is Nadia is an accomplished photographer in her own right. The first work of hers that caught my eye was a stunning collection of images she produced in India about the Ganges River. I am equally impressed by her latest series which focuses on enforced disappearance of suspected Kashmiri militants. Nadia is a very kind and sensitive person which comes through in her images. The projects Nadia chooses to work on reflect the strength of her character and her courageous nature. ”

2807.nadia@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Joan LAI

Goh Eck Kheng on Joan Lai:

“Joan, an advertising art director, was introduced to mobile phone street photography just six months ago. Already, her images convey deep feelings in a wide range of emotions, a reflection of her understanding and sensitive use of the medium. The direct ones are hard to forget; the ambiguous ones are chillingly provocative. They all communicate and are artistic in their own right. Joan has been nominated to present at Platform Ten in recognition of her innate talent and to encourage her to continue to photograph more bravely.”

facebook.com/penwirk
pinterest.com/penwirk
penwirk@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

LIM Weixiang

Darren Soh on Lim Weixiang:

“Some photographers want their work to serve as a mirror of the world around them, some have wry comments to make, while others are just happy to make aesthetically pleasing images. Weixiang, in my opinion, is capable of combining all three, to produce images that may be deceptively mundane-looking at first glance. But, they will start to reveal and say a lot more about both subject and photographer upon closer scrutiny. For someone who has only started photographing seriously in the last two years, he is developing a very personal and unique way of seeing and interpreting the changing Singapore around him. I really can’t wait to see more.”

weixiang.viewbook.com
wxlimwx@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Danny SANTOS II

Leonard Goh on Danny Santos II:

“Danny may not be a full-time photographer but his set of images, which revolves around Orchard Road, tells me that he is a lot more hardworking than some photographers I know. He shoots there almost every weekend, rain or shine. Orchard Road is pretty much a staple for a lot of us, and I am sure we are very familiar with it. However, Danny’s voyeuristic portraits of strangers on the streets depict a distance which you will feel when you see a stranger, and this is why I’m drawn to them. Through his photos, I am able to stare at them for ages, scrutinize the tattoos, the faces and their expressions.”

dannyst.com
dannysantos@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Ivan TAN

Justin Zhuang on Ivan Tan:

“An emerging photographer shouldn’t be measured by what he has achieved, but what he can achieve. Ivan Tan can, because he is hungry. Since picking up photography five years ago, he has sought to master it, shooting with film and self-developing prints. He worked hard to find his voice, shooting fashion, portraits, weddings, and most recently, trying out photojournalism. These 10 photographs taken in the last two years show what drives Ivan’s photography today: a desire to make sense of his world, and to express how he feels about it — because Ivan is not just a photographer, but a person too.”

ivantanphotography.com
ivantanweddings@gmail.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Gary WANG

Kevin Ox Lee on Gary Wang:

“Gary is a young photographer who shoots not for a living, but for love of the craft. I find his documentary photographs of street life in Singapore interesting, sometimes random and at times intriguing. They reveal a good photographic eye and more importantly, a raw potent voice. Who Gary is as a photographer I have yet to decipher, but I am curious. My nomination of him is a push, a little kick in the backside, if I may, for him to continue, refine, develop and grow further as a photographer – to find his voice. With a little guidance and direction, Gary can become a photographer with work that rises well above those of his peers.”

flickr.com/photos/agnosticgary
drunkenmasterphotography.tumblr.com
rfsg.sg
agnosticgary@yahoo.co.uk

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

WONG Jing Wei

Lee Gim Lay on Wong Jing Wei:

“I believe good or important works of an individual reflect the true character/nature of the person. Using photography as an ‘excuse’, Jing Wei addressed his inner feelings, especially that of his self-consciousness with/around people. His exploration reveals the inner dichotomy – a fear to be rejected and a desire to be accepted. The courage to confront the brutal truth spurred him on, and rewarded him with these images that are contemplative, personal, and sincere. ”

wongjingwei.com
wongjwei@gmail.com
me@wongjingwei.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Zakaria ZAINAL

Tay Kay Chin on Zakaria Zainal:

“Street-smart, charming and persuasive in his own way, Zak can open any doors, here and faraway, but he understands that the most meaningful work he can do, are all here, in his own backyard, and they can all be traced to his heart. When finally completed, his Gurkhas series will undoubtedly be an important documentary to cherish, and to learn from; but what will be even more important is his continued series on his inner circles, starting with his own family.”

zakariazainal.com
mail@zakariazainal.com

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

We at Platform believe in doing what we know best – taking pictures and letting them tell the stories.

