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Photo by Chung Heng Jooon
Joyce Shamini
In a conversation with Chung
Chung Heng Joon is a construction man at heart. Graduating with a Diploma in Building Engineering graduate 1988, he has never stopped building since. In the past 33 years, he had been in projects notorious for their technical complexities, such as hospital wards and laboratory construction, and amassed an impressive portfolio. His rich experiences eventually landed him a position as Section Foremen at the MRT Hospital Kuala Lumpur station.
Running parallel to his lifetime occupation is his long-term preoccupation with photography. Starting with film cameras in the 80s to now a proud DSLR and mirrorless camera owner, he had mesmerised many with an acute eye for beauty. Chung specialises in macro shots, street and landscapes photography, but his construction-themed pictures were what caught the attention of many.
Click on the image for enlarged view.
To see more, check out his photography page here
His rare take on construction is refreshing, challenging the stereotypes of ‘ugly’ construction and offering a glimpse of its intrinsic beauty. Unsurprisingly, many of his construction-themed pictures earned top spots at various club photography contests.
Chung Heng Joon’s shot of the Saloma Link Bridge earned a mention from the official Malaysia Photography Club page
Elaborating on his favourite picture of a worker on the bottom half of a secant bore pile steel cage, he gleefully shared how he used a wide-angle lens to turn an everyday scene into something extraordinary
When asked about his step-by-step approach to taking a picture, Chung described it as solving a puzzle. He starts by constructing a mental image of how he wants the picture to turn out before tackling the technicalities involved. This problem-solving approach is reflected in his work ethic. His mentee, site engineer Melvin Ho shared, “When a subcontractor is underperforming, Chung is the kind of person that would take charge of the situation, offer solutions rather than shift blames. That is something I admire him for,” he added. Echoing his sentiment, we are deeply inspired too by Chung’s excellent output at work and photography.
