About

About TAN LIP SENG

Tan Lip Seng Hon. PSA.,F.R.P.S., E.F.I.A.P., F.P.S.A., M.P.S.A.,HON.F.PSS.,Hon.FPSNJ., HON.F.SCC.,
HON.OPC.BSC., HON.PFR., EP.PSM., HON.F.SEAPS., HON.F.PCKBC., HON.F.NPAS., HON.F.PSG.,Hon.F PSM
HON.E.HKCC., HON.E.CPA., HON.OG.PH., HON.O.C., MH.F.C.FOIX, A.C.F.C., MHFCBA., HMFCA.,
A.C.C.P., HON.F.SCPS., SE 35mmPS., ASIIPC., A.B.I.P.P., HON.F.FCM.,HONPESGSPC., PSA 2nd DIAMOND GALAXY,
SINGAPORE CULTURAL MEDALLION AWARD.

Tan Lip Seng Hon. PSA., FRPS., FPSA., MPSA, EFIAP., ABIPP., born in Singapore in 1942 and took up photography as a hobby when he was only twelve years old.

AWARDS FROM INTERNATIONAL SALONS

From 1962 to 1997, his colour transparencies gained a total of 6005 acceptances in 2439 international salons.
During this period, he won 1079 awards in international salons including 34 PSA Gold Medals for the “Best Slide Of The Show”, 8 FIAP Gold Medal and 241 other Gold Medals.
He is ranked as one of the world’s top ten pictorial colour slides exhibitors and has held this position for 19 years (1969 to 1988).

MEMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA

since 1967 he has been a member of the Photographic Society of America
1970,awarded Five Star Exhibitor of the PSA Colour Slide Division
1985,obtained his Diamond Galaxy Exhibitor rating and became the 1st person in Asia to obtain this rating.
1994,awarded APSA
1996,obtained his 2nd Diamond Galaxy Exhibitor rating and became the 5th person in the world to obtain such a rating.
1997,awarded EPSA (Excellence member of the Photographic Society of America) and became the 1st person in Asia to obtain this honour.
since 1997,appointed as the International Representative in Singapore for the Photographic Society of America
1998, he was awarded the “Best Country Representative of the Year”.
1998, PSA Orlando Convention, he presented his topics on “Creative Montage with Color Transparencies” as well as the “PSA Best of Singapore Slide Collection”.
1999, PSA Toronto Conference, he was honoured as a Fellow of the Photographic Society of America (FPSA), the first Singaporean to receive this honour.
2011, PSA Colorado Springs Conference, he was honoured as a Master of the Photographic Society of America (MPSA).
2013,appointed as Liaison Officer for Singapore
2015 Elected as Hon. PSA, Honorary Member
2015 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” at the West Yellowstone International Convention
2020 appointed as a member of Honor Award Committee of The Photographic Society Of America from 2020 to 2024 (Aug 2020)

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN

since 1964,he has been a member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
1964,gained the distinction of ARPS in Black And White (Pictorial category
1970, he had the distinction of being the first person in Singapore to be awarded a Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain (FRPS) for his achievements with Pictorial Colour transparencies.
1986-2010, appointed as the Overseas Service Representative of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain
1993,invited to present a series of lectures to the Royal Photographic Society’s Members of North Western Region
1996,delivered a series of lectures to the members of the Royal Photographic Society’s North East Region, Cumbria Region and the Northwest Region in September
1998,awarded the Fenton Medal by the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and enrolled as an Honorary Life Member (the first ever Chinese recipient for this award) for his distinguished service to the Society .

