The video was shared by photographer Sutej Singh Pannu

A heartwarming video of an elderly Sikh man’s reaction when a photographer asked to click his pictures has gone viral on social media. The Sikh man’s pure and profound reaction to seeing his picture has made the internet emotional and will surely warm your heart as well.

The video was shared by photographer Sutej Singh Pannu on his Instagram account. In the video, he approaches the elderly man at his grocery shop and asks for some candies and two packets of chips. He then later asks if he could photograph him at his shop. The man is a bit surprised at first, but he obliges to the request and poses for a few pics. Mr. Pannu then prints out a photo of the man on the spot and gives it to him as a gift, leaving the elderly man overwhelmed and full of gratitude.

 “That is very kind of you. Thank you so much, wish you a long life,” the elderly man said.

Watch the video here:

Mr Pannu wrote about self-awareness and spiritual awakening while sharing the video. In a long caption, he wrote, ”One of the most powerful aspects of spiritual awakening is the heightened sense of self-awareness that comes with it. Through self-reflection and introspection, individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. They begin to recognize patterns and habits that no longer serve them and can work towards releasing them.

Self-awareness is a crucial component of personal growth and spiritual evolution. It allows individuals to take responsibility for their own lives and empowers them to make conscious choices based on their true desires and values. Spiritual awakening and self-awareness are powerful tools for personal growth and transformation. By embracing these processes, individuals can unlock their full potential and live a more fulfilling and purposeful life.”

The video has left internet users overwhelmed who said that they became quite emotional after watching the man’s pure reaction. Many also thanked the photographer for capturing a beautiful moment. 

One user said, ”The way he said ‘Meri?’ as though it was shocking to him that someone would show an interest in him. It seemed like he had tears in his eyes by the end of it and not only was he grateful for the photo but also for the short amount of time spent interacting. Spend time with your elders, listen to their experiences and stories carefully, and learn about the life they have lived. Because no course, degree, or school on earth can teach you the things that they will. Love, respect and cherish them. May Allah give Uncle ji a long, healthy and happy life where he can rest, pray and smile as much as he wants.”

Another commented, ”Im not crying. You are!!!” A third wrote, ”Did his eyes tear up? Because mine did.” A fourth said, ”The way he thanked and folded his hands.. Gratitude turns what we have into Enough.”

A fifth added, ”I literally had tears seeing how happy you made uncle. It was the much needed love and appreciation for him.. You are a beautiful soul in a human body.” Yet another wrote, ”Why do I always cry with every video of yours. You so capture the hearts of the fantastic people of Punjab.”

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Boundary-pushing methodologies come to the fore in the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023, now on show at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, where the award’s four nominees are exploring contemporary themes with dynamic approaches. 

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 nominees

Frida Orupabo

Frida Orupabo works with multi-layered collages and Instagram posts using material circulated online to ask questions on race, sexuality and identity, as the Norwegian Nigerian artist and sociologist creates archival reworks that reject one-dimensional depictions of Black lives. Nominated for her exhibition ‘I have seen a million pictures of my face and still I have no idea’, originally shown at Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland, Orupado explains: ‘My work is a way of sorting things, sorting emotions and thoughts I have. It’s a way of speaking…’

Arthur Jafa

This thread of creating a voice through a reworking of existing material continues in Arthur Jafa’s ‘Live Evil’, nominated for its showing at LUMA, Arles, France which consisted of visceral films, installations and disquieting photographs. While The Photographer’s Gallery has a capsule of the original large-scale curation on show, Jafa’s critical questioning still rings out loudly ‘How can visual media – such as objects, static and moving images – transmit the equivalent power, beauty and alienation embedded within forms of Black music in US culture?’

Bieke Depoorter

Questioning of a different nature is explored in Bieke Depoorter’s series, ‘A Chance Encounter’, previously shown at C/O Berlin, as the magnum artist tests the limits and ethics of creative friendships, performance and authorship through collaborative projects with her subjects Michael and Agata. Both relationships have severed in different ways, Michaels with a mysterious disappearance, while Agata withdraws her collaborative consent. Across both contexts, Depoorter shows radical transparency of the process. ‘More and more I realise that unconsciously how you are brought up, the things that happen in your childhood, for example, are shaping your creativity. I am trying to find ways to listen to that and to be guided by that.’

Samuel Fosso

Identity is drawn into question from a different perspective in Samuel Fosso’s self-portraits, nominated for his exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France. For the Cameroonian artist, who has been described as a ‘man of a thousand faces’, his series ‘African Spirits’ is a disruptive re-staging of authoritative portraits from the history of Black resistance. Fosso explains his inspiration is ‘everything I have experienced in my life, such as the Biafra war when I was still a child, or the assassination of my friend and neighbour Tala in 1999. But also the story of slavery and all those who freed me, the Senegalese Tirailleurs during the two world wars, the economic weight of China in Africa… What I am trying to express is History. I use my thoughts and my body to tell stories: it is nothing more than that.’

