Not all shots have to be emo, and other pro-tips from winners of OSOS photo and video contest
23 May 2023
What makes a ‘good’ photograph? How do you capture something invisible, like school culture?
Schoolbag picks the brains of three winners from Ministry of Education’s annual Our Schools, Our Stories Photo and Video Contest 2022, to get the stories behind their entries.
By Lim Jun Kang
The Ministry of Education’s annual Our Schools, Our Stories (OSOS) Photo and Video Contest attracts thousands of entries each year from school staff and students. What makes a winning entry?
Three of the 2022 winners share their pro-tips with us.
How do you capture something intangible like school spirit?
Name: Mr Mohamed Nazri Bin Hamzah
Head of Department of Humanities
School: Yuhua Secondary School
Category: MOE staff
Theme: ‘United As One’
Winning entry: ‘The Yuhua Spirit’
To Mr Mohamed Nazri Bin Hamzah, the spirit of a place is captured in the everyday moments that often go unnoticed.
He is the Head of Department of Humanities at Yuhua Secondary School. When he saw one of the competition themes, he was inspired. ‘United As One’ practically describes what the school is about, especially as it emerged strong from the Covid-19 pandemic.
As an alumnus of the school and now a teacher there, he felt an innate responsibility to share what made the school special, “the collective resilience to rise to any occasions, and cherishing shared experiences”.
The result? The image of two people sharing a fist-bump as an iconic sign of the times, and the casual air between the teacher and student that says it all – school life is back normal!
To capture such images, one should have a story to tell, and to do so from a creative point of view, adds Mr Nazri.
“There must be a certain message that means something to yourself, or your peers and teachers. What is it that you want to show?”
“As a Humanities teacher, I have always been teaching my students to take different perspectives, and that influences how I take photographs as well,” says Mr Nazri. “What everyone sees from their perspective is unique and different. In those candid moments, ask yourself ‘what is a creative way or angle to bring out the subject’s story?’”
“It was a proud moment when we learnt that we won the contest. Not because of the affirmation received, but because we were able to tell our school story from it.”
You can view the full photo story “The Yuhua Spirit” and other winning stories of the competition theme here.
How do you pick your subject?
Names: Supisara Anya Kashemsanta Na Ayudhya and Ngow Yong Jun Hang
School: First Toa Payoh Primary School
Category: Junior
Theme: “Our School Community”
Winning entry: “Because You are the Best!”
To pick a good subject for your photos or videos, find something or someone who inspires you, of course!
Two student photographers from First Toa Payoh Primary School, Supisara Anya Kashemsanta Na Ayudhya and Ngow Yong Jun Hang, had no problem choosing who they wanted to shoot for the OSOS contest. They love their Science classes run by Mr Zulkarna’in Bin Buniran, so they chose him and their classmates for the photo theme, “Our School Community”.
“We wanted to share our favourite parts of having Mr Zul as our teacher,” said Anya and Jun Hang in their email reply. They wanted the audience to sense the strong bond he had with his students. “He gives us his best, so that we can be our best!”
In their winning photos, titled “Because You are the Best!”, Mr Zul is seen serenading students with a guitar, bowling over empty drink cans with paper balls, and even making a “butterfly” fly out of a book with the help of a rubber band.
“We wanted to share our favourite parts of having Mr Zul
as our teacher.”
First Toa Payoh Primary School is a regular OSOS participant. The school’s Applied Learning Programme, Literacy through Photojournalism, teaches students technical skills such as handling photography equipment and visual concepts such as framing. More importantly, it presents opportunities for students to express their creativity and unique viewpoints of school life.
“As they progress through primary school, there are many opportunities for students to hone their creativity through group discussions and art appreciation, be it through the ALP or in the curriculum,” says teacher-facilitator Diana Binte Mohamed Mazlan, who provided guidance to the contest participants.
“But what we want them to take away would be the courage to express themselves without the undue worry of whether their photos are the best.”
You can view the full photo story “Because You are the Best!” and other winning stories of the competition theme here.
How do you plan for a winning shot?
Names: Jaylene Annabelle Thie, Keira Yeo and Alastair Chua Haw Chong
School: Clementi Town Secondary School
Category: Youth
Theme: “Priceless Moments”
Winning entry: “REPLAY – The Musical”
To the photographers behind this winning shot, they knew the upcoming musical at Clementi Town Secondary School would be ripe with opportunity for emotive content.
They got hold of the production schedule and stationed themselves at the key events. Then they got into position quietly behind the scenes, documenting the cast and crew’s experiences, camaraderie, and hard work.
When picking shots for their OSOS entry, students Jaylene Annabelle Thie, Keira Yeo and Alastair Chua Haw Chong felt that the musical series fit the theme to a tee.
“Let your photos touch your heart, just like how the moments and pictures captured touched ours back then.”
The effort needed for the auditions, rehearsals, and preparation often goes unnoticed, but “even with the long hours of preparation, everyone put up a genuine smile, which showed the ‘heart’ of the experience”, recalls Keira fondly.
“That is what our school is all about. The musical was put up by students from different CCAs, alumnus and even our teachers, and regardless of the different backgrounds and experiences, we still came together to put our very best in this show,” says Jaylene. “Let your photos touch your heart, just like how the moments and pictures captured touched ours back then.”
Adds Keira, “Through these photographs, students and the public should be inspired to find their own stages someday. We hope that they too, can experience how we felt in those pictures.”
You can view the full photo story “REPLAY – The Musical” and other winning stories of the competition theme here.
Ministry of Education’s “Our Schools, Our Stories” Photo and Video Contest is back, which includes a new theme ‘World of Possibilities’ to look forward to! Show us the unique stories of everyday school life, through your camera lenses. Encourage your child, students, and peers to participate, and show us what makes school special!
Visit www.moe.gov.sg/OSOS for contest details.
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