Photographer

Olivia Wong

Finalist in

Lower Primary Category

Written Statement

When something is fragile, you have to handle it with care. The balloon will pop if it touches something sharp, a ceramic bowl will crack if you drop it, and a withering flower will lose its petals when you touch it. When this happens, you feel sad and have to throw them away. I wanted to use yellow, a happy colour, to show that we can find joy in broken, fragile things. I used a light box made out of paper and cardboard and a black background to contrast with the yellow. I had white lights on the left and right and natural daylight at the front. The things in the photo were rescued from the bin. I shot them close up to show the different textures and colours. The photographs were cropped closely but you can still see the black background. I used a Pixel camera phone because it is easy to use.

‘Pop!’ Balloons bring a smile to your face… until they burst with a big bang! Why does something so nice get destroyed so easily? ‘Pop!’ is supposed to make you feel giddy with excitement. When will the blue balloon explode?

‘Crack!’ Have you broken a cup or bowl before? I have, and it makes me feel guilty. This is my grandpa’s broken soup bowl that was left in the garden for a while. The snake hiding under the bowl makes you feel happy because it has found a home.

‘Wither.’ I like to decorate our dining table with flowers from the garden. I touch the soft, silky petals with my fingers and poke the pollen on the stamen. After a while, the flowers start to droop and drop onto the table when I touch them. The stamen are supposed to go into the bin, but I think they are quite beautiful.