BIOGRAPHY TEXT WORKSHEET

Read the text and then do the exercise

BENJAMIN VON WONG

Benjamin Von Wong never set out to be a photographer, and he became one almost by
accident. Nevertheless, in the space of the past 5 years since quitting his day job, he’s
earned a worldwide reputation as a brilliantly original photographic artist, and was even
named one of four winners of this year’s Imaging Alliance award for Visionary Photographers.

He was born in Toronto, Canada in 1986 to Chinese-Malaysian parents, attended 13 different

schools in 3 different countries given in 3 different languages, and eventually became a
mining engineer. In 2012, he quit his job as an engineer, not because he wanted to be a
photographer but because he no longer wanted to do engineering. In short, he became a
photographer by default, but  it soon became his consuming creative passion. Today, he pays
rent in San Francisco but his corporation, VonWong.com, is still based in Canada.

Von Wong is more than just a superb photographer; he is a man on a mission who creates
and facilitates photographic projects by attracting like-minded participants to a cause larger
than themselves. The unique thing about his photography is that it’s created largely with the
help of volunteers, often people he’s never met before, to collaborate and come up with
something unique and different

He creates fantastical visual worlds through photography, virally promoting worthy causes,
then posts them on his website so people can experience the creative process in a visceral
way. His work looks hyper-realistic, appearing almost computer-generated, but it’s totally
based on capturing images of what is actually in front of his camera, though they often look
as though they were created in Photoshop. “My intention is to generate a level of intrigue,
leaving viewers to wonder about the creation process itself,” Von Wong observes.  Perhaps
even more important, he shares his creative process through behind-the-scenes images,
videos, and blog posts in order to educate, inspire and engage the entire global creative
community. Von Wong is currently dedicating much of his time to self-funded projects focused
on environmental conservation.

As a photographer, he knows that his job is to deliver, regardless of what happens, something
that engages the audience and takes them beyond merely pursuing their dreams and
passions to changing their mindset and their behavior. “I want my work to get people to see
things differently, to think differently about the world we live in, and to inspire them to make
the world a better place. I also know that the only way I can achieve these lofty goals is to
lead by example.”

1|Biography Worksheet
 BIOGRAPHY REPORT FORM

Person’s Name: ___________________________________________

1. Write a summary what you learn after reading the text (In about 30-50 words)

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2. Personal Information : (Write it in list form)

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2|Biography Worksheet
3. What is this person famous for?

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4. Interesting facts about this person:

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5. What do you learn about the person?

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3|Biography Worksheet