Kicked And Spat At But The Camera Continues To Capture At Crucial Moments - Veteran

By Siti Azila Alias

BATU KAWAN, June 18 (Bernama) -- Being kicked and spat at by a suspect while on duty is one of the experiences that remains etched in the memory of veteran photographer and cameraman Azmi Sapiei throughout his more than three decades in the media world.

The former Bernama photographer and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) Penang cameraman said the distressing moment occurred while covering a court case around 2001 while working at The Sun, after leaving Bernama at the end of 1996 and returning to his hometown in the state.

During his nearly three years at Bernama, Azmi, 64, also had the opportunity to cover various important national events, including taking exclusive photos of former Malayan Communist Party (MCP) member Shamsiah Fakeh's return from China in July 1994.

He said Shamsiah was returning to her nephew's residence in Gombak and at that time, only he and the journalist managed to 'sneak' in because they arrived early before the area was closed.

"At that time, everyone used film camera, whether (the pictures) were part of the story or not, I took as many as I could. After returning to the office, the boss asked how many rolls of film I used and I answered three.

"Then the boss said, only three? One by one the rolls were put in the bin and at that time it was embarrassing and angry but after developing the pictures, all the major newspapers used the pictures the next day,” he said when met by Bernama at his residence here, recently.

However, Azmi said the experience had matured him a lot and described Bernama as a ‘school’ that had produced many quality photographers and had developed discipline in producing pictures that were not only accurate but had news value.

According to him, the profession he had been involved in since the mid-1980s was not just about ensuring that pictures and news visuals were successfully captured, but also required physical and mental endurance when facing various challenges in the field.

Recalling the beginning of his career, Azmi said he worked in a factory before deciding to migrate to Kuala Lumpur to pursue his interest in photography, and subsequently worked independently with several agencies and women's magazines.

His interest in the world of news then led him to join Bernama in 1993 as a photographer, before continuing his career at The Sun, Bernama TV and finally RTM Penang as a part-time cameraman in 2003 until he retired in mid-2020.

The father of three sons said that working as a photographer in the analogue era was very challenging because all the photos were shot using film cameras and could only be seen until they were processed.

He also had to write the photo captions for editors to review before being distributed to Bernama customers.

Although the basic duties of a photographer and cameraman are almost the same, he said that working as a television cameraman required higher physical endurance because he had to carry heavy equipment during coverage.

“I went through the era of using a Beta camera (Betacam) when I worked as a part-time cameraman for Bernama TV and people called this camera ‘junk iron’ because it weighed about 12 kilogrammes, so imagine having to carry that heavy load on your shoulders,” he said.

Azmi, who once received the 2006 Penang State Media Award in the visual electronic media category, said he was proud that his legacy was being continued by his second son, Muhammad Syafiq, 30, who is now working with Media Prima Television Network.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Syafiq said his interest in cameras arose from a young age when he saw his father brought the equipment home and began following him to assignment locations after completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia in 2016 before operating the camera himself a year later.

"He was not only a father, but also a teacher and mentor who taught me a lot, including filming techniques, choosing visual angles and work discipline while on duty," he said.

-- BERNAMA