Ngee Ann Photographer of the Year 2018
Hon.FSCPS, Hon,FPSNJ, Hon.FSCC, Hon.FPSP, Hon.FPSM Hon.FSAFRAPC, Hon.FPSNY, Hon.FPSJ, Hon.ESCPS, APSA, FSCPS, FPSNY, FBLCC, FPST, FPSP, FPSC, PPSA, ESFIAP, EFIAP, ARPS, ASAFRAPC, ADCC, SESCPS, MEPSP, EPSNY, PSA Galaxy 5 Exhibitor, Singapore Youth Award
Mr Eric Goh Wee Seng fell in love with the art of photography when he was a teenager. Despite venturing into the machinery industry and managing his own business, he continued to pursue his passion in photography and devote much of his spare time to his lifelong hobby.
With over four decades of experience in photography, Mr Goh has progressed from amateur to master level. He has an extraordinary eye for different perspectives and acting on instinct, native imagination and creativity, he takes photos that display rich colours, dynamic range of tones and liveliness. Fascinated by the beauty of the world in its purest form, he likes to capture various subjects with minimal visual modification, taking up different challenges and jobs assignments to shoot on different themes, such as nature, documentary, sports, travel, stage performance, portrait and birds. Through his lens and camera, he is able to turn generic subjects or landscapes into his personal manifesto.
Despite the introduction of digital photography in late 1990s that led to an industrial revolution which downplayed traditional film photography, Mr Goh still upholds the basic principle of the art form, “to capture the purest form of subject or landscape through interwoven phenomenon reflected by light and shadow”. To Mr Goh, a good photographer should focus on producing a quality photo based on creativity, photographic skills and content rather than relying on hardware or gadget. To prove this point, he won an international photography award with his “Trees in Winterland” taken using his mobile during a trip in Japan.
Given his photographic brilliance, he has been picking up more than 200 photographic awards and accolades globally and locally. His works are also often featured in renowned international publications. His outstanding contribution to the photographic scene led to him receiving the first ever Singapore Youth Award in 1993. In 2017, his photo titled “万马奔腾” taken in Inner Mongolia, China had won him the “World Photographic Cup’s Gold Medal in Reportage/Photojournalism”.
Mr Goh has always been an advocate for promoting the art of photography to fellow Singaporeans, ever ready to share his experience and skills. He has been the President of Singapore Colour Photographic Society for 26 years since 1992 and actively volunteering as instructor, advisor, judge in many local and overseas photographic bodies, such as the advisor of Photographic Society of Johor, Singapore Safra Photographic Club, Overseas Chinese Photographic Association and the Official Representative of European Photographers Association. He hopes more people will appreciate and join the art of photography through various exhibitions and activities.
Despite his busy schedule, Mr Goh has been volunteering in community services and philanthropic undertakings since a young age. From 1991 to 2016, he held 10 solo exhibitions, three of them were fund-raising events for charitable organisations. He was conferred The Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat, anonymously “PBM”) by the President of the Republic of Singapore in 1998 for his commendable contributions towards betterment in community. He has been serving as treasurer for the Shuqun School Advisory Committee for the last 30 years. Today, he is still committed to serving his community during his spare time.