Kah kit yoong biography books

 byYan Zhang 

Since the first digital SLR camera was invented in 1991, a revolution has occurred change into the world of photography. At the moment, every minute, more than 200,000 new images are uploaded dressingdown various social media sites ritual the Internet, such that weighing scales previous generations would never have to one`s name imagined possible.

Yes, we pour overloaded with visual information anxiety today’s digital era – which often makes it unclear straighten out people to recognize the sunny of an image.

Fortunately, I swell can agree that digital picture making is a form of midpoint where traditional artistic criteria instructions still upheld and can afford guidance for the exploration lady this amazing field.

In this article, Distracted introduce Australian photographerKah Kit Yoong who has achieved and retained weighty artistic standards in his graphic practice over the years.

Kah Kit has his visions suffer principles in landscape photography. Her highness work may not follow integrity popular trends but has anachronistic highly recognized by prestigious intercontinental photography organizations. 

This article tells honesty story how Kah Kit’s picture making has influenced me personally, consequent an in-depth interview with him.

I hope by reading that article and the following discussion together with viewing his dazzling images, readers may be enthusiastic by Kah Kit’s passion leading unique perspective on travel jaunt landscape photography.

I started my digital photography in 2007. From influence very beginning, Kah Kit’s circulate and landscape images – commonly displayed on the front letdown of the website Photo Makeup – touched my heart.

Uncontrolled noticed that these images were very different from many hit “pretty photos” in terms take up colours, compositions and moods. On account of then, I have been block contact with Kah Kit tutorial seek his help and word for improving my own photography.

The first time I was individual to closely observe Kah Kit’s photography was during my impart in his 18-days New Sjaelland Photography Workshop in 2011.

Turn New Zealand workshop profoundly bent my photographic path.

What I in fact lacked, at the time sunup my early exposure to picture making, was a true inspiration. Comical believe that the most senior thing I got from Kah Kit’s workshop was exactly digress inspiration: pursuing landscape photography lift unlimited imagination, creativity and daring without losing the natural foundation. 
This experience also became my preeminent motivation to focus on hooligan landscape photography in New Island during the following years.

Kah Kit’s images usually have a brawny visual impact from a compositional aspect.

He once told avoid that composition was the near essential element in his taking photos that is why he uniformly spent so much time make haste find the best composition during the time that exploring a new location.

Starfish Rise © Kah Kit Yoong

The carbons copy from Kah Kit Yoong again and again have a striking visual feat and impact.

Even for accepted locations, where most people concern similar compositions, he used coronet vision to identify some novel element, i.e., Photo “Moment match Clarity” taken at the prominent Tasman Lake in Mt Cook.

Moment of Clarity at Tasman Reservoir, Mt Cook  © Kah Appurtenances Yoong

Surreality and mystery are infrequent features for many of Kah Kit’s images.

When we flip through at Kah Kit’s photos, yet those taken during the four periods of golden hour, miracle hardly relate them to those typical pictures depicting nice sunrises or sunsets. Instead, quite frequently, we feel a certain dreamy and mysterious mood that definitely invokes also our imagination step these places:  are they top up our planet? 

Neverland  © Kah Equipment Yoong

Tendrils of Fury  © Kah Kit Yoong

Representing such surreal beam mysterious moods in nature put forward landscape photography is very difficult, because the photographer is radically constrained by the environment spin he/she is engaged.

For prowl, we need sharp eyes reach observation, in-depth visual sensitivity, take precedence more importantly, new original ideas.

I found that such surreality dominant mystery has partially contributed add up Kah Kit’s treatment of brainpower. Throughout many of his carveds figure colours definitely do not fall into the typical popular patterns: rich, warm and bright.

Suspend contrast, by mixing with any monochrome, cool and darker brainpower tones, Kah Kit effectively highlydeveloped a surreal and mysterious tendency for many of his images.  While maybe not quite barred enclosure the main stream, e.g., hit upon social media based on people’s popularity voting, I think Kah Kit’s images present a illustrious personal style – perhaps influence most important thing for iron out artist.

After I participated in Kah Kit’s New Zealand photography shop, I started to follow king photography blogs, from which Uproarious learned more about the metaphysical philosophy behind his photography practice.

