GE15 Through the Eyes of a M’sian Award-Winning National Geographic Photographer

However, have you ever thought about what it must be like for people who are on the ground throughout the campaigning period leading up to the big day, such as the volunteers at the polling stations and even the photographers covering the various events?

Award-winning Photojournalist

Annice Lyn is a prominent Malaysian photojournalist whose works have been featured in global publications such as National Geographic, and the New York Times ––– even the cover of TIME magazine by capturing the artwork by Red Hong Yi, ‘Climate Is Everything’.

She previously covered the Malaysia General Election 2018 as a candidate photographer & campaign designer. She also covers news for Getty Images, an American media and news agency.

As a former national figure skater, Annice was impressively the first and only Malaysian female photographer to have her work accredited for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, Pyeongchang 2018, and most recently covered the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. The Selangor native has done all this despite being only 30 and her work to support fellow female photographers also landed her on the list of Forbes 30 Under 30, Asia 2021.

GE15 Preparations

We spoke to her about her preparation leading up to and during the elections which can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.

She broke down how the process goes from planning to research and then action. Annice said, “Before photographing the weeks of campaigning, I'll have a strategy meeting with my APAC Editor at Getty Images to oversee what needs to be highlighted this GE15.

“After finalising our 'game plan’, it is time to act on it. This means reaching out, doing substantial research, looking back to the archives and past elections, and then going forward with our editorial direction.”

Annice also started preparing herself in a personal capacity: “I started monitoring and reading more on Malaysian politics and campaigns, as well as allocating time to hit the gym to build up my strength and stamina.

I always made sure my camera bag was well stocked with necessities such as tiger balm for the long hours, packs of candies, granola bars, mosquito repellent, sunblock, and raincoats. All these were for the hours we had to put in if we ever found ourselves waiting on the ground.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Annice Lyn (@annicelyn)

“The longest I had to wait alongside the members of the media would be on 19 November 2022, as we waited from 8:30 pm (19 November 2022) to 3:30 am (20 November 2022) Hoping for a new government to be formed as well as a new Prime Minister to be announced.”

She continued, “It was after a long day on my end from having to wake up early at 7.00 am to capture images of the citizens voting. I know of some photojournalists who went to take photos of ministers voting in other states and then coming back to exercise their right to vote.

They would then station themselves at the location where the various parties would be viewing the live results. We had no proper meals to savour, only pockets of time to snack on along with our equipment and bags on site that honestly exercised our patience as the night unfolded.

She walked us through a typical day and a hectic schedule of taking photos for GE15: “A typical day starts from the night before where we get updates from the PR team of different coalitions and we would plan what requires to be covered whom we were assigned to or whom we work for.

We also had to have a rough idea of our agenda for the next day, prepare to the best of our capacity, and expect the worst or welcome anything that we have the capacity to troubleshoot as the day goes.”

That’s not all. They also had to make sure their equipment including laptops and cameras was charged and packed accordingly. “Each day I had to wake up early, eat a full breakfast or exercise to start off the day, always be ready if there was any shooting required, and be quick to change locations at a moment’s notice.” This schedule would be on repeat for the next few days.

Capturing the Elections vs Other Events

Although Annice has a padded resume of photographing events in her career, photographing the elections was markedly different for her, “Compared to other events, covering the election is photographing a piece of history with the ability to narrate the past and construct a future that is visible and transformative.”

She continued, “During this, I've learnt that as a photojournalist, photography has become secondary as it is in our blood as the skill set is in us all along.” The main challenges that have come with this are that it requires a skill set beyond photography which is both physically and mentally challenging.”

She elaborated, “Physically, it requires long hours of waiting and endurance, where you carry your gear around for the entire day and continuously for 4 weeks. Mentally, we have to make quick decisions that determine our visual output to the world and know where to be at the right time and at the right place. We also have to give on-ground updates and communicate with our editors.”

What Was Different About GE15

Annice commented on the differences between GE14 and GE15: “The difference that I noticed this time around was that we had four coalitions and three main ones as opposed to the GE14 where it was clear that we had two.”

This meant some changes for those working as well. She said, “Speed is key in this era where photojournalists, reporters, journalists, and correspondents have to beat our fellow competitors in terms of speed and quality on the ground. These were all done in spite of being unbiased at the forefront, and keeping our personal opinions personal while carrying on our professional practice”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Annice Lyn (@annicelyn)

She also noticed a difference due to it being the age of social media: “Personally with this election, aside from following the media, citizens tend to follow photojournalists and journalists to seek for direct insights and follow through their journey through this GE15 in for more personal engagement or to see things through ‘another lens’, I would say”.

The Hopes of A Photojournalist

Rather than just being photos that document an event, Annice said that Malaysian citizens would feel certain emotions while looking at her work, “I hope the work I produce through the art of photography will be able to encourage understanding and capture the human connections amongst the Malaysian citizens.

As a photojournalist and visual storyteller, if I'm able to tap into someone's spirit, either a feeling of complete menace, fear or a feeling of inspiration and hope then my job is done, and I'm content.”

No matter our political choices, as Malaysians, we are all united in hoping for a better future for the country and Annice has the same dreams. She said, “With the new government, I hope the appointed leaders will uphold their integrity and be in the service of the rakyat with the vision of an inclusive Malaysia, be it in terms of its economic, legal, institutional, educational, social, cultural, and locational needs. I understand that no one is perfect but I hope to see a clean government that is free from corruption as the leaders do their best in the current circumstances. Onwards and forwards!”.

We hope so too! Malaysia boleh!

Words edited for clarity and conciseness