"Art and Wisdom" Series
Applying photographic skills in fighting crime
The Psychological Services Group (PSG) rollouts an "Art and Wisdom" Series with the following article contributed by Police Constable Kevin Kwan Kai-wing, who shares with OffBeat readers his hobbit of photography and application of his photographic skills at work.
I have joined the Police Force for 14 years and I am now stationed at the New Territories North Regional Crime Intelligence Unit. I have the honour of being the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Police Photography Club.
It was way back in my primary school days when I first saw the images show up on photo paper, I realised I have fallen in love with photography. I was fascinated with this light-painted art that froze the sense of time and space with the shutter. Since then, I learned photography from my uncle. I began capturing the life of my childhood using my uncle's camera. After joining the Police Force at the age of 18, I was so preoccupied with my work that I spent less time learning photography from him.
In 1999, digital cameras started becoming popular. After careful consideration and discussion with my partner, I spent more than $5,000 on my first digital camera that has only slightly more than 1.0 mega pixels. Since then, taking photos has been an important part of my life.
I never stop taking courses in photography to update my knowledge and find new ideas. During this process, I also came to know many photographers, experts and artists. We often went out shooting and sharing experiences and even had family gatherings. These really enriched my life and also gave me inspiration for more interesting works.
Applying skills at work
I am applying my photographic skills at work, being responsible for aerial photography and post-processing of the "New Territories North Regional Operations and Intelligence Positioning System", which is being operated for operations and intelligence.
Applying my photographic skills at work is not an easy task. Each assignment needs preparation in advance and the margin of error is small. However, I see this as a chance to brush up my skills and I enjoy every bit of this assignment.
On holidays, I also attended many Police and community activities, serving as a photographer and sometime an adjudicator. During these activities, I came across a lot of photographer friends from the Force and we eventually decided to establish the Hong Kong Police Photography Club to provide photographic activities, training and other services for all Force members.
Personal interests
My interests are aerial photography and nature photography. I always carry a camera with me to capture the precious moments of my family and my one-year-old son. They have become my source of inspiration for photography.
The secret of being a good photographer is really hard to explain. In my opinion, photography is not just about skills and equipment. To me, a good photo is one that can inspire the thinking of other people. I think it is more important for me to enjoy the peace of mind and being able to explore the world in a peaceful way. Photography also allows me to see the world from different angles and become more appreciative of the beautiful things around.
Policing work nowadays is becoming more challenging and stressful. It is very important to maintain good mental health so that we can discharge our duties effectively. We should not let our negative emotions affect our job. The most important thing is to strike a balance in different aspects of life - family, work, friendship, relationship, health, interest or academic needs.
Come and join our club. Those interested may email to pphotoc@gmail.com.
Once again, PSG is inviting Force members to submit their artworks, including photography, paintings or comics (take a photo of the artwork with a short description) that would demonstrate the theme of "Engaged life, Balanced life, Mindful life". The selected artworks will be published in OffBeat.
The deadline for submission is July 23. Submissions should be sent through PEN to pcp-5-psg@police.gov.hk or by mail to PSG office at 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay.
PSG will present souvenirs to all selected artworks as a token of appreciation.
Maybe
Kevin
likes
to see his son follow in his footsteps