Finally my first ever photo exhibition is up and running! This is exciting milestone for an armature photographer. Comments so far from colleagues in Sydney Children Hospital (SCH) have been great.
Turning the long corridor in the hospital into an arts space.
Hangging the photos. Photo credit, Renny Toh
Link to the official website of this exhibition at Collections Australia Network (Australia’s cultural heritage collection online).
http://www.collectionsaustralia.net.au/exhibitions_item/1307
Click the above link for more details on this exhibition.
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, one of the photos on show
For preview of the photos on exhibition, please visit my Flickr site. These are low resolution photos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chenghiang/sets/72157622334929836/
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This is the unedited version of the Artist Statement accompanying this exhibition.
Swapping the Stethoscope for a 400mm Lens
Dr Cheng Hiang LEE MB BCh BAO, DipPaed (UNSW)
Cheng Hiang is my name, but I am better known as LEE among my colleagues and patients. I was born in Malaysia. After graduating from Belfast Medical School, I underwent further clinical training for a few years in the UK. Currently, I am a Registrar in Paediatrics, based in Sydney Children Hospital.
My instinctive love for peace and serenity has rather spontaneously drawn me closer to the vastly unscathed exquisiteness of the Australian nature. I am particularly enchanted by the attractiveness and wide variety of the Australian birds. Whilst each creature has its uniqueness, birds are distinct not just for their beauty but their entertaining behaviours and delightful songs. Bird watching thus provides an effective avenue to unwind especially for those living in a stressful urban environment.
While watching these fascinating creatures, there have been moments which were really exciting and thrilling. Capturing those moments in photos not only facilitates recollection of the happy times, but enables sharing of such joyful experiences with friends and family members.
Avian photography could be a challenging endeavour. Birds are highly mobile; they often fly off instantaneously if being disturbed. Over the past few years, I have learnt that, birds are like children – if approached quietly in a non-confrontational manner, you are likely to be able to get close enough for a good snap-shot.
“Swapping the Stethoscope for a 400mm Lens” is a collection of my photos of wild Australian birds. Most of the photos were taken locally around Sydney; some were taken while I was working in Canberra. The photos were taken on a Canon 350D, with a 100-400mm F4-5.6 L IS lens.
Sydney Children Hospital has provided me with excellent training and support, especially during the preparation for the FRACP exams. “Swapping the Stethoscope for a 400mm Lens” is a fund raiser to show my gratitude to Sydney Children Hospital, its staff, patients and their families. Thus, all the proceeds from the sales in this exhibition will be donated to the Sydney Children Hospital Foundation.
“Swapping the Stethoscope for a 400mm Lens” is an environmentally responsible project. No bird was harmed during photographing. Most framing materials were reclaimed from junk yards and then tenderly restored as photo frames for this exhibition. Even though some of the frames are not in a pristine condition, I hope the beauty of their imperfection will be appreciated.
You can never take the same photograph twice;
Neither can you have the same feeling by viewing the same photograph twice.*
May you enjoy this exhibition!
*A photograph may seem the same, but our mental state fluctuates every moment. Our appreciation and interpretation of the photos is very much influenced by our state of mind. Therefore it is unlikely that we would have the same feelings while looking at the same photo at different times. Inspired by the teaching of Impermanence.
