Injured knee doesn’t crush young photographer’s dream

SINGAPORE — Just two days before his dive trip to Manado, Indonesia, in April last year, Mr Andrew Lim was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. The impact nearly crushed his left knee, but it was not enough to quash his childhood dream. After all, the 21-year-old had planned to use the underwater photos taken during the trip to launch his very own photography book.

“I felt terrible at first. I thought to myself, ‘How do I even dive like this?’” said Mr Lim. “But I never lost hope and decided to take one month to rest and allow it (my knee) to improve.”

Mr Lim’s persistence paid off and one-and-a-half years later, the wildlife lover will finally launch his book on Dec 21.

Named Silhouette Of Serenity, the book not only captures his fascination for marine life, but also serves as a means for him to give back to society.

Part of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to Prison Fellowship Singapore, an organisation that helps rehabilitate prisoners and support their family members.

The thrill-seeker told TODAY that he was always grateful for the support by his family, who bought him the best equipment needed for his deep-sea escapades. “I am always grateful to have supportive parents. I got my first underwater camera at 17,” Mr Lim said. “But what about the children whose parents are in prison? They lack the exposure, the nurturing and this means a lot to me.”

The need to help the less fortunate was a point Mr Lim stressed while speaking to about 400 youth and adults at a TEDx conference last month. He also reminded the audience to care for the environment and chase their childhood dreams.

Determined to “truly experience the whole process of creating a book”, Mr Lim said he had sorted out the printing, legalities, venue sponsor and launch date all by himself; only the design of the book was left to his friend.

Still, what was most tedious was identifying the marine animals featured in the 96-page book.

“I didn’t expect it to be so hard! I thought I had good knowledge about marine life as I’ve been reading about them since young. But I had to spend late nights just to make sure the scientific names of the animals, from the fish to the shrimp, were correct,” Mr Lim said.

One of Mr Lim’s most memorable moments during the month-long trip was shooting the silhouette of a turtle and a diver all in one frame. Mr Lim said: “I had taken good photos, but I was looking for something that I really like ... It was uncomfortable due to the pressure as I went deeper. But when I look(ed) up and saw the silhouette of the turtle and a diver who was there at the right moment, I thought, ‘Wow! I know I have a great piece!”

Silhouette Of Serenity will be sold for S$39.90 at the Volvo Showroom, 249 Alexandra Road on Dec 21.