For GE11, which is just days, if not weeks away, we would like to encourage everyone to go out and record what you see.

No pun intended but we do have a ready Platform, if not two, for you to showcase your work.

If you have the pictures, we have a plan.

And yes, in case you really need to ask: We don’t just ask others what they can do, the Platform ‘activists’ will just do it, just as we have done before.

Sixth . Jeff CHouw

Electionscapes 2006 . Darren Soh

Party-goers 2006 . Tay Kay Chin

Party-goers 2001 . Tay Kay Chin

It’s comforting to know that in our short existence, we have managed to do a bit of that, and the mission is still high up on our priority list.

Perhaps now is the right time to bring this up to another level.

Last October, we launched Platform Ten, an initiative to identify and recognize 10 new faces whom we, the panel of nominators, believe, will make a difference in the area of Documentary Photography and Photojournalism, in the years to come.

Click on their names to see their works, and what the nominators have to say of them.

Lavender CHANG
Stefanie DJIE
Erica LAI
KHOO Hanzhi
Shann KOH
KOH Sze Kiat
Nuria LING
ORE Huiying
Diyana RAHIM
Thomas THAM

Lavender CHANG

Tay Wei Leng on Lavender Chang:

“Lavender had visited with the residents of this block of flats and spent time getting to know the residents she photographed. The resultant photos document their lives in a respectful and non-invasive manner. Lavender’s subtle use of light and methodical repetition in composition bring forth her subjects’ humanity while reinforcing their situations. Lavender says she will be photographing peopled portraits in the future. I look forward to seeing how she will approach those images.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Stefanie DJIE

Nicholas Chee on Stefanie Djie:

“Stefanie was only 16 when we met in a photography class I was teaching. She was the most diligent student of the lot, and one of those who showed alot of promise despite the young age. I follow her career closely and was joyous and proud when she won her first award in a local photography competition, decided to enrol in the Temasek Design School, and packed her bags to pursue her degree at the School of Visual Art in New York City. Yes, she has grown and there’s no turning back. I hope my nomination will give her another platform, and to quote her, ‘Yes – Imagination will definitely save you for it has already brought you here’.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Erica LAI

Jason Wee on Erica Lai:

“In some version of quiet pictures, we find a thoughtful eye has, through the camera, considered its world carefully, subtly, and returned that world to its place. The world is better understood, if unshaken. In Erica’s images, the quiet belies a consideration of a world that finds it displaced from itself, discomforted from its own terms of existing. The displacement is just enough to generate a kind of parallax, so that the world can never be returned to its exact place.

Her subjects suggest terms of engagement at odds with themselves. Her subjects vary – flowers, roadside foliage, teenage girls, tourist binoculars, vistas. We are encouraged to see acts of seeing (though there is no one seeing and nothing visible in front of the lenses). We are encouraged to suspect perspective, to naturalized nature (far from tautological, it places nature as organized but not static, an artifice but not a fixed domain, a process but not evolutionary). She has, for me, made this way of seeing coolly intelligent, and made this intelligence pleasurable. This draws me back to Erica’s work year after year, for more than five years now.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

KHOO Hanzhi

Shannon Castleman on Khoo Hanzhi:

“Hanzhi has been a student of mine for the last three years. I have always been struck by the unique ways in which she approaches projects and addresses social issues. Hanzhi’s work exists on borders of documentary and fine art; mixing traditional image making with various media and performative gestures such as exchanging gifts with her subjects. To her, art is especially meaningful when it brings people together. She is a true artist at heart and she uses photography very much as a tool. Even so I find her to be an exceptionally talented photographer whose sensitive personality and vision come through in her quirky images.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Shann KOH

Leonard Goh on Shann Koh:

“Shann is not a documentary photographer. Her photos are more personal, in a sense that, it’s a little unconventional, especially her series, Fascination with Lights, which, on the surface, looks like another collection of light painting images. But when i looked at them closely, I realized most of them seem to be deliberate. I like the fact that she is recording scenes around her. They are all pretty simple photos, but I believe they are nevertheless important.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

KOH Sze Kiat

Darren Soh on Koh Sze Kiat:

“I first met Sze Kiat in the unlikeliest of situations – we were both serving our annual reservist stint in green uniforms, he holding a rifle, I a camera. Curious to find out how he could swap his rifle for a camera too, we started talking about photography. A recent marketing graduate of RMIT, Sze Kiat seems determined to pursue photography professionally instead of securing a ‘real job’ and most recently photographed at the YOG. In his personal body of work Train Dance, Sze Kiat has shown us what an original idea, a quick eye and a small gamble with the authorities can produce.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Nuria LING

