Do What You Love, or Find Love in What You Do (Part 1)

 

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder:  “I don’t discover anything new; I reveal what’s already there.” --photographer to Queenie Thompson, Queenie (1987 miniseries)

Storyline: CT Ong’s photography can best be described in one word: revelatory.  Each picture captures a single moment, and each moment reveals a story.

For CT (aka City), photography is a sort of meditation, a way to relax the mind by concentrating on a single subject.  Wildlife photography, for instance, is an exercise in patience, in adapting to your subject’s behavior and waiting hours to get the perfect shot. “Calming down the mind and taking a break during photography actually helps me to look at work and other life problems or issues differently,” he says.  “There are many times that a solution pops up when my mind is relaxed.”

An engineer by profession, CT discovered his passion for photography when he volunteered to take pictures at an international conference.  CT enjoyed seeing the detail in people’s expressions and natural behaviors, and afterwards he began taking pictures in his daily life, documenting everything from business trips to family celebrations.  With travel suspended during COVID, CT took to photographing his neighborhood: birds visiting flowers in his garden, vivid sunsets painting the sky in vibrant reds, and even droplets of water swirling around a leaf.  “Through the viewpoint of a camera,” he says, “I learn to discover beauty in everything I see.”

Reflection: Many of us have a profession (something we’re good at) and a passion (something we love).  Your profession and passion may not be the same, but you can find ways to incorporate the two.  Much as CT is most focused and ready to solve engineering problems when he’s behind the lens of a camera, having diverse interests outside of work can help enhance our creativity and spark new ideas.  The more ways we have of looking at an issue, the more options we have to tackle it.

They say that the brain is most creative when it has to work within limitations, and COVID provided a great opportunity for CT to hone his craft, to really capture the simple beauty of his immediate surroundings.  Plans may change and circumstances might be less than ideal, but sometimes, when we’re under pressure or constrained in our thinking, that’s when the most interesting discoveries emerge.

 

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

 

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

Comments

[humble warriro]

"having diverse interests outside of work can help enhance our creativity and spark new ideas."

100% agree with this statement...

Great article Phoebe & photography

[Fr SH Wong]

Wonderful… CT captured some Amazing shot…! 👍👍👍

[Anand]

Yes he is very talented. I had real fun working and traveling with him. Systems Thinker. His creative thinking allows him to bring innovative ideas from other experiences into work.

[Anand]

More..First time I met CT was about 17 years ago during my visit to Penang. CT, KM and I went to cafe for our first of our many 2:1 meetings that took place during my every visit from then on. We instantly connected in thinking. Another tradition that started was CT and KM paying for my breakfast forever in Penang; 3:1 coffee, roti etc. CT and I travelled together to many countries and many suppliers, not to forget his many trips to Silicon Valley; and taking photos of Christmas Lights, Mission San Juan Bautista, California Coast. Always impressed with the way he sees beauty in things and not to forget; his amazing ability to fall asleep in any situations; In San Juan Church, by the Pond and also-to date he is the only guy who has fallen in deep sleep while I was giving him a tour of Silicon Valley. Calm under any circumstances. Great pleasure to have met him in my journey.

[CH]

Very nice photo and video!

[A Former Quality Guy]

Phoebe - you did a great job describing CT's passion for photography. While COVID may have shut many doors, it opened others that we may not have otherwise ventured into. I've known CT since 2005, and have been on some wonderful foodie expeditions with him in far-away places. CT- your photo compositions are remarkable. Very vibrant and full of life. The drop of water swirling into the center of a leaf is truly amazing. I can't wait to hear some of the stories behind them.

[Roger]

Wow thats passion

[sujat]

Nice to learn about you and your work, Mr. Ong. Having explored this art in my little ways,I can very well relate with all of your experiences and realisations. And yes, it surely helps slow down mental activity, helps focus better, and helps open up to a degree the way we observe and perceive.

Your work comes from a sensitive mind. I feel intrigued by the play of water drops on the lotus leaves. And I like your landscapes and sunset compositions in particular. Very artistically done! :)

Keep it up, Mr. Ong!

[Kalpit Shastri]

Really very beautiful

[FE-Japan]

Wonderful and heartwarming photos!

[Shardamandir Friend]

Superb👌👌

[Hedda Robinson]

I truly like that saying. Because if you don't love what you do--you are not happy. Thanks for sharing....it's a very nice photography too...

[Bobby]

This is very inspiring! This post resonates very much with me - especially CTs comments on how "photography is a sort of meditation", “I learn to discover beauty in everything I see”. I find that a camera not only helps discover beauty all around us, it also forces a lazy brain to focus and spend more time to truly, madly, deeply enjoy the aesthetics of the universe! Great post. Thank you CT, Anand and Phoebe.

[Levi's]

Superb photos! CT is a great mentor for myself (when I worked with him), as well as for many engineers surrounding him.
It is not surprising that CT, with his keen focus on observation and analysis, should also be good at arts, including photography.

We may tend to assume that a specialist in one field of engineering/technology should not also be knowledgeable and accomplished in the arts. This is simply not true.

“What makes [our] world so hard to see clearly is not its strangeness but its usualness. Familiarity can blind you too.” ― Robert Pirsig

[Cari]

Very beautiful photo and thank you for reminding us, Phoebe and Anand, eloquently on the interplay of passion and skill. I also like to remind people that experts and experience say limitations bring out creativity so vent the frustrations first, then ponder how to get out of the limitation. Thank you.

[Faraday-An]

Nice photography !

[Carol]

Nature's majesty captured. Thanks for sharing!

[Childhood Friend]

Superb photos & Photography

[Sam]

Great photos by CT. Had my pleasure as well to have meal with him. Great to have this passion outside work to bring in new ideas.

[Prasad Vepa]

I loved Phoebe's latest post. Resonated a lot with me and felt like my sentiments. The sights look familiar, but I don't think I took these pics. BTW, I loved Phoebe's latest post. Resonated a lot with me and felt like my sentiments.

[Elizabeth Wu]

WOW🤩Superb Photography! i love them all❤️❤️❤️