FIAP AWARD

1972,obtained his EFIAP

JUDGING AND CONFERENCE

Over the years, he has attended more than 100 international photographic events as an exhibitor, speaker and adjudicator.
1980, speaker on “Creative Montage with Colour Transparency” at The Singapore World Photographic Congress, one of the largest photography events in Southeast Asia
1980, conducted a workshop on “Creative Montage with Colour Transparency” for Candra Naya Photographic Society, Jakarta, Indonesia
1986,invited as a guest speaker of the Photographic Society of Australia Convention in Adelaide
1988,represented Singapore to attend the 5th Symposium on ASEAN Travelling Exhibition of Painting, Photography and Children’s Art, Jakarta, Indonesia
1993,invited to judge the 21st Paisley International Salon, Scotland.
In the same year, he was also invited to lecture to various photo societies at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Paisley, Kilmarnoch, Dundee and Glasgow in Scotland
1996,judged the Northern Counties International Salon in the United Kingdom.
2016 Judged the 83rd Wilmington International Salon, organised by the Delaware Photographic Society, Wilmington, USA (Jan)
2016 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” & “A Photographer’s Footsteps In Singapore For The Last Half A Century” at the Princeton Library, New Jersey,
organised by The PSA Metropolitan Chapter & The Photographic Society of New Jersey (Jan)
2016 presented “A Photographer’s Footsteps In Singapore For The Last Half A Century” at the Delaware Photographic Society, Wilmington, USA (Jan)
2019 Judged the 40th NCPF International Salon, UK (Sept)
2019 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” at the Durham Photographic Society,UK (Sept)
2019 presented “A Photographer’s Footsteps In Singapore For The Last Half A Century” at the Whickham Camera Club UK (Sept)
2019 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” at Gosforth Camer Club,UK (Sept)
2020 presented 1st webinar “My Art Of Seeing” to Nusantara Photo Club, Indonesia (October)

NATIONAL ARTS SERVICES AND AWARD

In 1985, the Ministry of Community Development of Singapore awarded him the Singapore Cultural Medallion (Singapore highest award in Arts) in recognition of his artistic talent and creativity and for his commendable achievement in photography.
From 1986 to 1998, he served as a member of the panel of the Photographic Art Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Community Development of Singapore, Ministry of Information And The Arts and the Singapore National Arts Council.
From 1998 to 2008, he served as an Arts Advisor of the Singapore National Arts Council.

He has served as a member of:

1989 National Day Parade Pledge Taking member at the National Stadium, Ministry of Information and The Arts

1994,served in the Advisory Panel on Visual Arts Exhibitions, Ministry of Information And The Arts

1997 to 1999,served in the Theatre/Annual Grants Assessment Panel, NAC

1995, 1997, 1999, served in the Planning and Organising Committee of Singapore Art, NAC

2000,Renaissance City Report, Ministry of Information And The Arts

Other NATIONAL ART SERVICES and ACHIEVEMENTS:

1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, chaired the Photography Specialist Panel for Cultural Medallion And Young Artist Award, NAC
2002,served as Vice-Chairman of Photography Specialist Panel for Cultural Medallion And Young Artist Award, NAC
2000 to 2002, served as NAC External Assessor For Visual Arts
In July 2003, he was featured in the “Self-Portrait II” of the Arts Central Channel (Media Crop, National Television Channel) on his life and achievement as a photographer.
2005 July, named by Ngee Ann Cultural Centre as “Photographer of the Year”
2007, awarded National Arts Council Cultural Medallion Grant
2010, interviewed by National Archives of Singapore for “Oral History” (Photography)
2021, one of the four photographers featured in “Stories in Light” the first virtual exhibition of the National Gallery, Singapore (March)

HONORARY FELLOWSHIP & OTHER AWARDS

1975, Hon.F PSS of the Photographic Society of Singapore
1976, Hon.F SCC of the Siam Colour Slide Club, Thailand
1985, Hon.F SEAPS of the South East Asia Photographic Society, Singapore
1986, Hon.F SCPS of the Singapore Colour Photographic Society
1987, Hon.F FCM of the Photographic Society of Macau
1996, Hon.F FSAPS of the Sabah Art and Photographic Society, Malaysia
2002, Hon.F PSP of the Photographic Society of Penang, Malaysia
2004, Hon.F NPC of the Nusantara Photographic Club, Indonesia
2004, Hon.F PASBP of the Photo Art Society Batu Pahat, Malaysia
2014, Hon.F PSM, of the Photographic Society of Malaysia, awarded in recognition of contributions to the advancement of the arts and sciences of photography
2016, Hon.F PSNJ, of the Photographic Society of New Jersey,USA
2019 awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Photography” award by the Fujiang Huaguang Academy of Photography, Quanzhou, China (Nov)
2019 appointed as “Artistic Consultant” by Quanzhou Huaguang Vocational College (November)

