In the early 1950s, working with a mere handful of contemporaries, Yip Cheong Fun faced many difficulties, as described by Choy Weng Yang, former curator at the National Museum of Singapore. Among the difficulties were: an unsympathetic environment, scantiness of reference material, inadequate equipment, and a lack of guidance and direction. Yip's solution to all these problems was trial-and-error experimentation, backed by a passionate spirit. Yip always sought to take photographs that go beyond the surface of superficial attractiveness. His photographs carry a telling message forged by crucial elements such as content, composition, light and timing. In Yip's words, "a good picture must have the right balance and composition."
