Eunice delivers

With her unique entry The Delivery, photographer Eunice Hau Yee Eng has done the country proud in the recent Visa Moving Images photography competition, writes INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL

SMARTLY garbed in an office ensemble, the bespectacled Eunice Hau Yee Eng looks a trifle sheepish to suddenly find herself the centre of attention during breakfast at The Apartment Downtown in Suria KLCC.

Hau scored the highest number of votes in the People’s Choice Award in the Visa Moving Images photography competition with her entry, The Delivery, which she submitted under the “Faster” category.

The competition was organised for Visa cardholders living in the Asia Pacific region to get them to share their vision of what the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger” and China, the host country of the forthcoming Games, meant to them.

The People’s Choice award was decided by online voters at www.visamovingimages.com.

Sitting against the backdrop of her winning piece, she recounts that The Delivery, a photo of two men, one on a tricycle and the other on a motorbike on their way to delivering stacks of plywood, was shot quite by accident.

“I was on my way to Halong Bay from Hanoi City, in a van with 10 friends on a photography trip,” recalls Hau. “The moment I saw these two people with their unique method of delivery, I knew I wanted to capture it. The bike is actually pushing the tricycle at very high speed.”

Fortunate to be sitting near the window, she was quick to capture the moment. “It had to be very fast. Once I had my setting, I got into position and the moment our van overtook them, I did a panning shot (where the background is moving, the object is frozen).”

Hau, who doesn’t have a formal background in photography, submitted 12 entries for this competition. Eight were shortlisted for a prize. Shyly, she confides: “I don’t normally enter my pictures for competitions; I prefer to keep them for my own collection. But Alex Moh, president of the PJ Photographic Society encouraged me to try.”

What’s the biggest challenge in taking this type of picture? The Scorpio replies: “It’s important you know how you want to present the photo. In this case, the subject matter was moving and I was also moving. We were going about 70 to 80km per hour.”

Hau took up photography five years ago. Armed with her Nikon compact she used to snap pictures of friends’ gatherings, portraits and a smattering of domestic animals.

She wasn’t really serious about it until she suffered a health scare and subsequently decided to join a photography club. Tucking into a bowl of rosy fresh tomatoes on her breakfast plate, she confides: “I used to sleep very late, I was a meat eater and I was stressed a lot. One day I just collapsed. My friends convinced me to change to the organic vegetarian way of life where you basically eat raw.

“So I changed my lifestyle. No more night life, wake up early, sleep early. Suddenly, life became boring. I needed something new. That’s when I took up my hobby again and joined the PJ Photographic Society.”

Two years later and her portfolio has really grown. What kind of pictures does she like to take?

“Some people like to shoot postcard-like pictures where you can see everything inside, or close-up shooting. I prefer to shoot very decisive moments, street photography and nature,” replies Au, whose favourite shutterbug is British nature photographer Guy Edwards.

Beaming, she adds: “I travel a lot for photography. I’ve just returned from Bali. My next trip will be to China in October. I take part in outings organised by the club, twice a month.”

The Batu Pahat-born 40-something cites her passion for it as the driving factor behind her success today. “Besides loving what you do, you really have to know your camera well and the methods at your disposal,” she says.

Her parents passed away when she was quite young and Au, the youngest of five children, left school after Form Five. “My sister supported me but it wasn’t enough so I had to come out and work too.”

Au, a finance manager and a self-confessed “tough cookie”, has been in the freight forwarding industry for the last 10 years. “It’s a stressful line to be in, that’s why I turned to photography, to de-stress,” she chuckles, throwing a glance at her boss who’s sitting just across the table from us.

I ask her for her definition of a good photo and the shy shutterbug replies: “Everyone has their own idea on what it is. For me, a good photo must have soul and feel. It must tell a story.”