The power of a photograph

Passion is the compelling emotion that drives a person. Passion inserts into her life whether she has time for it or not. A passionate photographer continues to pursue the simple hobby of clicking that shutter and capturing a story unfolding before her very eyes, despite bad days, bad timing, early mornings, depleted savings, discomfort and exhaustion.

Such was the case personified in all the winners of the photo contest launched post-Soudelor by Best Sunshine International; passion is what has prompted them to tell their own personal story of survival in the midst of dire disadvantage, of resilience and determination in the face of the hardship brought about by the biggest calamity that overcame Saipan. The lack of a professional camera was not a barrier, even with the fact that a certain level of automated advantage is achieved with that. Mostly taken with phone cams and regular cameras, and even with pictures not reaching the highest degrees of quality, the talent lay in portraying the stories that stirred the heart.

Margaret Cui Lijie, Best Sunshine’s major shareholder, hosted an intimate gathering at the executive lounge of Fiesta Resort & Spa with the photo contest winners to share with them her own passion for photography. It was an opportunity for Madam Cui to personally thank them for participating in showcasing the true strength and perseverance of the island spirit in the throes of a major crisis.

“I love Saipan; I’ve been here for about a week and I find the island very gorgeous and impressive”, says Madam Cui, to welcome the small crowd gathered for a casual conversation about creative passion, resilience, and togetherness. She adds, “Although I am not a professional in the art of photography, I tried my best to capture my first impressions of Saipan, along with some photographs I took of Beijing and Hong Kong; and I am happy to share my photos with you. My wish is that, together, we can build Saipan, not only from an economic perspective, but also from a cultural perspective.”

Madam Cui showcased her photographs of the panoramic view of the famous Bird Island, the imposing frontage of Mount Carmel Cathedral, a personal view of a beautiful sunset taken from the balcony of the Fiesta hotel, as well as her personal photos of China’s own sunsets and famous monuments in Beijing such as her scenic blow-ups of Tiananmen and the surroundings of the Imperial City, and a vivid picture of the urban skyline of Hong Kong with its high-rise buildings and skyscrapers.

A poignant moment in the event was when Madam Cui captured the façade of a glass and steel building in commercial Hong Kong, her focal interest not the grandeur of the building itself but of a statue erected outside the building, of a particular flower symbolizing the unification of mainland China and Hong Kong.

Each of the winners took turns in narrating their personal experiences that subsequently produced a winning entry photograph depicting strength and survival after the Soudelor disaster. First Lady Diane Tudela Torres, who attended the event, comments, “I would like to thank BSI for giving the people the opportunity to submit pictures, whether they took those at work or at home, by candlelight, during those times. It shows that we work with what we have. I love photography, I teach a portion of it in my high school course, and when assigning my students to go out there around the campus, I always advise them to put on the photographer’s cap and look at things differently. We look forward to having companies like Best Sunshine who come and support to build passion within people to share in experiences such as this.”

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who graced Saturday’s gathering, was particularly touched of how the photography contest mirrored “the resilience of our people are shown in photographic art…and I’m happy that we all came together and came forward after the struggle of the typhoon.”

He added, “With over 200 participants, thank you for a great opportunity for our people to capture that moment.”

Tao Xing, Best Sunshine’s chief service officer, says “I would like to congratulate each of the winners and encourage you to continue to capture the colorful and wonderful daily life of the CNMI.”

The stark contrast of two very different landscapes being unified in one intimate share-worthy event proves that we can fuse together two cultures driven by the same passion; the passion to promote Saipan to world-class proportions of quality and beauty. Just as a true photograph need not be explained in words, the commitment of Best Sunshine will evolve and grow with their actions in supporting the island community towards progress.