On the evening of June 22, 2018, from 19:30 to 21:30 on Tianlu, Phase 2, Xiamen Software Park, Ivan, the founder of the TED Xiamen enthusiast community, invited the world-renowned photographer Alex Soh to come Do share.

The harvest from this sharing was far beyond my expectation, because I expected that the sharing should be specifically focused on some professional issues in photography, or just related to photography, but the whole event gave me My feeling is "an octave higher".

About Alex

His ancestral home is Anxi, Fujian. He grew up in the countryside of Singapore, so he especially likes nature. He said, "He seems to be in love with nature." He started to get into photography in the 4th grade. During the period until he joined the army, because his mother passed away, he began to think about his future path, so he started a photography journey. He has always adhered to his original intention and has now become a world-renowned outstanding photographer.

Alex Soh strikes me as approachable, humble, full of goodwill, full of positive energy, and full of charity.

What is photography?

My understanding of photography is a bit narrow due to vision and environmental issues. But Alex said the story behind each photo is more meaningful. He said that photography is his life and his teacher. Photography has allowed him, who was originally introverted, to make friends with people from all over the world. Some people even invited him to their home for dinner and some invited him to stay at their home. Photography is a window for him to communicate with the world, a communication between hearts, and the extraordinary meanings behind stories.

Photography is more than just photography. What we see are shocking stories, the fruits of hard work, the true meaning of life, our exploration of nature, and the bridge of communication between people. Photographers use their unique perspectives to present the ideas and world they want to express through their lenses.

The story behind the photo

He shared several things he encountered, such as encountering a bear in order to take pictures. He described his psychological feelings at the time and how he finally escaped from the bear. sight.

He sat on the cliff, enjoying the whistling of the wind, the flying leaves, and the moment of life and death when he almost fell off the cliff.

He also took a photo of the crater. He saw a man picking up flowers beside the volcano. He said that sometimes a person's life may be worth a bouquet of flowers.

Whenever he encounters danger, although he is also afraid at that moment, he will feel the greatness of nature and the insignificance of human beings, and thus he will be in awe of nature.

He said that he is in love with nature. He likes to photograph everything in nature. He wants more people to know that many places in the world are like this. He wants to let people know through photography Learn more about the world. As a photographer, he helped build a 3.7-kilometer road in Cambodia. When he did this, his friends thought he was too crazy. But he persisted, and in the end the road was built, solving the most urgent and important problem for the local people. This incident touched me very much. He has been helping many groups and walking on the road of charity. He wants to use photography to help more people in need come forward and make the scale of life clearer.

Three touching points about photography

1. Every photo should have a title.

2. The mission of a photo is not completed until it is printed and placed on the wall.

3. The best photos are not necessarily the ones with the best technology, but the warm photos that can touch your heart.

Thoughts on life beyond photography

1. Everyone has talents. How to find and use your talents and do what you like, even if you are exhausted physically and mentally, you can still do it. Enjoy every moment of the moment.

2. What is the meaning of life? Perhaps we are all looking for that moment when the window of our lives opens, that is when we have an epiphany, some earlier, some later, but it is not too late from now on.

3. When it comes to educating children, of all things, it is better to let them experience some life scenes and let them feel the truth of life for themselves.

Grades are not the most important, and neither is college. Finding the point where their interests and talents combine is the key. If you can find it and stick to it seriously, you will really benefit from it throughout your life and be happy.

4. Choose one thing, insist on doing it seriously, and do it for ten or twenty years, or even longer. For example, if a coffee student has been studying coffee for more than ten years, he does not need any certificate. Even if he lies on the floor, he can skillfully prepare a cup of coffee. When you do your best and have the right opportunity, you will be seen.

5. Always maintain positive energy. If you don’t know how to speak, just don’t speak.

6. We must protect our eyes, because the eyes are connected to our brains and are the windows through which we perceive the outside world, especially for photographers.

7. Everyone should learn to do something meaningful to others.

I am a person who follows my heart. I didn’t do much homework before listening to the speech. I just felt that I like photography very much, so I participated in this event. What I gained at the scene was... It is a life-like content with height, depth and breadth other than photography, and these will be my treasures worth collecting and learning.

The above photos are from Alex.