HONORARY PRESIDENT

2002, Elected as a Honorary President of the Nusantara Photo Club, Indonesia

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

A number of his colour slides had been included in the PSA Permanent Collection (1969, 1993) and in the PSA’s Tops in Photography (1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.)
1996,30 Colour Prints for International Kameraklub Bilderbank Collections, Camera Club Linz, Austria
2001, Invited to contribute twelve slides to The Grace Lock Memorial APS Permanent Collection of Slides (Australia)
2005, Ngee Ann Cultural Centre (20 colour prints, Singapore)
2008, National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board
2009, Ngee Ann Cultural Centre (10 colour prints, Singapore)
2009, China Overseas Chinese Museum, Beijing (10 colour digital images)
2014,Photographic Society of America Permanent Collection (6 Prize Winning Images)
2015,Ngee Ann Cultural Centre (2 colour prints, Singapore)
2017,National Gallery, Singapore

SINGAPORE ENCYCLOPEDIA AND E-RESOURCES

2006, Featured in Singapore: The Encyclopedia published by National Heritage Board
2014, Featured in an article, eresources, National Library, Singapore Government

TRIBUTE SINGAPORE

2012,Featured in “Tribute sg” Exhibition and Website by Esplanade- Theatres on the Bay, Singapore (In celebration of 10 Anniversary).
Tribute brings to the forefront of our cultural consciousness people who have made significant contribution to the development of the arts in Singapore.
Tribute honours the many individuals who built the foundations on which our many arts and cultural institutions now stand