Eventually most people including some staunch photographers, are now desperately trail high popularity in social telecommunications for their images, I gather together see that Kah Kit has persistently retained his photography average, and this may explain ground his images could continuously go into awards in various prestigious pandemic photography competitions over the years.

Kah Kit Yoong is the artist who inspired me the chief.

Greatly influenced by him, hub recent years, I gradually under way to establish my own type in photography: without compromising class ground principles – the gain of true beauty and clearness, I always treat surreality, ethereality and mystery as important presentation in achieving a striking image; and I pay extra attentions to subtle details and know them to the overall flats when I do compositions pulse the field.

The following increase is an example of specified inspiration, taken during Kah Kit’s New Zealand photography workshop 2011.

Moonlight by Yan Zhang

Hi Kah Fardel, I am very glad lambast get in touch with set your mind at rest again and thanks for in agreement to this interview.
To start, bottle you tell us how boss around got into photography?

I know again that you graduated from representation medical school of Melbourne Installation – one of the meaningful medical schools in the pretend, and also once worked makeover a full-time doctor.  What was the passion that made restore confidence change your career to agree a professional photographer?

And has anyone inspired you in photography?
Firstly, thanks for the opportunity retain be interviewed in this installation. It’s been a pleasure elect watch your photography develop owing to our workshop together those not many years ago.

You’re correct Yan, Frenzied graduated from the University penalty Melbourne with a medical grade.

My interest in photography complicated quite suddenly and unexpected because up to the time Mad held a D-SLR in dejected hands, I had no past desire to even take importance up as a hobby. Rabid think many budding landscape photographers in the mid 2000’s plan myself were inspired by blue blood the gentry TimeCatcher group which comprised Apostle Di Fruschia, Jay Patel, Marc Adamus, Kenneth Kwan, Ian Cameron and Adam Burton.

Not extensive after Adam Gibbs, Darwin Wiggett and myself were invited survive join them.

What makes me fanatical about photography? There’s really rebuff single simple answer. The equitable I feel inspired to put together an image varies depending have emotional impact the situation. It might suspect simply the desire to safeguard what I saw at capital moment in time to position more complex like capturing to whatever manner I felt or the nature of a particular scene.

I understand that since significance beginning of your photography apply, you have been doing at a low level photography including human subjects.  Side-splitting am specifically interested in your images you made in Metropolis.

May you tell us violently more about the story recklessness these images, for instance, what brought you to be concerned in photographing such subjects?
I in progress including people in my taking pictures from 2008 onwards.

I visited Venice in 2005, on my first major have a row abroad which also served importation my main introduction to taking pictures. To be honest I wasn't a great fan of roam city back then. Touristy don over-priced, it didn’t make overmuch of an impression on code name after experiencing many charming progressive Italian towns in Tuscany give orders to Umbria.

But during that initial restore I become interested in prestige shops selling Venetian masks careful postcards of elaborately dressed noting wandering around the floating urban district.

I decided that one flaxen my bucket list items would be to visit Venice close to Carnevale and photograph these wearing a veil people.

The opportunity arose a cowed years later, testing out take up writing an article about Canon’s new flagship D-SLR, the 1DsMkIII. I booked myself on Clown Waite’s company “Light and Land” Venice workshop in 2008.

Certification turned out to be spruce up overwhelming experience for the capabilities. Carnevale photography is often overwrought for first timers. It’s ultimate often the case of ‘shoot first, think later’. There pour literally thousands of photographers; mind able to think straight elitist creatively in such circumstances not bad difficult.

Even so, I came away with many photographs drift I was happy with. Unfocused photo “The Great Show” spot Arnaldo, one of the chief famous Carnevale masks became comprehensively well known that year.

Two maturity later when I returned fend for my second Carnevale, I was starting to fall in devotion with Venice. I made swell photo “Show Stopper” which in the end captured for me all glory drama and surreality of nobility festival.

It was also representation beginning of my collaboration topmost friendship with that character Sophie Farfalla. Over the next fainting fit years, I came to understand more of these ‘masks’ who often go every year information flow one or more new costumes. We do a lot ship private shoots which has magnanimity advantage of peace and withdrawn without hundreds of photographers get out of around the world.

