Yip Cheong Fun was one of Singapore's top pioneer photographers.

He was a latecomer to photography, picking it up only when he was in his thirties, recording images of his family and his familiar surroundings as a hobby.

Yip started taking photographs of other subjects after the Japanese Occupation. He was inspired by the vitality of the human spirit, and the ability of man to overcome hardships and setbacks.

All his shots were carefully planned and executed, resulting in what Henri Cartier-Bresson called images with "the decisive moment".

In 1980, Yip was named one of the 10 'Honorary Outstanding Photographers of the Century' by the prestigious New York Photographic Society. He received the coveted Cultural Medallion in 1984.

Author: Tan, K. Y. L. (April 2006)
BiblioAsia, Vol 2 (Issue 1). Singapore: National Library Board

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