FPSS. ESPSS
Ngee Ann Photographer of the Year 2023
Liew Tong Leng was born in Singapore in 1969 and has devoted himself to photography for 31 years. He started his photography journey in 1992, inspired by his circle of friends who were photography enthusiasts. Little did he know then that this hobby would blossom into a full-blown passion that would take him to places he could never have imagined.
Trained as an engineer, Liew naturally gravitates towards understanding the finer mechanics of a camera and the details of the images he creates. This profound knowledge is something he imparts to his students – concepts that he has personally mulled over to fully fathom, then succinctly put in words to make it comprehensible for the layman.
In addition to the Science of photography, is the Art of it and Liew has spent many years cultivating a creative eye. Never bound by themes posed to him, this talented photographer pushes the boundaries of interpretation, and uses his technical know-how to create images that are not only technically superior, but also beautifully and artistically crafted.
As a testimony to his technical and artistic talent, Liew has clinched over 200 photography awards, including the “Great Eastern 4th Photography Competition” in 2004, “Best of Asian Aerospace Photography Contest” in 2004, “The Big Shot” organised by Nikon Singapore on the National Television programme in 2010, 2012 International Loupe Awards, Asian Geographic Photography Competition in 2020 and many others. He was also conferred the Fellowship of The Photographic Society of Singapore (FPSS) in 2011, and Excellence Service Distinction Award by the Photographic Society of Singapore (ESPSS) in 2023.
Beyond capturing images for competitions, are the valuable lessons that Liew has drawn from them. “I started taking part in photography competitions as a challenge to myself, to benchmark my photography skills against others, and to improve as a photographer,” Liew says. His passion and dedication drive him to capture moments whenever he finds free time.
Liew enjoys travelling and capturing images of different places, people, and wildlife so that he can share with others what he sees through his lens. As a Nikon School instructor, Liew is enthusiastic about imparting the photography skills that he has acquired through the years.
Liew loves action photography and the challenges it entails. He specialises in capturing the peak of the moment and creating movements using slow shutter speeds – a technique he has honed over the years. He creates photographs that are artistic and impactful.
In this exhibition, Liew will showcase a series of 20 photographs under the theme of “Action Photography”, crossing three genres – Festivals, Sports, and Birds. In “Festivals”, he employs mainly slow shutter speeds to create a sense of movement in a still photograph. For “Sports” and “Birds”, Liew captures the peak of the moment using high shutter speeds.