Telling stories through photographs

QUALITY, not quantity is the code by which JenStudio operates, stating that it is not how much more you can save by paying for less but how much more you can get for what you are paying for.

Jerome Wong, operator of JenStudio in Gadong, says that Brunei is experiencing a glut of freelance photographers offering very cheap rates; the quality of their photos, however, are below par. "Some freelance photographers charge less than $60 for a function but what you pay is what you get. We are much more expensive but you pay for the quality," he said.

JenStudio, at present, charges approximately $2,000 to $3,000 for their Malay wedding packages.

"We have some clients coming to us with pictures taken by freelance photographers and they say that the photos are not bad. But we realise that they are not comparing the photos to others. They can only know if a picture is good or not by comparing," said Wong.

JenStudio began operating six years ago after Wong, a Malaysian, moved to the Sultanate from Singapore where he had spent half of his life. "I started photography when I was in Form 2. This was when everything began. I soon became a school photographer before working part-time for a friend who owns a photography studio while studying in Form 4," he said.

"My interest in photography came very naturally. My father had a very old camera which I used to play with. I was very intrigued as I found it quite amazing that you can record and capture moments in life with photos. Also, it seemed like a very manly job with you running around with a big camera and a long lens. It looks so cool," he joked.

Wong's first assignment turned out to be an unforgettable and unusual introduction into the business. "My friend's father had called me up to cover an assignment. I did not know at the time but I had to cover a Chinese funeral for the hospital mortuary. It was a very memorable experience," he said.

"The morgue was very small and there were corpses all around covered by canvas. I accidentally kicked one while shooting and a hand fell out. It sort of freaked me out and I went off as quickly as I could," said Wong, adding that the pay that he received was basically breakfast in the form of two eggs, two slices of bread and a cup of warm Milo.

Wong then followed his family to Singapore where he studied and worked in the hotel industry. "After graduating, I worked in a hotel where I did food and hotel interior photography," he said, adding that he became an apprentice and enrolled in several courses including a series of Masters Photography courses. Five years later, he decided to become a photographer full-time. "After leaving the hotel industry, I joined an elite Singaporean photography company. At the time, I did not know how elite it was but it was one of the top three fashion editorial studios in Singapore," he said.

"I learned and worked hard and slowly progressed and developed my skills and techniques. A few years later I decided to set up two bridal shops with a friend of mine in Malaysia," he added.

The photographer of some 20 years told The Brunei Times that the birth of his first child, a daughter, signalled a change in his life. Concerned about her education, he was prepared to move to Ireland, New Zealand or Australia but the high cost of living was a deterrent. "Then Shiseido contacted us to do some projects in Sabah, Miri and Brunei. We were here to do 10 days of work, we talked to the people here and found out cars were cheap, education is good ... basically everything was good so we considered moving here. Everything fell into place and we have been living here since. We really love it here and are so thankful we can be here," added Wong.

When he first set up shop, wedding photography in Brunei was "old and traditional". "We were the first here to start storytelling through photos. It was quite new at the time and people consider our professional fees to be quite high," he said. The concept of storytelling, he said, places emphasis on highlighting events happening during the wedding from the bride and groom's perspective.

"A lot of shooters in Brunei will always focus on objects and other people. They can take a picture of a child walking and looking cute but the fact is that weddings are about the bride and the groom. Other people should just be used to compliment the picture provided that there is a link. You see a lot of pictures of guests having fun but nothing to do with the bride and groom," he said. Relying on "word-of-mouth" rather than advertising, he said, "I would rather they come to us saying that they have seen and is impressed with our work first hand." The Brunei Times