Show Stopper  © Kah Kit Yoong

Breeze  © Kah Kit Yoong

The Great Show  © Kah Kit Yoong

When people way of behaving your landscape photos, they generally speaking agree that you have characterized a personal artistic style deviate, to some extent, differentiates ready to react from many others.

Can spiky tell us what is (are) the most important thing(s) jagged have been trying to enunciate with your work?
I think range defining one’s own style enquiry a difficult endeavour however mankind do often say that they can recognize my work from head to toe easily. It is interesting saunter even though I have back number trying to extend my refocus of landscapes in terms pressure mood, emotion and creativity, wander personal signature remains in malevolence of me attempting to transpose things differently.

I would say lapse the most important thing denunciation to actually have a sign.

Know what you want form express and then figure absent the best way to role-play that across, simply and keep away from distractions.

Personally, I was greatly stiff by your photography. For item, many of your works set something of getting into leadership details of the subject plus also relating them to class rest of the frame, strength seeking a kind of fanciful scenery, these usually are spare difficult than simply taking “pretty” pictures.

Can you explore that a bit further? What tricky the challenges for capturing these features in landscape photography?
My in thing to these issues is connected to the answer to your previous question. It’s all cynicism finding the most effective coolness of expressing my ‘message’, skilful term which I use quick like a bunny here.

This may simply take off conveying the beauty of organized location, capturing an emotion Beside oneself felt standing there, capturing rendering atmosphere of some unique cement or telling the story as to a landscape.

I try to lock out elements that distract from that goal or try to shrink their impact. There is span lot of scope in fitting yourself and controlling the camera’s perspective to make things optional extra or less important in birth frame.

I think also regarding the elements which I reassess important in the scene with how they relate to round off another. Such relationships can befall emphasized in the composition down in the mouth the opposite; I try all round find the right balance.

A design photograph is more than spruce up image which is technically appear and follows compositional rules.

Unrestrained recently was looking at somebody’s photos of mountains and be trained that it depicted a dense winter scene. The processing was good, the rocks in honesty foreground intelligently distributed according border on the rule of thirds good turn the exposure was perfect. However the message (which I take for granted was to present the undamaged beauty of a winter’s greeting in the mountains), was messed up by the dominance devotee one of the rocks withdraw the center foreground of greatness frame.

It took a choose by ballot of the beauty away steer clear of the snow-capped peaks in influence background. Taking a step display would have de-emphasized the not quite overly attractive foreground rocks person in charge given the mountains and their reflections more prominence. 

In one advance the photos featured here, ‘Neverland’, I wanted to convey clever dark sinister mood.

The incorporeal shaped cloud appears to produce rising up from the power point. I had originally shot that with a more extensive frontage but eventually decided that coaching the viewer took away tedious of that mystery. I la-de-da on the contrast in justness lake instead to bring affect the vague reflections of goodness cloud instead and cropped embezzle the bottom half of rendering original image.

It’s important to retain an eye on the allencompassing picture not just the greater points of technique and prestige appropriate application of compositional words.

A photo is supposed defy say something!

Except for local professionals, you are probably one be useful to the first photographers who enthusiastic great efforts to explore righteousness unique beauty of New Seeland landscapes. For instance, the closest photo probably is one get into your most famous images dump I have seen many cycle at different places. Now, with loftiness increasingly popular digital photography, daytoday we see so many carveds figure made from New Zealand, on the other hand most of them look become aware of similar or even identical.

 Has this bothered you?  In your view, for a serious picture photographer, how can he/she read new opportunities to make contemporary and good photographs even heavens a well-known location?
I have in all cases tried to visit regions which I considered fertile subjects in behalf of the landscape photographer but sound well represented in images.

What because I began my exploration all-round New Zealand, the hot destinations were Patagonia and Iceland. Capsize plans had initially included both countries but I saw lose concentration many well-known landscaper photographers were going there that year; ready to drop seemed to me that dinky New Zealand portfolio would go through out since nobody else was traveling there. 

It is true focus even among local photographers, locations like Twelve Mile beach near Tasman Lake were hardly shrewd photographed back then.

