I push my own limits
by immersing myself in photography.

I was using a Canon compact camera and DSLR for about seven years. In 2009 I accidentally came across the SIGMA DP2 and used it to travel to India and Nepal. I really loved the camera as it allowed me to focus only on the photography. Since then, I’ve been using SIGMA equipment when traveling or shooting for magazines, including the dp2, the dp Merrill series, the dp Quattro series and the sd Quattro, and now I mainly use the fp with 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens. Recently, while in the Netherlands, I worked with the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens.

I enjoy traveling and I also like street photography,so I am sensitive to the weight and size of my camera. The 35mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary is slightly bigger than the 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary, but it’s small enough to cover half of it with my small hand. Because it’s light and compact, I don’t get tired of walking all day long with my camera. The design hasn’t changed much compared to the 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens –it still looks sturdy and luxurious. One thing that has changed in appearance is the metal lens cap, which I’ve never seen on a lens before. It’s a flat and simple texture with no patterns at all, and the styling is great. The cap is magnetic, so it clips to the lens quickly and easily. Another nice surprise is that there is a velvety cloth wrapped around the lens. I was impressed with this small detail that SIGMA included. It may seem trivial, but to me it adds extra value to the lens.

I don’t define myself as a photojournalist or an airline magazine photographer, although I’ve been lucky enough to work with airlines a few times for their magazines. So far in my career I’ve worked with a range of international magazines, including Monocle magazine in the UK, Airbnb magazine and Elle Decor magazine in New York, Singapore Airlines Silverkris magazine, and Qatar Airways Oryx magazine. The work is fun because it fits well with my photographic style, and actually hardly seems like work. It’s mainly about travel, people, lifestyle and interiors. It’s great to be able to travel to the places that I haven’t been to or to meet new people through my work. But it can be challenging. I might find myself hiking at dawn even though I’m not a mountaineer, or sometimes I’ll find myself doing shoots without any sleep. I think that’s why photography is so amazing. It makes me put my fear to one side and challenge myself to do new things. I’ve found success by really immersing myself in my shoots. It has helped me get to where I am now.

The photography that I started as a hobby at some point became my job, and looking back the countless photos I have taken have become my history. I can’t imagine my life without photography, and if I didn’t have it in my life it would probably be difficult to prove my existence. Photography has helped me better understand what I like and where I come alive. Photography is a bridge between me and the world. And it has made my view of the world much wider. I have certainly got to know myself more through photography and have learned the art of self-reflection.

Well, I don’t think I have created my own style on purpose. I just reacted to the moments I liked. As time went by, it became my style but in fact it is not easy to define exactly what my style is. I like photographs with harmony, rhyme, humor, warmth, nostalgia and something exotic. Perhaps it’s because of the things I saw, heard and read as I grew up. For example, photographs of me and my younger siblings taken by my parents, classical music and world music that I enjoy, sentences from my favorite authors and artwork by my favorite artists. I’ve been influenced by everything that opened up my senses and it seems like they have played a big part in driving my style.

Travel-friendly, Durable, Inspirational
I enjoy taking long trips. That’s why I prefer small and light cameras and other equipment. In that respect, the I series 35mm is optimized for travel and feels natural to me. But it shouldn’t just be about weight. A lens should also be durable. Both machines and humans can only last long if they are durable. I believe we are both inspiring beings. Just as I inspire people through photography, this 35mm I series lens inspires me. If I get the chance, I want to spend a long period of time in an unknown world I have never been to with only this lens. I think it’s great to have something that is constantly inspiring you, don’t you think?