Meet TEN AND ONE Awards Judges: Jimmy Cheng

Jimmy Cheng is a master of the camera with a long running career as a wedding and portrait photographer. He runs a gear testing youtube channel and is a stalwart supporter of Lomography. It is a pleasure to announce that he is our latest TEN AND ONE Awards Judges.

Hello! Welcome to the Lomography Magazine. Please introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jimmy Cheng, a London-based professional wedding and travel/street photographer, as of 2017, I am also a YouTuber at Red35 Photography. I mainly shoot 35mm films for my street and travel projects but also use 120 medium format for my portrait work. Many of my photographs had been published over the past 8 years from online websites to paper magazines such as Business Insider US and Australia, LFI, RPS Journals, Olympus Magazine, Canon Hong Kong & China, Nikon Malaysia and many more.

How did your interest with photography start?

One of my friends who was a big fan of cameras (literally and not so into photographing), but he introduced me into various cameras and lenses and showed me what I could achieve with them. I just followed along and started taking photos with my parent’s gift point-and-shoot Ricoh. When I finally at uni, I used my summer job money and bought my first SLR and that was it.

How would you define photography? What makes it worth pursuing?

It’s a subjective matter. To me it’s an area filled with personal opinions and feeling. Just like arts, people form opinions about your photos and try to interpret the story/meaning behind it. I do love that part of photography as much as the overall aesthetic of an image. Once you master how to photograph, you can use it to express yourself. This is very satisfying.

What inspires you?

My photography interest is always about documentary and journalism. I am inspired by those who has the eyes and ability to capture the important moment that blends with story and surrounding. Something that you can almost craft an entire movie from a single image.

What makes a good photograph?

A good photograph, at least to me, has to convey a story with sense of tension and emotion. Aesthetic, composition and exposure are of course important but they form the basis of good execution. I always look for that story behind.

Any advice that you’d like to give aspiring photographers?

Everyone is unique but first master your skills as a competent photographer, the ability to freeze moment at any given time, then expand your mind and chase your dream and express your inner self.

Check out Jimmy's Youtube channel Red35 Photography

2018-01-30 #people #competition #london #uk #jimmy-cheng #ten-and-one