Kisah Sebenar,
Visual Bernyawa.

My relationship with photography began in the early 1980s, when my uncle gave me a Nikon FG SLR camera. It was my first introduction to seeing and observing the world through a lens.

But interestingly, my earliest real passion for visual storytelling was not photography. It was videography.

In the early 1990s, I would often borrow a friend's father's camcorder and take it with me to record everyday life. I filmed ordinary people, places and moments around me, not because I had an assignment or any particular purpose, but simply because I enjoyed documenting life as it happened.

I was particularly fascinated by documentary filmmaking. Growing up watching National Geographic documentaries had a profound influence on me. I was captivated by the way documentaries could take us into other people's lives, introduce us to unfamiliar places and cultures, and tell powerful stories through images, sound and observation.

Looking back, those days with a borrowed camcorder probably planted the earliest seeds of what would eventually become my approach to visual storytelling.

From Moving Images to Still Photography

The digital revolution eventually brought me back to photography.

In early 2004, I bought my first digital camera, followed later by my first DSLR. What initially began as something I did for pleasure quickly became much more serious.

I found myself constantly looking for photographs.

I photographed landscapes, waterfalls, nature, people, flowers, architecture, travel, still life, macro, animals and whatever else caught my eye. I never felt particularly comfortable restricting myself to one genre of photography.

For me, a photograph is a photograph. If there is a story, a moment, an emotion or something visually compelling in front of me, I want to capture it.

Over time, that passion developed into professional work and eventually led me towards photojournalism.

Learning Photojournalism

One of the experiences that contributed to my development as a photojournalist was the opportunity to work on a limited number of assignments as a stringer for international wire agency Reuters, under the guidance of veteran Malaysian photojournalist Zainal Abdul Halim.

Although my time working with Reuters was relatively brief, the experience was invaluable. It gave me an opportunity to observe and learn first-hand how an international wire agency approached news photography and what was expected from a working photojournalist in the field.

Working with and learning from Zainal also gave me valuable insights into the discipline of photojournalism. I learned that it was never simply about producing a beautiful photograph. Timing, accuracy, observation, anticipation and understanding the story unfolding in front of the camera were equally important.

Perhaps most importantly, I began to understand how a single photograph could communicate an entire story.

It may have been a small chapter in my photographic journey, but it gave me experience and lessons that I carried with me into the assignments and opportunities that followed.

Working with International Media

Another important part of my experience in journalism has been working as a fixer for international media organisations and visiting foreign news crews covering stories in Malaysia.

Over the years, I have worked with organisations including Thai PBS, Volkskrant, a major Dutch daily newspaper, Japan's NHK, and Viory, a video news agency headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as well as several other international media organisations.

Working as a fixer gave me a different perspective on journalism.

The role goes far beyond simply bringing a foreign journalist or camera crew from one location to another. It requires an understanding of the story, local knowledge, research, logistics, identifying and approaching potential interview subjects, coordinating access, overcoming language and cultural barriers, and sometimes finding solutions quickly when circumstances change in the field.

It also meant working closely with journalists and production teams from different countries, each with their own working methods and editorial approaches.

These experiences allowed me to see how international journalists approached stories about Malaysia from an outside perspective. At the same time, my familiarity with the country, its people and its culture helped visiting journalists navigate the realities on the ground and gain access to the people and stories they came to document.

For me, being a fixer was another form of storytelling. I might not always have been the person behind the camera, but I was helping make it possible for the story to be told.

Photography Meets Videography

My professional journey eventually brought my two interests, photography and videography, together.

I joined Malaysian independent news organisation MalaysiaNow as a video journalist, covering news, current affairs and human-interest stories through both still photography and moving images.

In many ways, working as a video journalist brought me back to where everything had started decades earlier: documenting real people and real life through moving images.

The difference was that the borrowed camcorder of my younger days had been replaced by professional cameras, and something I once did purely out of curiosity had become my profession.

I later continued my work in international journalism with BenarNews, an international news organisation based in Washington, D.C., United States. Working from Malaysia, my assignments have involved photography and video journalism covering communities, social issues, current affairs and the people behind the stories.

Working across both still photography and moving images has shaped the way I approach visual journalism. Photography taught me to recognise and capture a decisive moment. Videography taught me to think about sequences, movement, sound and how a story develops over time.

Today, I see myself not simply as a photographer or videographer, but as a visual storyteller.

Whether I am photographing a breaking news event, documenting someone's life, travelling somewhere unfamiliar, producing a documentary story or working on a commercial assignment, I am always looking for more than just an aesthetically pleasing image.

I want the image to say something.

I want it to make the viewer feel that they were there.

Getting Close Enough

Throughout my journey as a photographer, there is one phrase that I have always held on to. It comes from legendary war photographer Robert Capa:

“If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.”

Those words have shaped the way I photograph.

To me, being “close enough” does not necessarily mean standing physically closer to the subject. It means being close enough to understand what is happening. It means observing, anticipating, gaining trust and being present when the moment happens.

Sometimes it means waiting.

Sometimes it means moving closer.

And sometimes it means knowing when not to interfere and simply allowing life to unfold in front of the camera.

That philosophy has stayed with me throughout my journey. It reminds me that photography is not simply about pointing a camera at something interesting. It is about being present, understanding what is happening in front of you and finding the moment that tells the story.

After all these years, from my first Nikon FG and a borrowed camcorder to working professionally in photography, videography and journalism, the fascination remains the same.

I still want to get closer.

I still want to understand what I am seeing.

And I still want every frame to tell a story.