PROJECTS INVOLVED IN PAST YEARS

1997 Singapore Today; Editorial Committee
1999 Shanghai In The Eyes of World’s Top Photographers
2000 World Photographers Focusing On Beijing (a project for 2008 Olympic application)
2002 “Humanist Photography” (Month of Photography,Singapore )
2003 “International Exchange of Photographs Exhibition, Kyoto, on Unesco World Heritage Sites” (May)
2004 “10th Tribute to Colour” Netherlands (by invitation)
2005 “To Singapore with Love” (Member of the Panel of Judges),
2005 Judging the “Salonfoto Indonesia XXVI”, (August)
2005 Chairman of the Judging Panel of 13th International Exhibition of Photography, Sri Lanka,(Oct)
2005 Romania Exhibition (Invitation Exhibition with Eng Loy) at the Hall of Art School in Tirgu Mures, Romania, (Nov)
2005 Invited guest of “The PSHK International Salon 60th Anniversary Celebration” (Dec)
2006 Judging the Borobudur Photographic Competition, Indonesia,
2007 “My Landscape Images”, a Jakarta Photo Club, Indonesia, invited presentation(Aug)
2007 Singapore Art Show, Singapore Art Museum,(invited exhibitor)
2007 “Digital Images and Me”,International Photographic Exhibition & Seminar. Kaohsiung, Taiwan (invited speaker & exhibitor,Oct)
2007 “The Light Of Indonesia”, Pameran Fotografi Indonesia, Jakarta Photo Club, (Invited exhibitor), Nov.
2007 “Travelling With Digital Imaging”, Indonesia Embassy in Singapore (invited speaker), Nov.
2008 “Beautiful Attractions In Indonesia” Garuda Indonesia International Competition , Focus 2008 Photo Fair, (invited speaker), Jakarta, Indonesia
2008 Judge the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Competition, Jakarta,Indonesia,(August)
2008 Golden Jubilee of the Photographic Society of Macau Invitation Exhibition, Macau (Oct. 2008)
2008 “Bromo Land of Fire God” Exhibition at Java Banana Bromo Lodge (Nov 2008 to Feb 2009), Indonesia,(invited exhibitor)
2008 “My Concept of Culture and Tourism In Photography” invited speaker and exhibitor at the INDONESIA PHOTOWEEK II Seminar – (Nov),Bandung, Indonesia,
2009 Judged the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Competition,Jakarta, Indonesia,(August)
2009 Judged the the 25th FIAP Projected Images Biennial in Bandung, Indonesia, (August)
2009 Presented a solo exhibition entitled “Painting with Light & Shadow- A 50 Year Chronicle” at Ngee Ann Cultural Centre, Singapore, August
2009 Published a book entitled “Light & Shadow – Tan Lip Seng’s 50 Year of Photography” August
2009 Invitation exhibition of “World Renowned Photographer’s Exhibition” in conjunction with The Peoples’ Republic of China 60th Anniversary National Day Celebrations, held in Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Macau
2010 Invitation exhibition of “17th International Joint Exchange of Photograph Exhibition, Kyoto, Japan, May
2010 Judge the 1st Indonesia Salon Of Art Photography,Jakarta, June
2010 Invitation to participate the Three Rivers International Photographic Festival,Xining,Qinghai, July
2010 Chairman of the Judging Panel of 15th International Exhibition of Photography, Sri Lanka, Sept
2010 Judged the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Competition, (October), Jakarta, Indonesia,
2011 Judged the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Competition, semi-final (October), Jakarta, Indonesia,
2011 Judged the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Competition ,final (December), Jakarta, Indonesia,
2012 Judge the 2nd Indonesia Salon Of Art Photography, Jakarta, June
2012 Exhibited in “Our Journey” of the Nusantara Photo Club, Indonesia
2013 Exhibited in “Our Journney 2” of the Nusantara Photo Club, Indonesia
2013 Invitation exhibition of Chinese Photographers World-wide, Huaian, Jiangsu, China, organized by the China Society Of Overseas Chinese Photographers
2013 Invitation exhibition of “Who’s Who Masterpieces” PSEA 50th Golden Jubilee Celebration, Hong Kong
2014 Permanent Collection Exhibition of the Opening of the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China, Beijing
2015 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” at the Nusantara Photo Club Annual Meeting at Jogjakarta, Indonesia
2015 presented “My Journey from Nature to Culture, A Glimpse of Indonesia Through My Travel” at the Focus Nusantara, Jakarta,Indonesia
2015 Invitation exhibition of the 2nd Chinese Photographers World-wide, Beijing, China, organized by the China Society Of Overseas Chinese Photographers
2015 judged the 1st Cross Continental Circuit, Bali, Indonesia (Dec)
2015 participated in ” To Measure the Depth of Ocean” Exhibition and Dialogue session organised by DECK, Singapore (Dec)
2015 The Cultural Medallion and Visual Arts Exhibition, organised by Nanyang Institute of Fine Arts and National Arts Council, (Dec)
2016 Nusantara Photo Club Photo Exhibition, Surabaya, Indonesia (Dec)
2017 Invited Exhibitor, 12th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (April)
2017 Invited Exhibitor, The 19th Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition (Nov)
2018 Judged the 24th Singapore Photo-Art International Salon (April)
2018 Speaker of the Forum of the 24th Singapore Photo-Art International Salon (April)
2018 Photographic Society of America International Print Exhibition, Hanoi (May) & Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (July)
2018 Invited Exhibitor, “Wonderful Indonesia”, Hanoi, Vietnam (June)
2018 Invited Exhibitor, Kaohsiung International Photographer Exhibition, Taiwan (Sept)
2018 Invited Exhibitor, The 20th Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition (Nov)
2019 Invited Exhibitor, 14th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (July)
2020 Invited Exhibitor, The 22nd Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition (Nov)
2021 Invited Exhibitor, The 16th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (June)
2021 Invited Exhibitor, The 23rd Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition (Jan 2022 exhibited)
2021 featured in “Cultural Medallion Showcase”, The Arts House (Nov 2021)
2022 Invited Exhibitor, The 17th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (June)
2022 Invited Exhibitor, The 24th Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition Photographic Exhibition (Nov)
2022 featured in “Living Pictures: Photography In SoutheastAsia”, Singapore National Gallery (Dec-Aug 2023)
2023 Invited Exhibitor, The 18th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition (June)
2023 Public talk on “Re____k Photography at the Objectifs (15 July 2023)
2023 Invited Exhibitor, The 25th Ngee Ann National Teochew Artists Exhibition Photographic Exhibition (Nov)
Lipseng’s PhotoArt Gallery: This website https://www.elcreations.org/lipsengtan/photoblog/ was established in 2003, to date 3192 images has been posted and viewed by 426692 visitors, 1133 has commented (updated Jan 2023)