Wei Fu

Interview with Wei Fu
TIFA 2020 Winner, 1st Place, Non-Professional Editorial category – “Hong Kong Conflict”

Wei Fu is a documentary and wildlife photographer. Living and working in Thailand, his passion for photography was cultivated from his love of nature beauty and world reality. He has traveled to many countries for many pictures of wildlife and documentation, as he is trying to tell the stories of the world as seen and observed through his eyes.

Q: What is the most dangerous situation you have ever had to work in?

During the Hong Kong protest, the tension between the police and the protesters was high and rising; the police were using tear gas. I believed that the closer to the action, the better picture I can get. I was very very close a few times to the conflict, and got first hand taste of that action even though it wasn’t pleasant.

Q: If you could only take one last picture in your life, what would it be?

Pictures of my family, the people I love.

Q: What is the most difficult feeling to capture in a photo?

The most difficult feeling to capture is the moment of sadness in a photo. I think that a good image is one that convey a mood, and take the audience into the scene; to do that myself I must enter that emotional scene too, and that feeling will last a long time after finishing photographing.

Q: If you could go back to the past, what historical event would you portray and why?

War, because I want to capture the suffering during the wars to tell the people how much we should appreciate our peacefulness now. I believe that photos can change people’s perspectives and ways of thinking.

Q: Any photographs that have changed your life?

I learned mercy and sympathy from the photos from Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado, and learned environmental consciousness from the nature, wildlife photos.

Q: What do you like least about your job?

Spending time away from my family because I had to travel a lot.

Q: What would you say to someone starting out in the world of photography?

Learning from self-practice, use your heart to take the photo, make the photo to be your own style, focus on the story of the photo rather than the technique

Q: What role does the photographer have in society? How powerful do you think visual images are as a force for change?

Photographers can influence our society in many ways. Documentary images can keep memories of historical events, as they present the world in a way that changes the perspectives and values of the audiences towards reality, making people think and take action.

Wildlife images can bring awareness around its preservation and protection.