A Genuine Formula

Published April 2008


Louis Pang has every reason to be ecstatic.

In the last six months since I spoke to him about his work he has witnessed the fruits of his labors by way of a Wedding & Portrait Photographers International award in Las Vegas; winning a second place Award of Excellence in the Non-Wedding Photojournalism category for his shot simply titled "Torchbearer". And this is on top of four Accolades of Excellence in the same competition. For a photographer who seriously began his delve into this industry a mere two years ago, these are some outstanding accomplishments indeed. Having the opportunity to photograph an elaborate Indian wedding in Rajasthan gave Louis the ability to really flex his artistic muscles and the results were pure art.


A LOT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU.
Yes a lot has happened in 6 months. We won the international award, thats the biggest news. We have just received the award and it's at home. It's a crystal trophy and it's heavy. And just holding it brings back so many memories of the first time I saw the award online a few months ago. I told myself I would love to be able to have the chance to win it and we took steps towards it. Each time I'd go for a shoot I'd think to myself that maybe I'd be lucky enough to shoot the winning photograph. But like many other things in life, if you don't give it a try you'll never know the outcome.

We just got the proper competition results a few days ago. I read through the whole list and we are the only photographers fromAsia to have won anything. It was an amazing feeling. And the other winning photographers are pretty much the who's who of this industry; people that I have read about in magazines who are like my idols. And to be able to see my name mentioned together with theirs means a great deal.

I would like to say that it was a fluke win but that would be unfair to the other winners. So I've learned to accept it with a cheerful heart, with celebration, with thanksgiving to my family and a few close friends who have helped us along the way. The journey wasn't easy but we were lucky to have people around us who cared about us.


WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR WIN?
Yes I'm the one that pressed the shutter release and took that picture. My hands, my eyes, my camera, my lens. But I could also think of a thousand other reasons why I could have ended up not taking that picture. Had I not learned about being responsible, about modesty, integrity and love, I wouldn't have ended up taking that shot. There were a thousand different variations leading up to that moment. Had I hung around the wrong friends growing up, learned the wrong lessons and ethics, things would have turned out differently. Thanks to a good family upbringing and the right advice from my wife, things have worked out.
I think that this win is good for Malaysia and a great thing for Sabahans. Sometimes Sabahans can suffer from a little inferiority complex thinking that we're not Kuala Lumpur or we're not Penang, because we come from a smaller place. And I am very proud to have won this as a Sabahan.


HAS IT ONLY BEEN TWO AND A HALF YEARS SINCE YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY?
Yes. I'd been taking photographs for the past 8 years but I only got into the business in 2006. And this is why I am very grateful for all the success we've received.


HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH PHOTOGRAPHS TO SELECT FOR THE COMPETITION OUT OF THE THOUSANDS YOU'VE SHOT?
I looked for something that I felt was special. I had to look for a picture that jumped out at me. I also looked for cultural relevance. I knew that a lot of the pictures that the judges would be viewing would have more of a western setting to them so I picked a subject matter from a more ethnic wedding. When I took the Torchbearer shot, I was thinking of India five hundred years ago. The costume, the torch. We were waiting for the groom to arrive on a white horse and I saw this guy just standing there. I just waited for him to look at me. I was shooting from a long distance, about 15 to 20 feet away.
And he did. The technique is that the moment a person turns and notices the camera there is always a spark in the eye. That moment of innocence. If you look at the camera for too long it's lost and that's not the real quality I want to capture. I just wanted to capture him. And I got it.
If you look at the picture you'll see more to it than just a guy standing there holding a torch. It has got a timeless quality to it.


DO YOU DO ANY RESEARCH ON INDIA BEFORE SHOOTING THERE SEEING HAS HOW IT WAS YOUR FIRST VISIT?
Well I spent some time with the clients and they explained the significance of each ceremony to me. But listening to them and actually seeing the event are two different things. We researched the location and we arrived a couple of days early so that I got to know the place and the surroundings.
I don't always have that much time though. A lot of things are just instinctive. It's very hard to explain why I know when are good moments to shoot.


WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS?
We are expanding ourselves to be able to shoot more often, probably overseas. We would like to explore places like Europe and Australia. Europe is rich in history, culture, fashion and art and I would love to shoot there. The plan is to bring some couples from Malaysia over there to travel and shoot some engagement photography. Likewise in Australia. For the last couple of weeks we have been getting quite a number of inquiries from Australia for wedding shoots.

It's not a case of me only wanting to shoot in western countries but it is honestly about pushing ourselves and seeing how far we can go. I believe that a great way to push ourselves is by competing against the best. Compete against the Australians. Compete against the Americans, against the Europeans. This is the way to become the best yourself. I want to see how far I can go. I am young and full of energy so why not? I think that is basically the story of my life. I don't know what is going to happen but I just want to give it a shot. If you want to achieve breakthroughs in anything that you are doing you have to have the guts to fail. That's part of experimentation. If you want to play it safe all the time it's just not going to work. So I've never played safe. I always want to go all out.


HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE INITIAL NEGATIVITY? PEOPLE TELLING YOU THAT YOU COULDN'T OR SHOULDN'T DO IT?
It used to affect me. But it's just a matter of processing it correctly. It's not that they don't believe in you but that they're discouraging you because of their own fears or what they deem is possible. Sometimes it's not out of spite but in their own logical mind, certain things are just impossible and henceforth not worth a try. 
Having a good wife certainly helps because Jasmine has been my biggest fan and strongest supporter. And always believed in what we could do. Also some of my friends who saw potential in us before we realized it ourselves. So when it comes to negativity and criticism, just chew on it and decide whether you want to swallow it or not. 
Coming from a small town, not many people took us seriously. But we got our foot in the door, took the first shot and proved what we were capable of. And guess what? They were happy and told other people. So you just have to do your job well. And you have to carry this energy with you. You are only as good as the last picture you take after all. So you have to continue to push yourself. There is no slowing down. People who have seen our work in 2006 till now have noticed the progression in pictures. I don't walk into any place thinking that I deserve this or that. We may be one of the hottest brands in wedding photographyin the country right now but we don't have an air of superiority. You have to treat people with humility, with lots of respect, love and care. And do your jobs as best as you can. Who wouldn't want to work with people like that? I think a lot of people are put off by the big shots, the primadonnas. And there is no need for that sort of behavior. It is better to get people to praise you than to blow your own horn all the time. Yes I feel proud of myself and I know how to promote myself very well. But there is a difference between boasting and marketing.


TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS:
We have planned out 4 workshops for this year. I just returned from one in Penang and it was very well received. Everybody had so much fun. I lost my voice the day after the workshop. Because I gave so much of myself, my energy, the talking nonstop for 2 and a half days. And the participants told me that they're noticing things they'd never seen before. They can walk into a room and notice lighting and composition and that they have newfound confidence. Sometimes all you need is to believe in yourself for a few more seconds and you can achieve a breakthrough shot. Some photographers are afraid of trying new things, of being criticized. But if they never try they'll never know what they are capable of.
In the seminar I was talking about passion and attitude, which is something I think is very important for young photographers. People tend to think that this is a glamorous job where you're surrounded by beautiful people in exotic locations and that's not usually the case. You have to put your heart and soul into it. And I'm sharing that with them. How to care for their clients. How to be respectful and considerate. When you take care of people, they'll open up to you. That's how you get beautiful natural looking shots. It's not a trick. It's a genuine formula.


 www.louispang.com/blog