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 exhibition will be on view at the Photographers’ Gallery, London, until 11 Jun 2023, with the winner announced on 11 May. deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org (opens in new tab); thephotographersgallery.org.uk (opens in new tab)

SEQUIM — “We think of the Olympics as jewels because they’re priceless,” said renowned Olympic Peninsula photographer Ross Hamilton.

“I thoroughly enjoy sharing the beauty with people so that they might better appreciate where they live.”

Hamilton, whose iconic images of the Olympic Peninsula are found everywhere from the visitor’s center at Hurricane Ridge to motels and inns to bookstores and gift shops, will bring the stories behind his art to life at a special presentation, “Olympic Jewels,” set for 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in the media room at The Lodge at Sherwood Village, 660 W. Evergreen Farm Way.

The lodge requires reservations, as the room holds 60 people. RSVP by this coming Wednesday, April 19, by calling 360-681-3100.

Hamilton’s book, “The Olympics, a Wilderness Trilogy,” sold out after three printings, though the collector’s edition is still for sale on his website (rosshamilton photography.com), and he and wife Kathy produce a popular calendar, “The Olympic Peninsula,” each year.

Photo by Ross Hamilton / Sunset from Second Beach, a photo featured in Ross Hamilton’s annual “The Olympic Peninsula” calendar in 2019.

He said the presentation, a slideshow with stories, will be about 45 minutes with a question-and-answer period after. Kathy said there will be music as well.

“The pictures I have used in shows have a story behind them,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton has lost the majority of his eyesight now, but that he has “a pretty good memory of the pictures and the experiences,” he said.

Hamilton said he will probably bring the 4-by-5 (large format) camera he used for many of his pictures. He said he bought it in 1971 from a dealer in Seattle.

“‘Olympic Jewels’ will be in three parts, like a symphony,” he said. “The first part will be the incredible variety of beauty, the second part the incredible beauty of the seasons, and the third part — my favorite — the beauty of the mountains.”

On the trails

Guided by an eye for illuminated beauty, Hamilton is a master of the old school of landscape photography, in which one lugs their equipment out into nature and works deliberately with a limited amount of film, creating compositions carefully and waiting for just the right moment to push the shutter button.

“It’s all about timing, and being there,” Hamilton said.

“With digital you can make something better than what it is, but not with film,” he said. “You take what’s there.”

To do this, a photographer needs an intimate knowledge of light and how a camera interprets it on film, which has a narrow margin for error.

Hamilton said that he’s made about 55,000 pictures in his lifetime, and of those, he uses about a tenth.

“The difference between a photographer and a good photographer,” he joked, “is he only shares the good ones.”

Married to old friend Kathy in 2018 after a lifetime of being a bachelor, he said she takes good care of him, which is clear from the way they interact and converse.

The Lodge

Photo by Ross Hamilton / Sunset from Kalaloch Creek, a photo featured in Ross Hamilton’s annual “The Olympic Peninsula” calendar in 2019.

Hamilton’s work and the Lodge at Sherwood Village were intertwined since it was built.

“We have 35 of Ross’s photographs throughout the building. They’re so beautiful,” said Michelle Headrick, the lodge’s executive director, who has overseen the lodge since it opened in 2005.

“[Former owners] Bill and Esther Littlejohn were big fans of Ross.”

The Hamiltons said that it was Bill Littlejohn who encouraged Hamilton to publish the book.

“He said, ‘You oughta do a book,’” said Hamilton. “And he paid up front” for the first edition, which Hamilton reimbursed him for from the sales.

And then, Hamilton recalled, “Bill said, ‘You oughta do a calendar.” Nineteen years later the calendar is still going strong, with the 2024 calendar soon going to press, Kathy said.

Roots

Hamilton’s father’s family was from Sequim, but Hamilton grew up in California. By the time he moved here in 1969, he already held bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business.

He said that early on he realized a business degree would be more helpful to his work than an artistic one.

However, he and Kathy said that he is actually not a good businessman, because, as he said, “profit is not my goal.

“My goal is to share. If we can break even I’m happy. If I can produce a little revenue, that is great.”

The camera and darkroom knowledge came from experience, such as running a camera shop single-handed when he was 18.

“It wasn’t a very prosperous place, so I spent a lot of time in the darkroom,” Hamiton said.

Later, between earning his degrees, Hamilton spent a summer working at Ansel’s Adam’s studio in Yosemite.

“Ansel Adams was a man after my own heart,” he said. “He’d study his subjects very carefully, find a spot and come back the next day.

“His black and whites were superb.”

Hamilton said that Adams didn’t like this part of the country because “no two days were alike.” But Hamilton said he loves it, and spent nearly five decades hiking, exploring and finding the perfect spots and times for his masterpieces.

He’s visited other beautiful places in the world, like the Pyrenees, Norway and the Dolomites of Italy, but that “I have no desire to leave the Peninsula. It’s my world.”

Life as a photographer “has been such a rewarding adventure,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful world, and it was such a privilege to record it in a way that showed what it really is.”

Learn more about Hamilton’s photography at rosshamiltonphotography.com.

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Emily Matthiessen is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at emily.matthiessen@sequimgazette.com.