The First Impression.

To all keen photographers, people from all walks of life who appreciates photography and recognizes it as an art, indulge me for a moment to allow me to say hi and thank you for visiting my newly set up Fotocology Photo Blog. I believe, there should be ample information about Fotocology and me under my profile. This blog serves to be a haven for me to share my work with others on a greater intimacy level, to share and learn more about photography or to just kick back and relax through blogging some random spur of the moments thoughts! Through this blog, I hope you will get to learn more about what I do, understand my idiosyncracies and to hopefully, support me in what I believe in by indulging in my works. I pondered how to properly introduce myself to you for the very first time, and I eventually decided nothing is more apt than posting a short promotional piece written by my best friend, Jamie, for my upcoming photograpahy exhibition, An Affair With Life! - which opens in officially 2 days! Pardon me for this lengthy debut entry - and as with all friendships, I hope to forge one with you and more importantly, keep it lasting for as long as it can. Do feel free to shout out or leave any feedback. At your own whim and fancy, of course. Cheerios!

An Affair With Life! – A Photography Exhibition by Dennis Chong of Fotocology.

John Szarkowski once said, “Photography is a system of visual editing.” The art of photography is an arbitrary one. A photographer chooses from among endless possibilities, a fragment of his cone of vision to tell a story. Dennis Chong, a local self-taught art-photographer has a story to share in his sophomore exhibition – An Affair With Life! Following the modest success of his debut exhibition titled Sons - an introspective look into a man’s life through black and white portraiture, An Affair With Life! digresses from it’s melancholy predecessor, diffusing an aura of optimism as its title suggests.

"Life is an affair that begins with a brief flirtation with time." So says Dennis. “Life is a road we take for which time marks its journey. We try not to look back for whichever path we choose, even if it is the less traveled one”. True to his words, the erewhile forensic accountant, ever ready to throw caution to the wind, quit his job to pursue a full time career in photography. Today, Dennis helms Fotocology, a creative establishment that offers a wide range of professional photography and design services. He believes that the principles of photography will always be about painting a vision, capturing beauty, documenting a transient moment in time and above all, evoking emotions from his audience by putting across a message through the captured images. It was with these beliefs that Fotocology was first conceived.

An Affair is an intricate showcase of still portraitures with accompanying prose that offers an intriguing insight to the artist's perspective on human relationships with life in general. The 2-week event will be hosted by Artoholic gallery, a chic, retrofitted space nestled in the heart of Joo Chiat. Up to date, the gallery boasts a steady pool of talented artists from Southeast Asia and beyond, lending voice to budding artists like Dennis, brandishing their work to greater audiences. The gallery's in-house cafe is a charming and cosy rendezvous for artists and art-lovers alike to exchange tidings or to simply while the afternoon away.

The underlying message the artist is trying to put forth is a simple and hopeful one. Walking through the exhibition, An Affair reminded me of a scene in the movie American Beauty where two mesmerised souls watched in silence, a plastic bag being carried away by the wind. If one looks hard enough, life is beautiful whichever you see it. Have a ball!

- Written by Jamie Tay

An Affair With Life! runs from 12-26 January 2008 at the Artoholic Gallery. Admission is free.

Fotocology by Dennis Chong
p: +65 9367 3670
e: foto@fotocology.com
http://www.fotocology.com/

Date: 12 January – 26 January 2008
Venue: Artoholic Gallery, 422 Joo Chiat Road
Price: Free (exhibition)
Enquiries: Call (65) 6348 7793 or visit http://www.artoholic.sg/