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Life Through His Lens - featuring Studio D'fia by Kim  If his parents had had their way, Goh Wang Kim would be earning a five-figure salary as an engineer. But the then secondary school student, however, preferred to live his life through the camera lens, often spending hours trying to capture a shot and perfecting it.
To please his parents – they saw the photographer as “a man who set up a studio and take passport photos” – he got into polytechnic, where he graduated with a diploma in electrical and electronic engineering. After that, he would join the navy and stayed there for six years. “The way they saw it,” he recalls, “I had a good future.” But he never forgot his first love, and pursued it relentlessly. It came to a point that, whenever a relative was getting married, he would be called upon for camera duties. And to gain exposure and experience, he did his first couple of assignments for free. In 1990, true to his parents’ worst fears, he set up his own photography outfit Studio D’fia. Kim, as he’s better known these days, is one of the most popular bridal lensmen in Singapore. His studio is a three-storey shophouse (look out for that quaint koi pond shopfront) situated along Tessensohn Road, where he runs a team of seven, including three photographers, two digital technicians, as well as a video cameraman and a dark room technician. Famously reserved, the 37-year-old father-of-two is sought after by many for his black and white photography. “I started out doing colour and black-and-white photos, but my favourite is black-and-white because it is timeless,” he says. This helped set him apart from the competition – many photographers shied away from black-and-white photos as they require time and technique in printing and developing.
While other photographers coax the couple out of the shell with words, Kim lets his pictures do the talking. “All I do is show them a preview of the photos. Often, the couple becomes very motivated after that because they know they look good in the pictures,” he explains. “From then on, it’s free play for them. I’m just an observer, waiting for that special moment.” Whatever you do, never question the man about his “style of photography”. Says the veteran cameraman, who has also shot couples from as far as Brunei, Japan and Denmark, “Foreign couples tend to allow the photographer more freedom, while local ones know what they want. Sometimes, I do get some couples who want me to imitate another photographer’s style, which I feel is disrespectful to both me and the other photographer.”
That said, don’t mistake Kim for an artist who’s locked in his own ivory tower. Having been in the industry for nearly 15 years means he understands it is important to give and take. “I’m happy if my clients are happy. I used to get very depressed by complaints or negative feedback,” he offers. “Ultimately, this is a service industry and opinions are subjective. But as long as I do my best, I’m proud of my work.”
Studio D’fia is at 23 Tessensohn Road. Wedding photography packages start at $2,000. For more information, call 6363 2323, email kim@kim.com.sg or log on to www.kim.com.sg. |
Despite Kim’s serious demeanour, he has a knack for making his clients feel comfortable in front of the camera. Pore through his gallery on his website or the albums littered around the studio, and you will see many snaps of brides and grooms in fun, playful poses, whether it’s against the snow-capped mountains in New Zealand or the tree-lined avenues in Newton Circus. 
Before deciding on a photographer, Kim suggests looking at his past works. “Ask yourself: do you like his work? Marriage is an once-in-a-lifetime event, so don’t settle for second best. You also have to do your own homework, such as asking around and joining an online forum to find out the reviews. But take everything you hear with a pinch of salt, because it is only after meeting the photographer and talking to him, that you can decide if you like his work enough.”