Passion on paper
Dedicated Malaysians go around the country capturing images of this country’s natural beauty.
A PHOTO exhibition celebrates “Connecting People to Nature” – the theme of World Environmental Day 2017 last week (June 5).
That theme urges people to go outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature that we may come to know it, love it and conserve it.
But in this age when many people are glued to their gadgets, it may need a bit of extra inspiration to get people into the great outdoors.
One of the best ways to get this boost is to see beautiful photographs of this country’s natural gems. And hence, the exhibition entitled “Nature Thru’ The Lens”, organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS – www.mns.my) photography group. It starts today (June 13) and runs for six days till June 18 at Publika Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.
“The photographs help us to see and appreciate the beauty of nature,” said group coordinator Alex Foong. “You will see some amazing views of Malaysia’s natural beauty that you may never have imagined before.”
Examples of this are an exquisite shot of a praying mantis delicately perched between life and death on the head of a pit viper (shot by MNS photographer Steven Wong) and the simple yet haunting elegance of leaf veins (by Catherine Wong).
Another stunning photo by Foong himself is of rolling mist-shrounded hills at Cameron Highlands.
“Yet without dense forests that emit water vapour, we won’t have such amazing scenery,” he said.
“And of course, the leaves and roots of the forest floor act like a giant sponge that help provide our dams with water during the dry season. By highlighting such beauty, we hope people can come to care more for forests and also nature in general.”
The aim of the exhibition is not only to showcase the wonders of Malaysia’s natural treasures, but to foster awareness for conservation and also to raise funds for environmental work.
Foong said the 74 pictures exhibited were captured by 24 nature photographers (all MNS members) during the photo group’s many outings in recent months, when they had an initiative called “Documenting Nature One Click at a Time”.
This exhibition was spearheaded by Foong, together with Lee Hong Leng, a professional printer-cum-photographer, and the group’s committee members. It will be officiated by Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, a past president of MNS.
Foong said proceeds from the sales of the photographs will be used for conservation programmes by MNS.
There will also be a series of nature photography talks at the exhibition venue.
On June 17, a talk on “Latest Imaging Technologies” will be held at 11.30am, followed by “Nature Thru’ The Lens Photography” by Foong at 4.30pm.
On June 18, the focus is on reptiles and amphibians with a session entitled “Photographing Herpetofauna – Nature’s Misunderstood Creatures” by Steven Wong at 11.30am.
Then at 4.30pm, there will be a talk called “Underwater Photography – Marine Life As I See It” by Lillian Khoo.
The exhibition will be held at White Box@ Publika Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur from June 13 to 18. The exhibition runs from 10.30am to 8.30pm daily. Admission is free. For more information contact Alex Foong at 012-2893133.