3, 2, 1

Photography / (2020)

Archival inkjet prints, Set of 14, 60x60 cm or 90x60 cm each

3, 2, 1 is my collaboration with artist friend Joseph Leung Mong Sum. The project was intended to artificially create a decisive moment and a unique portrait to document two photographers (Joseph and myself), through photographing and being photographed. The project begins with an analog point-and-shoot camera (Yashica T4) that we both happened to have. With the camera set onto same setting and sitting opposite to each other, we started to photographing each other with the camera’s built-in flash.

The attempt is to capture a moment of the other taking a photo and show both of our flash light on at the exact same frame. Since the camera functions are only limited to Auto (P mode), it was all about the timing of pressing the shutter. By capturing this 1/100 second, both photographs with their apparatus need to be in sync, they have to be connected and be present at the moment for the goal.

The work is a merge of two photographers, their camera and the idea of decisive moments. Such a work opens up another way to think about the decisive moment. What used to be the essential pursuit in traditional photography, i.e. the decision moment, is, in this work, turned into the bond between the two in a shared activity. It reveals and documents the relationship of two photographers.

《 三, 二, 一》是與藝術家朋友梁望琛合作的作品。這個計劃嘗試透過創造一個決定性的瞬間去製造記錄兩位攝影師的肖像。作品從我們互相都擁有的一部相機開始：我們互相對坐，以同一型號的傻瓜相機互相拍攝對方。目標是在同一時間以閃光燈為對方拍一張照，在拍攝的同時也是在被拍攝。因為相機只能以全自動模式拍攝，所以兩者必須同一時間按下快門。

這件作品透過決定性瞬間去介入肖像，從而連結了人（兩位攝影師）、機器（他們的相機）以及時間（拍攝的那個晚上）。攝影師獲得一張決定性瞬間的肖像，這概念總令人覺得有種難以言喻的滿足。