Tay Kay Chin on Nuria Ling:

“Nuria is a serious young photographer with a wonderful ability to empathize with the subjects she works with. Patient, meticulous, passionate and stubborn, she devotes as much effort into her research, as she does in the actual documentation. Although she insists that it is just a coincidence, Nuria’s choice of subject matter in her past few projects has all been about foreign workers – an issue of great social significance. This is where her true calling lies and I am not shy to say that she has educated me with her works.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

ORE Hui Ying

Lee Gim Lay on Ore Hui Ying:

“Ore Hui Ying is a true professional who has displayed a high level of commitment to the craft. She has a positive attitude to actualize an idea and that is a very important trait to have. Her works are closely related to her immediate surrounding and in the ongoing documentation of her family, she reveals a deeper level of psychic and emotional attachment within the family. Ordinary and yet intimate, it is important to note the drive behind her project is emotive, and one very close to the photographer’s heart. I believe as long she is clear with her purpose, and stay close to her beliefs, we can expect powerful work from her soon.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Diyana RAHIM

Ernest Goh on Diyana Rahim:

“I met Diyana while interviewing candidates for NAC’s Noise Apprenticeship program. Diyana’s energy and spirit set her apart from the rest of the group – and they are important in helping her move towards her goal of becoming a photojournalist. These days, many photo stories are presented under multiple layers of meanings and technologies in order to grab the viewer’s attention. Diyana pictures reminds me of the first layer, and probably the most important of them all – the simple curiosity in humanity.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

Thomas THAM

Goh Eck Heng on Thomas Tham:

“I first saw Thomas’ photographs on Flickr. They leapt out, caught me and would not let go. The images are direct, often harsh, but full of humanity, courage or love. This is because Thomas photographs not just with a camera but with his heart. His technical mastery does not get in the way of what each picture says for the children he introduces. They, like Thomas, have become friends.

Thomas’ photographs change lives.”

Click to go back to photographer’s list.

It closed Feb 20, 2011, and the judges have selected two winners from the entries.

Ian Ho and Yeo Kai Wen, CONGRATULATIONS!

Here are the winning entries:

Picture by Yeo Kaiwen.

Picture by Ian Ho.

The two winners received their prizes from Ernest Goh, Platform’s co-founder, last Saturday

From left: Kai Wen, Ian and Ernest outside Cathay Photo Store in Marina Square.

In addition, the two judges – Platform co-founders and organizers of this contest Ernest Goh & Tay Kay Chin; and the sponsor, Cathay Photo; have decided to convert the remaining prize into a lucky draw, also to be given out at Platform 11.4.

Once again, thanks for participating, and for supporting Platform and our sponsors Cathay Photo and Joby.

Martin Heng, a Singaporean art director who has lived and worked in Tokyo for the past eight years, just sent us this image he took shortly after the quake.

Although he and his wife live far from the epicenter, they came home to find their apartment in complete chaos.

And as we were chatting minutes ago over Facebook, another aftershock hit.

This really is uncertain time for everyone.

Title: Tohoku Earthquake Series 2011 // Time Lost

Day: 11th March 2011

Description: A child’s wristwatch fallen and forgotten while racing down the cracked stairway during the Tohoku Earthquake.

If you have pictures, videos or audio recording from the catastrophe, we would like to share them at the next Platform session, which is on April 5.

Meanwhile, please stay safe, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Be strong.

The Shooting Home Reunion Show

From Objectifs’s website:

Into its eighth year, Shooting Home is a unique mentoring programme in photography, that goes beyond the workshop walls. Designed for budding photographers with a passion to pursue photography as a career, Shooting Home provides emerging talents with the opportunity to learn alongside some of our most prolific photographers.

Ten participants are selected each year for the workshop and paired with established photographers, who will teach in the workshop and mentor them. During the workshop period, participants are involved in rigorous field work, daily critiques, lectures and constant interaction with mentors and peers to share ideas. Mentorship also provides emerging photographers with invaluable networking opportunities. Ultimately, Shooting Home aims to foster an environment for the exchange of ideas between like-minded amateurs and professional artists.

Past participants of Shooting Home have gone on to make career switches into photography, many collaborating on personal or commercial work. Out of the 80 participants who’ve gone through Shooting Home, more than half have turned professional while the rest remain committed to contributing to the craft and community, through shows or freelance work.