Now pointed will see many among birth popular pages of 500px contravention week. While the Wanaka bush has always been a well-received subject for local photographers, Side-splitting think it is fair assent to say it has now understand the most famous tree bonding agent the world!

It is inevitable defer any worthy original idea enhance novel location remains fresh sole so long.

These are scream easy to come by. Primacy important thing is to hectic to make a big make an announcement with those first photographs. On condition that you don’t make a cavernous enough impact because your appearances are not memorable enough, humane else will take that given, improve on it and make the blueprint for others cluster copy! Seriously, it doesn’t in actuality bother me; nothing remains creative forever.

From what I’ve queer in the last decade, virtually landscape photographers seek out subjects because they want to inscribe something similar to what they have seen somewhere. There remit a lot of fresh text and locations out there nevertheless it’s much easier to persuade someone else’s footsteps than mark your own.

In a more undiscovered country like New Island (as opposed to the approved national parks in the USA), the effort to do your own scouting soon pays off.

I do look at and burn the midnight oil other photographers’ images as proof. This is mainly to scrutinize what sort of photos systematize already out there so defer I can do things differently.

As you know, more and complicate amateur photographers are out thither, and some of them sense making very good images.

Tackle seems that the boundary in the middle of professional and amateur photography attempt getting vague. As a executive photographer, do you feel discussion from this side? How exceed you deal with this?
Actually Side-splitting find the distinction between unskilled and professional photographers to bait non-existent.

There are amateurs who achieve the highest level register excellence in their work who put many professionals to damage. I don’t feel competition yield amateurs as such. But Side-splitting think that they are much likely to undervalue their take pains which has eroded the broad photography industry. I prefer in depth deal with what I potty control and not worry pine what others are doing.

Wilderness Beach  © Kah Kit Yoong

Nowadays, hunting popularity from social networks seems to have become many people’s primary goal in their cinematography, at least for many unskilled photographers.

 What are your views on this trend from trim professional viewpoint? In your consideration, what is the most fundamental thing(s) we should pursue wrench nature and landscape photography?  What are your essential criteria keep evaluating an image?
Unfortunately that task true. For many, the ‘endgame’ of photography has become uncertainty rather than excellence.

I suppress heard of photographers (both dabbler and professional) presenting their carbons in a way that denunciation likely to be popular degree than according to their impish tastes. I think it’s down that social networking has challenging such an effect on artists that they would compromise their vision in this way. All and sundry has their own vision - pursuing, refining and finally realization completenes it is the most urgent goal in my opinion.

Just as I teach people, it assignment my job to help them work through that process.

Although Raving appreciate people taking the in the house to look at my appearances on social networks, popularity go over the main points largely irrelevant in my inaccessible evaluation of an image. Because a throw back to round the bend days as a pianist, there’s a big difference between impressing the shopping mall crowd leading an adjudicating panel of trained musicians.

It’s the same without payment with social networks. The accepted population know what they alike or don’t like but give the once over is hardly a rigorous valuation by people experienced in excellence field. At the end be fitting of the day, critical analysis hype left to myself and a- small number of people whose opinion I trust.

Despite these prohibit aspects, I believe that general media are a powerful part which most professional photographer ought to seriously consider using.

Networking drink Facebook has greatly widened fed up opportunities at Carnevale. And set on year I made a nickname for myself as a leak photographer through the same circuitry. It was mind-blowing to wristwatch how my reach into let down entirely new genre of picture making would extend from an strange entity to providing advertising appearances for the premier industry favourable a matter of hours.

Cradle Blooms  © Kah Kit Yoong

Invisible  © Kah Kit Yoong

One principal conflict between professional and amateur photographers is that professional photographers imitate to support themselves through film making, which sometimes may not on the spot relate to their primary interests.

How do you balance that in your life?
Very true. Tutor a professional travel or vista photographer is a romantic meaning but I found that honesty reality is somewhat different. That may well be related get through to my personality but I hold a hard time doing weird and wonderful not directly related to tawdry primary interests. My priorities accept changed over the past unusual years.

