50 years of passion: Photography

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50 years of passion: Photography

by Kathleen Pokrud

 

 

A hobby is defined as ‘an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation but not as a main occupation’. If the hobby continues for over half a lifetime, it can only be interpreted as passion. Long time resident in Bangkok, Hong Kong-born world-renowned David Lau has persistently honed his skills in photography for over 50 years. As owner of Thai Scala Restaurant at Siam Paragon and various other catering businesses, I asked him to explain his love of photography, “I cannot describe it, photography has always been my passion since I was young”.  Being a naughty and unruly child, David was sent to boarding school at the age of 8, where he discovered the art. In the dark room for film processing, he found his sanctuary.

 

Learning from the best

 

David Lau attended Mary Knox College in Hong Kong. He learned photography from the famous Hong Kong photography guru Mr. Tang Shu Fung, who took David under his wings. At the age of 13, he entered a public competition in the name of the school, and won the award for Best Photo. Consequently, he helped to set up the dark room in his school, and started to share his knowledge with other students. 

 

For more than five decades, David collected numerous awards and trophies of photography along the way, namely FPSEA, ARPS, APSHK, FYMCAPC, HON. FBPS ARPST, HON. YMCAPC, SE35MMPS, and T1-PPD (C).  Many of the accreditations were professional photography titles through proper examinations.  In 1981, the Photographic Society of America (PSA) credited him as the “7th world ranked photographer” for colour print section.   

 

David’s photography portfolios and skills can rival any professional photographers. I candidly asked him why he did not pursue it as a career, “Growing up with an authoritarian father, I was not allowed to contemplate my own career. My Dad would joke that a poorly paid artist cannot feed a family. As the eldest son, I was destined to carry on the family business”. Luckily, David continued his passion on the sideline to create images to keep all those “Aha” moments to share with the community.

 

Serving the community

 

“Taking photography is an easy hobby, but how do use the photographs we take to serve the community?” a question David thought to himself. He found the answer by holding photo exhibitions of his work in Bangkok, to encourage cultural exchange. His objective is to share the eye catching images of all the exotic and exquisite places of the world to other people, who may not financially or physically able to experience them in real life.  

 

Since 2011 to present, David Lau held 25 country photo exhibitions in co-operation with many Embassies in Thailand at Siam Paragon. The first exhibition titled “Treasure of Sichuan” was coordinated with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. Throughout the nine years to follow, countries such as India, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Russia, and Tanzania were shared with the Thai public. 

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/green/50-years-of-passion-photography/

 

-- © Copyright Expat Life in Thailand 2020-09-22

 

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[nobodysfriend]

A good photo has to have some kind of message it it , a message that the person looking at it , remembers .