Opening remarks- Elizabeth Nguyen

Throughout my life, I’ve had the pleasure of watching my dad grow as an artist and a photographer. You may not know this, but for a few years in the 80s, he owned and operated a modest one hour photo shop in Aylmer with my uncle. Even then, our baby photos were artfully shot and hung proudly on our walls.  A business decision then may have sparked a lifelong passion. Since that time, his interest in photography has matured and has moved him to travel to different places, from large metropolises to secluded areas off the beaten path. He met many people of different walks of life and captured each of their tales with a photograph.

You can see how his work has evolved by looking around you now. His photos are beautiful to look at, but more than that, they are strikingly authentic and are able to invoke deep emotions of nostalgia, sadness, joy. The photos really speak for themselves.

I am so happy that he has found a passion and is able to share his stories through the lens with close friends. He has been a true inspiration to myself and our family. 

Welcome speech- My Nguyen

Thank You Elizabeth,  and  thank you all for coming to my first exhibition.  I would like to share a few words.

All of us, in a way, are photographers. Whether you have an elaborate set up, a digital camera or a cell phone, we take pictures. We are able to share these photos to our friends and family through various mediums and outlets.

With today’s technology,it has become increasingly easier to share pictures instantly across the globe.

I have no exception, I would like to share my photos with you all through an exhibition.

Why an exhibition? People continuously ask me why I just simply  create a website and invite people to see.

Well, these days we are bombarded with large numbers of emails daily, and it is so easy to miss them.

So with the exhibition,  you have no excuse!  Just joking.  To me, an exhibition has two purposes. The first is it serves as a social event. Friends come  and chat, talk, share laughs, make new acquaintances.

Secondly,  at the exhibition, you can see the picture first hand, not through computer screen. The computer screen resolutions don’t give you the true viewing experience.  You may have great photos if you have retina resolution and poor image if you just have the regular monitor.  The exhibition let you see the photo, touch it and even smell it if you want.

The theme of the exhibition is street photography. So thank you again for coming. Before I finish,   I like to introduce to you two special guests today. Actually we are all special, people come to art show are special, I should say two unique guests.

The first one is my friend, Toan Nguyen. Toan is my high school friend, he came all the way from Vietnam to attend the show and support me. A lot of photos displayed here were taken when I was on the back of his motorcycle.  That is  real street photography. Street photography is about the activities on the street, the candid, un-staged activities. We do not have the luxury of time for a proper focus, or great lighting conditions, we just take the pictures the way it is. Thank you Toan for joining us today.

The second person I like to introduce to you is a client of mine. She has been my client for more than 20 years. I remember the first time she came to my office and gave me the tax document. I looked at the paper and looked at her. She asked, probably she saw the catch of surprise in my eyes, “Why? Am I too old?”   “No” I answered, “ You were born the same day, same month and same year as me”. Since then we are good friend and she see me every year. So, Dona Eastwood, thank you very much for coming in today.

Again thanks you all for coming today.

Before I finish, I like to thank my family... Thank You  Elizabeth for organizing this exhibition, Thanks to Alex, Christina, John, Dina, Justin for helping me setting up this exhibition, Dina for making great cupcakes. John is not here today, he has to proctor the family physician exam at the University of Ottawa, the prior commitment that he cannot postpone. John is not here but his spirit surely is.

Last but not least, I like to thank my wife, Nga for her support, not only for today exhibition but also for her continuous support for many years. Without her support, I cannot travel everywhere, taking photos and have today exhibition.  So if you enjoy today exhibition, please give her claps.

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