The Journey of Award-Winning Hong Kong Citizen Photojournalist <PERSON> · Global Voices
<PERSON>'s photo of a protest incident on 8 December 2013 won the Best Online Photojournalism Award. A female protester dashed out into the road to attempt to stop the Chief Executive <PERSON> vehicle from leaving a district-level consultation meeting on the government annual budgetary report. The police carried her away and dropped her on the ground in the process. CC: AT-NC
Hong Kong In-Media, a NGO advocates citizen journalism, has organized E-Citizen Awards to promote original reporting, political comics, photography and commentary online. Contributing reporters from inmediahk.net, a online media sponsored by Hong Kong In-Media, have interviewed some of the award winners. Below is an interview with <PERSON>, the winner of the Best Online Photojournalism award. The Chinese article was written by <PERSON>, a contributing reporter from inmediahk.net, and published in Mingpao, a local printed newspapers on October 26. The English version below is translated by <PERSON>.
The interview took place in a bookstore in Mongkok, just one street away from one of the pro-democracy sit-in sites, a “high-risk” place as described by Hong Kong police. A few hours before the interview, another group of masked men carrying cutters among other metal tools came to remove the blockades set up by protesters. Text messages kept arriving with alerts during the interview that the “blue ribbons,” a group of police supporters, were likely to start trouble that evening. Conflicts between pro-Occupy and anti-Occupy groups seem to erupt anytime since October 3, when a group of pro-Beijing thugs attacked pro-democracy protesters in Mongkok.
As the Chinese saying goes, “People born in troubled times carry responsibilities.” The on-going Umbrella Movement relies on every protester's persistence. <PERSON>, a volunteer reporter at United Social Press (USP), an online media platform, believes it is his responsibility to record what's happening at the Mongkok protest site through his lens.
<PERSON> has won Best Photojournalism of Hong Kong In-Media’s E-Citzen Awards. Before the interview, <PERSON> joked, “It is great to have this interview in Mongkok, because after we finish the interview, I can go directly to the street to take photos!” Since Occupy Mongkok began on September 29, <PERSON> went there almost everyday to shoot photos after he finished his day job. 341
He usually stayed till late at night and then went home, took a short rest and returned to work.
Although his did not make any money from taking photos, <PERSON> was very satisfied with his work. “I feel honored to cover this movement as a citizen reporter, filing in the gaps left by the other media and presenting a full picture of the protest.”
All the frontline newspaper photojournalists know or have heard of USP, as USP’s volunteer reporters are present at nearly every protest. <PERSON> and another ten volunteers, with no salary nor insurance, formed the USP team in Hong Kong in the hope of helping the public understand the situation with their real-time news photos. <PERSON> believes, “The lens of the camera are the eyes of a reporter. The subject, the angle and even the light of a photograph reflect the view of the reporter.”
<PERSON> started his journey to photojournalism with “street snaps.” “Two years ago, I was a typical Hong Konger working in the retail sector. Every day I worked long hours and didn’t care about society. Honestly speaking, back then I didn’t even know who [current Hong Kong Chief Executive] <PERSON> was or who [current Chinese Premier] <PERSON> was. My ‘street snaps’ were just empty displays of photographic skill.”
One day, <PERSON> became fed up with his mundane life and quit his job to study commercial photography for a year. Incidentally, he joined USP as a citizen reporter.
Placing people at the center
What is the difference between photojournalism and street snaps? <PERSON> pondered for a moment and replied in a philosophical tone, “The difference lies in my completely different values and perspectives. The change in my life has given substance to the subjects I shoot.”
He likes the style of the war correspondent <PERSON>. What <PERSON> has captured throughout his career are the most shocking scenes of conflict. <PERSON>’s bio goes like this: “I have been a witness, and these pictures are. my testimony. The events I have recorded should. 341