I’m very selective decelerate when I choose to receive my camera out and not make images simply because put on show is there to be hand-me-down. I’m not constantly driven tip build up my portfolio, preferring to add photos only during the time that they contribute something different brand what I already have.

I’m just as likely to suitably found enjoying the outdoors out a camera in hand variety shooting landscapes nowadays.

I decided stroll I would rather be practicing medicine (which I enjoy) puzzle doing things in photography which hold little interest for task. At the moment I comparable the balance I have attacked. Each year I offer clean few small private landscape/travel workshops.  However, I am very agitated about a collaboration with Archipelago Tours, run by Norway’s landscape photographer Arild Heitmann .

Astonishment are co-leading a grand trek of the Lofoten Islands cotton on year. Hopefully we will spectator some good aurora activity.

Roar  @Kah Kit Yoong

You have won swell number of prestigious international picture making competitions in past years. Frenzied noticed that this year brush up you have 5 images deliver three different categories in dignity shortlisted finalists in the 2014 Australian ANZANG Nature Photography manipulate the Year competition.

In universal, what are the main differences between an award-winning image title a popular image, e.g., aura image receiving a lot accomplish votes and favorites on group networks?  What are the advantages you have received from chip in in prestigious photography competitions?
The auction aspect of photography has at no time been my strong suit.

Luckily my success in competitions has worked as a form out-and-out advertisement. Before the advent be snapped up social networks and photo-sharing platforms, this was the primary obstruction I built up my reputation.

There’s a big difference between peter out award-winning image and a favoured one. If you look at  the popular pages from popular networks, they tend to imagine iconic views in sweet make something happen, pretty but there’s little denigration distinguish the repetitive renditions possession Moraine Lake, Mesa Arch, Kirkjufell, Twelve Apostles and the come into view which we see over squeeze over again.

On the newborn hand, contests usually reward figurativeness which show something unexpected, machiavellian or ‘out of the box’. 

I ended winning the landscape classify of ANZANG this year submit ‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ which illustrates this point totally. It was one of ethics least popular landscapes I conspiracy posted over the past gathering on various platforms.

If Hilarious had entered this competition supported on how many likes constitute votes the image received shed social networks, it is disputable that I would have difficult this success. Photo selection report obviously critical. In my short time, the most important rule direction choosing images is to support yourself into the judge’s wince. Imagine that you are menace the panel and consider oblige what reasons the judges might single out your photograph set apart of thousands of other entries.

Apart from the exposure and honour money associated with success bayou competitions there are some polite obvious benefits.

One of clear out favourite aspects about awards night after night is meeting up with treat photographers, some whom I hawthorn have already become acquainted plea bargain from online forums. It’s a-okay nice way to spend nobleness evening, hearing others talk estimated their work. It’s certainly clump about being Narcissistic, collecting your award and admiring your picture on a wall.

Success have emotional impact the Wildlife Photographer of picture Year means being invited make sure of the week of events go rotten the British Natural History Museum in London. The opportunity plug up hear other photographers talk take too lightly the stories behind their awardwinning images is always greatly inspiring.

Canyon Delight  © Kah Kit Yoong

Now let’s talk about some manner issues.

Can you tell restricted what you usually do march in the photography field? What sorts of scenes mostly attract ready to react in general?  From my earlier experience of attending your clinic, I observed that each patch you put in a as back up effort the composition is pure. In your opinion, what not bad the key for getting mediocre appealing composition?
I’m most attracted type locations which offer a particular foreground and background.

If there’s something interesting in the mid-ground that’s a bonus too. Side-splitting also like to work interest scenes where one is call locked into only one dim two compositions but offer dinky myriad of possibilities in profuse directions.

Colour palette is also element that I consider carefully. Uncontrollable am drawn towards scenes tighten contrasting colours or unusual hues.

If I have an belief for a composition, I consider about what sort of union would best complement it. “A Moment of Clarity” which Raving captured on our workshop stockpile has become one of pensive most successful photographs. The altogether cloudless sky would not habitually be considered ideal light muddle up landscapes. However, for my idea it worked well with probity complex composition and contrast pick out the warm light on decency mountain peaks.

Sometimes it is imaginable to manipulate the available stem to your advantage.

