Written by Frances Wu
There is no question that the UBC campus is recognized for its natural aesthetic beauty and appealing locale… but what do we know about the hundreds and thousands of students that walk across campus every day? Arts student Rabi Sun has captured the student life in a unique and extraordinary way through his original project called UBC Portraits.
Rabi is a Political Science major who has taken the art of photography and applied it to his university life in a creative way.
Here is Rabi’s take on his life as an Arts student at UBC and a bit about his love for photography:
1. Photography is a big passion of yours. What is your main inspiration?
My main inspiration for photography is just the idea of being able to capture memories and moments in time with a still image. I am a strong believer of the phrase: “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Maybe not a thousand words, but an image is able to say a lot about something.
2. Pictures do say a lot. I’ve taken a look at UBC Portraits and found that it is very unique and shows our university in a different light. How did you come up with this particular project?
The way the project works is a very simple idea and has been done many times in various other countries. I came across a Youtube video where two photographers in Britain spent a weekend taking 1000 photos of people of all kinds in London in order to show “the true face of Britain.” After my acceptance to UBC, I figured it would be a lot easier to work on the project on campus and a good way to keep my passion for photography going.
3. What sort of things would you like for the visitors of the UBC Portraits blog to take away?
I don’t consider the blog to be “my blog” as it isn’t about me, but about the people who are in the photos. That being said, I would like visitors to the blog to get a sense of the diversity that there is on campus and to hopefully apply that sense of diversity to the city, the country, and even the world.
4. I agree… things happen when you least expect it and a part of life is learning how to adjust to constant changes. Is there any advice you would like to give to other aspiring photographers?
Don’t expect amazing pictures right away. If the photo is not to your standards, you’ll realize that you can take the shot again. It’s best to capture the moment rather than lose it. Photography is 20% luck, 30% vision, and 50% of just keeping an open mind.
