Dr Lam Kui Chun - Graduate of Postgraduate Diploma in Photography

Although everyone can now take a technically acceptable photograph, the Postgraduate Diploma in Photography of HKU SPACE shows you how to take a “better” photograph. There are two aspects to the answer:

1. How to take a more beautiful photograph. Many photographers take this as the major desired result in their photography. This produces a product for exhibition.
2. How to take a meaningful photograph. This is what the Postgraduate Diploma course trains you to do. The end result is photographs that make a casual observer stop in front of the photograph, look, reflect, and consider what impact the contents have on society. This produces an impact on society.

As example of aspect no. 2 is discussion on a series of photographs on child labour in America. The impact is a new law forbidding child labour in that country. A second example is on a woman photographer who photographs herself, often in 2 different roles in the same photograph, which reflects the role of women in society. These have not changed laws, but start society thinking about the role of women in a male-dominated society.

The course takes the students through different styles and topics through the development of photography in Europe, America, Japan, China and Hong Kong. It tells you what photograph was sold for US$ 2.5million in 2015 and why. It trains the student to make presentations on subject matters in his environment.

It opens up the minds of the students to new aspects of his photography. If you wish to take photographs with impact, this course is for you.

Postscript: Dr Lam Kui Chun remains active in photography. He gave a photography talk related to his photographic experience in Bangladesh (《孟加拉風情》) organized by Photographic Society of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Public Libraries, Leisure and Cultural Services Department at Lecture Theatre, Hong Kong Central Library on 25 August 2017.