Liew's lens of history

Rare photo of photographer Liew Wee Peng
[holding camera] in an event with
HRH Sultan Ismail and Sultanah Tun Aminah

EVERY day, many cars and pedestrians pass through Jalan Ibrahim in Johor Baru but perhaps only a few would notice the Johor Heng Photo Studio, which is situated to the left of the T-junction where Jalan Trus meets with Jalan Ibrahim.

This studio was one of the few professional photography shops that opened for business as early as in the 1900s.

Named after its original owner, Heng Kok Wee, the studio is still in business now, operated by two brothers — Alex Liew Ah Lek, 64, and Liew Kok Choy, 61, — the sons of Heng’s photographer, Liew Wee Peng.

Born in Bentong, Pahang, in 1913, the senior Liew moved to live in Johor Baru when he was about 10 years old.  He took up photography as a hobby and in 1936, opened Peng Kwang Photo Studio in Ulu Tiram.  

The hardworking Liew did not wait for customers to come to his studio but he would go out to find business, riding his bicycle to places as far as Tampoi, Plentong, Masai, Skudai and Kulai.  

Over the next six years, he developed a thriving business but when World War Two broke out, Liew had to close his studio.

Alex Liew or Ah Lek, at ground floor
entrance to Johor Heng Photo Studio
on Jalan Ibrahim

The Japanese soon discovered Liew’s photography skills and ordered him to report to the their military headquarters to work on the production of their print items and to shoot photos for them.  

They issued Liew with a permit which gave him the right to travel around to take photos.  

Liew put his skills to good use and gained much experience but was glad when the war was over and he could return to civilian life.

In 1946 Liew then moved to Johor Baru and found a job as a photographer with Johor Heng Photo Studio. 

The collection of old photos now displayed in the studio is a legacy of Liew’s work. 

Wall-to-wall mounted photos from the ground floor wall, along the staircase wall and the landing upstairs, are a rare anthology of Johor’s early development and history.

Some of these priceless photos of streets and buildings, include portraits of Sultan Sir Ibrahim Abu Bakar, who was the Sultan of Johor from 1895 to 1959.  

Many Black and White, and special coloured shots captured happy scenes of the Sultan and his consort, Lady Marcella, with their daughter, Tunku Miriam.

Brothers, Ah Lek [Right] and Kok Choy
[Left] often posed for their father

Rarer still was a photo of Liew the photographer, in a candid shot taken by someone else at an event with Sultan Ismail Ibrahim and his consort, Sultanah Tun Aminah.

Ah Lek and Kok Choy inherited his interest in photography probably because they were continually exposed to their father’s excitement of capturing precious moments on film.  

Very often the boys went out with Liew on assignments and they were sometimes the models in their father’s photos.

When Heng passed away, the senior Liew took over the business and maintained the studio’s established name and reputation.  

In 1964, Ah Lek joined his father to work in the studio and younger brother, Kok Choy also joined the business.

They learnt the ropes from Liew and were skilled in operating the ancient old shutter camera. 

Around the 1960's, the flash-bulb camera was introduced, but it was expensive to use because the bulb could only be used once, and after which it had to be thrown away.  

When their father passed on, Ah Lek and Kok Choy inherited the business and now the studio is kept open for heritage hunters to explore and enjoy the nostalgia of a by-gone era.

Old camera in Johor Heng Photo Studio

The double doors of the entrance leading to the studio upstairs are panelled with mirrors and the sign above the door boasts of an air-conditioned building.  

It was then the early days of air-conditioning, you see, and it was considered posh for a studio to have an air-conditioner.

The studio has an interesting wall design plastered with a landscape poster and a mock-up of a series of Moorish arches that customers once found fashionable to pose for photos.

This wooden rattle must have coaxed
countless smiles!

There was also a fascinating collection of old cameras that ranged from the wooden made-in Shanghai Seagull brand shutter camera from 1950 to an older model, without identification details.

Do not miss the gigantic rattle created out of wood that must have coaxed smiles from countless children whose photos were successfully taken in this studio through many generations.

Johor Heng Photo Studio at is at 61-A Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Baru.

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 7 December 2010