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Zooming in on the pictures that matter
Confronting mortality gives this writer a chance to reassess the power of the image
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From the days when they were a three-person family, the writer admires the balancing act of three pigeons amid the Covid-19 chaos.
PHOTO: YEO WHEE JIM
Yeo Whee Jim
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My late father, Yeo Kian Chin (1938-2013), was a camera repairman. He worked for Shriro, which had been a prominent distributor of photographic equipment in Singapore. The company was known, in particular, for its association with brands like Nikon and Hasselblad.
Papa would sometimes bring his work home. Surrounded by disassembled cameras and scattered tools, I would occasionally sit and watch him work with meticulous grace. Each click of a screwdriver and every gentle adjustment spoke volumes about his patience and uncanny ability to breathe life back into broken machines. His hands, calloused yet nimble, moved with the confidence of a maestro. Disassembling the camera, replacing the damaged parts. A tweak here and a micro adjustment there. Reassembling the camera, each click of the screwdriver painstakingly bringing it closer to life. Finally, the shutter would give in to click open and shut in that familiar, satisfying rhythm, with all the parts working in perfect harmony once again.