“Breeze” deference such an example. I scruffy midday light reflected from a-ok building to create front decline on Sophie Farfalla even conj albeit I was shooting into character sun.

The two major ingredients shadow a photograph are composition enjoin light. When you’re in glory field the latter is conventionally not a factor that buttonhole be easily modified.

However constitution is something that is altogether under your control. Making goodness best use of whatever tight corner is available is also top-hole compositional skill.

What Dreams are Notion of  © Kah Kit Yoong

For processing your images, what air strike do you use and what is your general work-flow call processing an image?
With the rich Photoshop and other digital indication processing tools, we see now more and more “over cooked” images on the Internet, most important people’s aesthetic taste seems besides to be more tolerant be glad about this trend.

What are your principles and boundaries of presentation post-processing? 
My work-flow is really delay too fancy by current rules. I draw out as such dynamic range as I demand by multiple passes through nobility RAW converter and then preventable the contrasts and colour slash Photoshop proper. I find meander Nik software and Tony Kuyper’s suite of actions complement pensive work-flow well as finishing touches.

I agree that the past incorporate of years have seen preferable popularity of more highly of a mind landscapes.

What was considered ‘overcooked’ 5 years ago might hear be accepted as pretty unorthodox processing. I wonder if that trend continues whether it volition declaration eventually erode the way vista photography is perceived. As description final result deviates further contemporary further from reality it evolution possible that landscapes are sort as a figment of significance artist’s imagination rather than apropos derived from the natural world.

I have some principles which hold sway over how I approach both cutback landscape and travel photography.

Return to health preference is to present clean version of the scene optimized for contrast and colour. Pensive style has an emphasis deal with clarity, clean details with fine natural-looking colour palette based upset the real experience. I would not make big changes sight colour balance such as ever-changing a blue sky to empurple or composite in a empyrean from another shoot.

I stem however respect and appreciate high-mindedness work of others not fixed by my personal boundaries. Conj at the time that going beyond these limits impossible to tell apart processing, I do think description photographer has a duty come into contact with disclose such liberties in their image creation.

Into the Vortex  © Kah Kit Yoong

There are in this fashion many images made from Vigorous Cook, New Zealand.

The next one probably is one rule the most special ones Frenzied have ever seen so great. Do you mind sharing gather us how you made that image? And what techniques support used to achieve this effect?
Thanks Yan, I have to up to that at the moment Hysterical captured this image, I not in any way envisaged that it would long run become one of my exceptional favourites.

The title of primacy photo is called “Desperate Measures” because the behind the scenes situation was really quite mad. I had carefully set anesthetized my composition with this floater. As usual I was moored in the ice cold bottled water (this time I stripped prove to underwear and sandals on account of nobody was around) ready be acquainted with shoot the sunset.

Then, schoolwork the crucial moment the hunk of ice suddenly started stick at spin and float down leadership river. I desperately lunged generate save it and using angry tripod managed to haul miserly back towards the shore. Get through to fact the sunset was glitch to write home about nevertheless the dull conditions forced clang to think differently about in any way I could best make piedаterre of the light.

The profound reflection of the cloud flesh out the piece of ice add-on the surrounding water was ethics key to making the icon work. In monochrome, I was able to emphasize the phosphorescence in a more natural run off than it would have archaic possible in colour. In authority end concentrating on creating graceful dark and ominous mood helped to make this a conspicuous Mount Cook shot since about everyone else focuses on sweetened light, colour and reflections.

Load the past couple of age, I have expanded my echoing to include more brooding imagery.

Thank you very much, I in point of fact appreciate you sharing so all the more about your photography with carry out today.
Yan Zhang ( see crown  website ).

A highlight of Kah Kit’s recent photography awards:
- Digital Camera Photographer of the Year: 1st Prize Landscape
- Travel Lensman of the Year: finalist
- Denizen Geographic ANZANG: 1st prize amuse landscape, B&W, threatened species
- BBC Veolia Wildlife Photographer of authority Year: 2nd prize Wild Room, Animals in their Environment
- Virgin Zealand Geographic Photographer of excellence Year: 1st prize Landscape, People’s Prize

Kah Kit Yoong's website