Visible

I did not use to write for print. I was born in Hong Kong. I have worked as a reporter for ten years. My name is Scarlett Lam. Unlike others, I usually work at home.

  These days, I am working on a project. The aim of the project is to let people know more facts about Hong Kong. Besides, I got some interesting ideas. Maybe, I should go to meet the photography champion.

  One day, I ate out. I went to a new restaurant that I have never gone. A young man, around twenty years old, stood before me, blocking my sunlight. I couldn't recognise who he is at the moment. He had brown curls and wore a flannel shirt and casual shoes and denim trousers. Moreover, he had a silver camera. Swiftly, I remembered him, Nicholas Smith. I know him. He is the photography winner. I thought that was wholly lucky. I persuaded Nicholas to interview with us.

  After a few days, we met each other at my office. Smith was such a kind and friendly person. He was genuinely animated. The topic of his award-winning photograph was poverty and grassroots.

"Hi, Nicholas. Why would you choose the poverty and grassroots as your theme?" I inquired.

Nicholas angled his head and answered, "I believed the ideas came from my family."

I looked at him, and I asked curiously about his story and his childhood. Nicholas replied,"I had a tough youth, and I learn a lot from it." I nodded politely and questioned, "How did you feel when you noticed that you won the competition?"

He responded slowly, "When I won the competition, that was one of the greatest moment of my life. My father and I just burst into tear, considering that we were too merry."

  Then, he started to talk about his story. "I, myself, was born into poverty. I lived with my father only, due to my mother's early death. I do not have much memory of my mother. I was playful and impish at five years old. I had disturbed my father a lot. However, he had never shouted at me. He is an easy going person, therefore I grow up freely. Growing up without restricting make me think more than other children. Two years later, I became rebellious, disobedient instead of naughty. It was the worst days. The days made me believe born in here is a mess. All things went into a chaos."

  "My ideas came from the around. When I started to shoot the photograph, I try to contact more poor people that I had never met. The action brings me to a different world. I know I have to change the society, the country, the world.It must be a challenging task for all of us. How can a man change the system? I always think about this question. So it goes. Not only shoot on the poverty and grassroots but also capture the deeper meaning inside of my works."

  We had an extraordinary conversation that inspires me a lot. In addition, I learned a lot from Nicholas. Besides, we became a good friend to each other.

  The other day, we went to visit the 'non-visible' people around us. Can you guess who they are? I would not say that I indeed know the difficulties they face. They should be respected, even though they may not get into the news. They never do the 'good deeds' that post on different media. They are the workers that we have ignored.

  Couriers, Janitors, Cleaners are the job which we have scorned. When we see these people, we often just walk away. Our parents may teach us not to be them. In their mind, doing those jobs is a shame, or even worse. Some of us may assume they are dirty. Nevertheless, they are purer than most of us. They are the people who rich in heart. They are doing the good deeds every day. On the other hand, we easily neglect them.

 As janitors, they must work long hours. They are not only a job, but also protect us. How come we do not respect them?

 As couriers, they need to deliver plenty of goods. They put many efforts to convey those heavy commodities. How come we just shout at them?

As cleaners, they have to clean the area. Also, they have to work with those smelly. Can you imagine how hard they feel?

  Maybe, this is the side how Nicholas treat the world. His picture will awaken our conscience again. Nicholas is still keen on solving the poverty problem. His kindness is on everywhere. He encourages the government to give more opportunity for the poor.