Profiles

'If there was a particular moment, it would have been one crystal clear dawn watching the sun rise at Cradle Mountain,' says Kah Kit Yoong. Although he couldn't have known it at the time, he had just taken the first step on a journey that has now transformed his life. 'I was working as a doctor in Tasmania in 2005. There are lots of great National parks and I had a little point-and-shoot that I used to carry around when I went out on my bike. But I was finding that I couldn't really capture what I wanted [with it].'


Frozen moment.

Determined to learn how he could capture the exquisite light and majesty of the landscape he'd come to love, Yoong went out and bought himself a Nikon D70. As it happened, he and his partner Winnie Ho (a medico herself) were just about to set off on a four-month trip to Europe.

'So when I went on this trip, I had this camera but I had no idea how to use it,' confessed Yoong. 'I didn't know what an aperture or shutter speed was, but I bought a copy of Richard I'Anson's Travel Photography and sort of flipped through that while I was on my travels.' Initially he was wary of the complicated DSLR controls. 'I started by using all the automatic modes like Landscape and Portrait but by the end of the trip I was using Manual.'

Within six months he would see his work exhibited. And within two years, he would be undertaking major projects on commission. Given the steepness of the curve, you might think Yoong had started out with a long-standing interest in photography, or perhaps in the visual arts more generally.

'Actually, I developed an appreciation for art on that trip to Europe where I was going to lots of museums. I wouldn't say I have much of an artistic background,' he says, but then adds, 'I do have a background in music, and I think that has affected the way I approach photography. I was a pianist and I always thought technique was very important. I wanted to master technique first and then interpretation and creativity after that, rather than the other way around.

'So it was the same in photography. I wanted to master exposure and composition. If there's any technical deficiency, I tend to delete the photo. But I've learned a lot from that and I don't tend to make those mistakes. It becomes automatic and I'm just free to interpret the scene without having to think too much about the technical aspects.'


Pastel Tarn.

Clearly, when applied to photography, the intensely focused and methodical approach of the hard-practising pianist (and the Med school student, for that matter), is capable of producing results in a remarkably short time. But, as his images so clearly demonstrate, Yoong is not simply a highly proficient technician. He also has sought out and been profoundly influenced by other photographers.

Yoong mentions Galen Rowell whose book Mountain Light he found 'very educational and inspirational'. But, above all, he regards Peter Dombrovskis as truly exceptional, although he adds that their styles and preferred lighting conditions are very different. 'I've studied a lot of the landscape photographers and to me, Peter Dombrovskis has been able to do things that no one else has. There's a special luminosity to his subjects,' says Yoong of the late Tasmanian photographer's ability to capture the most subtle interplay of landscape and light.

Given his particular fondness for the sweeping landscape, it's not surprising that he also has a favourite photo community site devoted to the aforementioned genre. Called naturephotographers.net, Yoon says 'it's basically a Who's Who of landscape photographers. Pick up any international landscape or outdoor photography magazine, and you'll see many familiar names from NPN. A couple months ago I actually joined the staff as a moderator on that site, so I'll be doing even more critiqueing.'


Prelude to Winter.

Demonstrating the truth of the old adage about it being better to give than receive, Yoong notes, 'People think that putting up photos and getting feedback is going to help [their photography] but I've found that helping others has helped me more because it really makes me sit down and analyse what I like and don't like about a photograph - and [how] to correct it.'

While Yoong continues photographing the spectacular Tasmanian landscape which first inspired him to pick up a camera, the trip to Europe in 2005 ignited a love affair with Italy. 'I've been back three times,' he says. 'It has so many small regions, each with its own culture, language, cuisine and dialect. I like to immerse myself, before we even travel. So, I lived in Florence for five weeks, did a crash course in the language and it made a lot of difference. I was finding after three weeks, I could converse with the locals and not have to resort to English. That it made it fun and enriched the experience.'

'I usually don't bother with setting up the tripod if the lighting is totally inappropriate', he says. 'I just try to work out the compositions and predict how the changing light will affect them. I'll go through the photos and work out what looks best on the computer. Even though I try to be careful, sometimes there are distracting or poorly balanced elements and I'll pick that up. When I go back and the light's right, I have a few compositions up my sleeve and I don't have to rush around.'

Yoong has no problem with returning to photograph a spot again and again either. 'It is like hearing The Moonlight Sonata played by different artists - it's different every time. Things always change. I remember going to photograph some waterfalls and there was a great log that I had used as a leading line. I thought, "I'll come back later in better light" - and it was gone.'

Although he uses Canon's top-of-the-line 1Ds MkIII, Yoon is not a gear obsessive. He prides himself on a purist approach and says that virtually all of his images are made with available light in a single exposure. His digital workflow is equally 'straight' and simple. Indeed, the nearest he comes to image manipulation is in his extremely skillful use of graduated neutral density and polarising filters. He uses his extensive set of graduated NDs for much of his landscape work because they permit him to precisely balance the exposure of sky and scenery.


Destiny

When Photo Review asked how he dealt with the inevitable questions from friends and colleagues about "how do you take such good photos?", his reply is probably just what you'd expect. 'My answer is that you just need to go out and take lots of photos. There's no substitute for it. A good alarm clock is useful to make sure you're up at dawn.' In the end, says Kah Kit Yoong, 'you need to be looking at what's around you. The reason I got into photography to start with was that I love being out there taking photographs. You could read lots and lots of books, but nothing makes up for being out in the field.'

To see more of Kah Kit Yoong's work, visit his website, www.magichourtravelscapes.com


See Photo Review magazine Issue 38 for the print edition of this profile which includes additional images.

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