Friday, December 14, 2007

Clicking Away on Sports Day

Came Sports Day and I would be busy clicking away with the SLR I was holding (see pix) from the start of the opening ceremony to the prize-giving at the end of the day. You see, I was given the job of a photographer during events such as Sports Day when I was a teacher in St Theresa Secondary School, Sungai Petani from 1979 to 1989.

Do you know what event we're watching?

I liked to capture the act of jubilant high jumper who succeeded in clearing the bar in the high jump event. The final dash of runners towards the finishing line in the 100 metres sprint was also my favourite shoot with my camera. I never missed recording the joy of winners who were receiving medals on films too. Other scenes of interest to me were the faces of excited supporters comprising teachers and pupils who shouted their lungs out when the running events were in progress, the ever ready Red Crescent Society members in their white uniform treating athletes who collapsed out of exhaustion or over exertion in the race and spectators with various unique expression when a certain event was contested.

I was at the scene waiting for the right moment to click.

During the break, I would go to the tent of my house to give my boys and girls moral support for I was training them weekly before the great event. I would have been with them throughout the meet had I not been assigned the job of capturing the event on films. You see, films were still the order of the day during the late 70's. The school would bear the cost developing the films and printing the photos.

The three cute children of Mrs Saw, the school clerk drew me to them every now and then and I would like to tease the kids or talk to their mother while resting under the shade.

Having some fun with the clerk's cuties.

My joy would be beyond description when I came back from the studio, bringing the shots home because I knew some of them would turn out to be just the way I meant them to be. With an SLR, the control of the aperture and speed of the shutter is in the hands of the lens man. Then, I would recommend some good ones for the school magazine for inclusion in the sports report.

So much for Sports Day in good old St. Theresa.


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