Storyteller, Explorer & Maker
HONG RAY
hen it comes to photography, there is nothing I do with more pleasure and passion. I consider myself very lucky that my job is also my beloved hobby. I started to enjoy taking pictures ever since I was a child.
When the first mobile phone with a camera appeared, around when I was 14 years old, it felt hard to take my eyes, and hands, off it. Because I also loved blogging, I thought about entwining the two of them, the results being my very first photography website. Among the photos I posted there, there were a couple of images I took at one of my relative’s wedding. To my surprise, that got me a lot of attention, so when I was just 18 years old, I received my first real assignment as a wedding photographer.
Up to these days, I never stopped doing that. I can’t find moments that are more candid and charged with strong emotions than at a wedding. So I became attracted, just like a magnet, of capturing images from these special moments in everyone’s life.
Although many years have passed since my first wedding attendance as a photographer, I still do it with the same excitement, never getting bored, because they are such unique events, each time. And this passion was so intense in my case that it managed to guide me through my career, in the last 14 years.
Today, I couldn’t be happier, because I had the incredible chance, and still do, to follow the path I wanted.
If I had to describe myself, I feel like I am someone who enjoys freedom and makes friends in all walks of life. Although there are difficulties that come along with life, I do my best to learn from circumstances and make the best out of it.
While driving or doing editing work, I enjoy listening to self-help audiobooks. My favorite topics are philosophies like Stoic wisdom. I also enjoy learning about mindfulness with books like “The Power of Now”, and practical skills like “Atomic Habits” and “How to stop worrying and start living”. These books really helped me become who I am today and anyone else can try them too.
As a hobby, I enjoy very much exploring hidden gems around Singapore. It was from this passion that the Adventure concept was born back in 2016, and the new SEA Adventure was born in 2021. I am someone who loves DIY and hands-on. 1/3 of my studio is converted into a workshop filled with 3D Printers and hardware tools like industrial compressors. I also have 5 lovely cats who accompany me while working. They help me to stay present and be more zen.
At night after my editing work, I spend some time building personal projects or fixing up my classic car
After a busy period of work, the best reward is getting out on the open sea and witnessing the sun setting on the horizon. It relaxes me and allows me to feel grounded and reflect on life. If you ask me what my favorite moment at a wedding is, after seeing so many in my life, I would say that my preferred one is the speech and vows part. It is very emotional and sincere, with most people barely holding back their tears. Listening to those words, I remind myself that the couple have chosen me out of everyone else in Singapore, to document the most important day of their lives. So I have a responsibility to do my very best and not treat it as just a job.