Daniel Ceng
1. Can you introduce yourself and talk about how you got into photography?
My journey on photojournalism took off when I traveled to India to cover the nationwide protests against Citizenships Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens in Jan 2020. I was 19 years old.
Such laws and policies were discriminatory to Muslims, as they did not include legal provisions for Muslim refugees from neighboring countries to acquire citizenships in India.
As someone with journalism background coming from an Asian city where human rights, freedom and rule of law are highly respected, I realized the Indian authorities were not doing their jobs right in protecting fundamentals for it’s people , and therefore I felt the responsibility to covey, though my lens and images, the stories of Indian unity in fighting against suppression of Muslims.
Dodging clashes by climbing up the tree, sneaking into rooftops with the help of residents to avoid the police arresting journalists, and positioning myself in between riot police and protesters, I captured powerful images of how Indian people from all walks of life came together to confront the authorities to find a way for justice, equality and social inclusion in a democratic country.
The photo coverage earned me serval awards in Tokyo International Foto Awards and the Budapest Foto Awards, to name a few in 2020.
Since then, my passion, interests and my heart for telling stories of significant events and people though visual narratives have led me into professionalism in photography and photojournalism.
2. Where did you study photography?
I am a self-taught photographer who has chosen to venture out on the internet and photography reading in terms of building my skills, knowledge and perspectives.
But if you ask if there was a compass that guided me through the foggy self-learning journey, there was. His name is Ritchie Tongo, an experienced Filipino photographer with unique ways of shaping imagery narratives and excellent eyes for pictures.
3. What equipment do you use?
I use camera bodies and lenses from Canon, including the Canon R3, Canon 1Dx Mark II and more.
4. What do you hope to achieve?
There is a lot one wants to achieve in the course of improving existing skills and developing more for the future. For now, I am working for myself, and for the Asian photographer community.
I feel like there should be narratives from Asian photographers in this global village.
5. What compliment inspired/touched you the most?
The people. The people around me are always what inspired me the most.
They share their experiences of how to interact with one another, how to establish connections and trusts and how to communicate. Most importantly, they are your live long tutors who may help you through quagmires or
ups and downs.
6. What inspires your unique storytelling?
My life experience in different places such as in Hong Kong, self-governing Taiwan, mainland China, The Philippines and Malaysia.
These experiences made me a citizen of the world, and that identity has helped me to create diverse, exclusive and powerful images that tell the story.
7. What THREE (3) words describe your photography style?
Simplicity, Sharing, or Less is More
8. Congratulations! As the winner of the European Photography Awards, what does it mean for you and your team to receive this distinction?
Increasing diversity and inclusion for different communities in photography has always been my top wish list.
I especially love the idea of creating more rooms for photographers that don’t fall under the mainstream shooting styles or ways of crafting their work of self expression or interpretation of the world of reality, especially for photojournalism.
The recognitions from EPA, including the Winner of the Year in Photojournalism, Editorial Photography (Professional Group) proof that there is a game changer who is capable of including different values or perspectives for photography, so that more photographers with different backgrounds or walks of life can be empowered, encouraged and inspired by EPA to create, to tell their own stories, to shape the world, with their own values and perspectives.
9. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 European Photography Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
On 9 March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion broke out on 24 Feburary, I travelled from self governing Taiwan, via France and Poland, to Ukraine, for one reason: to showcase the terror and truth of the war and present a different side of the tragedy from what one would usually see in mainstream media or propaganda outlets.
I felt the need to convey the story of undefeated spirits in resisting authoritarianism regimes and terrorism, which could help international communities to understand the importance of being brave, persistent and resilient despite suppression or crackdowns.
10. Name 1-3 photographers who have inspired you.
Ritchie Tongo
Han Guan Ng
11. What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out, by a mentor or your role model?
Keep things simple. Less is more. Be patient and persistent with your goals.
12. What advice would you give someone who would like to become a photographer today?
Keep things simple. Less is more. Be patient and persistent with your goals.