This special Shooting Home Reunion Show @ Platform will consist of three segments:

The History & Legacy of the Workshop
by Emmeline Yong
Partner and co-founder of Objectifs
www.objectifs.com.sg
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=605457716

The Shooting Home Method & Works
Bryan van der Beek
Photographer, Instructor and Shooting Home Workshop faculty

http://www.facebook.com/bryanvanderbeek

Presenting The Class of 2011 Shooting Home
Darren Soh
Platform co-founder, Photographer, Instructor and Shooting Home Workshop faculty
www.darrensoh.com

http://www.facebook.com/sohdarren

Zhuang Wubin

Photographer, Writer, Researcher, Curator
INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY IN ASEAN: FROM THE FALL OF MARCOS TILL THE DIGITAL BOOM

I am basically a researcher focusing on photography in Southeast Asia (ASEAN). As an extension of that interest, I write, curate and photograph. In this talk, I will look at the development of independent documentary photography in Southeast Asia since 1986. The year is significant because it signaled the start of the gradual breakdown of the dictatorial structures in place within the region–something that has always influenced the production of documentary photography around the world. The next two significant shifts occurred during the Asian Financial Crisis and the boom of digital technology. In this very brief overview, I will highlight key individuals and initiatives within Southeast Asia that have seized upon these changes to produce poignant works about the societies where they come from. In this sense, I am primarily interested in documentary photographers working independently in their country-of-origin, fueled by a burning desire to make thoughtful and intelligent comments about her or his environment. This session will end off with an extensive Q&A.

http://zhuangwubin.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/zhuangwubin
http://www.last-harbour.com/

Edwin Koo
Photojournalist
WE WOULD BE HEROES

Based in Nepal for the past few years, Edwin is a recipient of the prestigious Getty Grant for Editorial Photography. His project for the grant can be seen at http://imagery.gettyimages.com/getty_images_grants/recipients.aspx?date=9-2010&grant=editorial&who=Koo

http://www.facebook.com/edwinkoo
http://www.edwinkoo.com/
http://www.nakednepal.com/
http://www.edswedding.com/

LOVE.LIFE

Bob Lee 李欣赏
LAST WISH

这是一组为临终病患完成心愿的照片。

在偶然的机会接触了亚西西慈怀病院，病院的社工联络了我，问我可否为病人完成最后的心愿，其中一位Mdm Lee希望临终前，能有一张婚纱照。

想想，摄影能为人记录美好的回忆是件好事，如果能为人完成心愿，我没有理由拒绝。

http://blog.omy.sg/jiuhukia/2010/07/30/last-wish/

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=189480&id=705643260&ref=mf

http://www.bobleeks.com/

Kar-Wai Wesley Loh
JODIE’S TESTIMONY

Between 1999 to 2001, Wesley documented the struggles of his beloved woman (now wife), Jodie, who was battling acute myeloid leukemia. He shares this private journey through words and images.

Excerpts from a note by Wes:

“We don’t like to talk about illness, cancer and death. It’s taboo, bad even. I don’t know the reason, maybe it’s the heritage, that we are Asians. I will not pretend that I know enough to hypothesize on that issue. But there is one thing I know, that it’s not doing us any good, by tucking those issues into a forgotten corner of our mind, we think we can avoid them. So we don’t prepare, we don’t get early check-ups, we don’t tell when our parents, relatives and friends get sick. We don’t rally round to write cards, visit, talk, pray, give, call and empathize. Maybe it’s time we changed, cause I saw God in you guys, when you came to visit, called, prayed, wrote, gave what you had. You guys helped her recovery, gave her support, even times when there were no words to say.

Last thing, cancer rate is going up in Singapore. It hits the nose, colon, breast, ovary plus other places I don’t even know about. Check these places out when you have the time. And no, I don’t sell insurance, I do know a good agent though.”

http://www.facebook.com/karwaiwesley

http://www.memphiswest.com

http://wesandjo.wordpress.com

http://memphiswest.com/jodie/

The Year In Pictures @ Platform

A while ago, we invited everyone to submit three images taken in 2010, as a personal summary of the year that just passed.

We are glad to say that close to a 100 individuals responded, and we have received more than 300 images.

Add your own contributions to two other folders of pictures, one from The Straits Times, and another from Associated Press, I think we better be prepared to be blown away.

There are so many things we can say about the different perspectives but we think it would be better for you to come up with your own interpretations.

For the past few days, some volunteers have been working hard in preparation for our BIG NIGHT this coming Tuesday, Jan 4, at the National Museum of Singapore. The party will start from 730pm.

Oh yes, we have some food and tea for everyone and wacky gifts for a lucky few.

Come join us. Bring a friend. Come make a friend.

We really want you to see the images.

Wait, they are yours to begin with!

See ya!