Snapshots: Steven Lee

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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Snapshots: Steven Lee

By Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
24/05/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001469,62015219,00.htm

We like to think that Steven Lee is good with faces. Author of two books (one to be published soon) on people and places in Malaysia, he certainly needs to be.

Now there is a reason why new photographers choose to shoot landscapes and other similar non-human subjects--you don't have to ask permission. Approaching a total stranger with the intention of shooting his picture takes guts. And a fair bit of it at that. Besides, after the permission has been granted, there's still the problem of stopping your nervous subject from "posing" unnaturally for the camera. Lee shows us how it's done with his set of shots.

The images you see from this feature have been reproduced with permission from Steven V-L Lee. If you wish to be featured in our interviews or know any photo buffs who may be interested, write to us, and we'll get back to you.

Name:
Steven V-L Lee
Type of photographer:
Portrait, travel, fine art, and events.
Equipment:
Canon 1DMark2, Canon 5D, EF 50mm f1.4, EF 85mm f1.8, EF 28mm f2.8, Olympus E1 & 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 Zuiko.

About myself:
I have been in photography professionally for eight years now, but I have always been a keen hobbyist during my school days in the mid-1970s Singapore. There was a lull when I went to the UK as a student in 1979, when I completely became detached from cameras. I remember the last camera that I owned in 1979 was a Nikon FM.

I got back into photography during the mid-1980s when I accidentally picked up a copy of Amateur Photographer magazine in the UK, and was surprised by the sight of SLRs with autofocus! Next, I got into rangefinders like the Leica M6 and Contax Gs, and digital equipment soon followed in 2001.

Back then, I was interested in becoming a travel photographer, and began to write short articles to accompany my photographs. Like most people, I was captured by the beauty and quality of the National Geographic images and wanted to be a travel photographer. It wasn't easy at first, tryng to get one's work seen, let alone being published. But my break came when I submitted a few stories to the Malaysian Insurance Corporation which publishes bi-annual in-house lifestyle magazines. Those articles were published along with several covers as well. In 2000, I pursued the publication of my first book, titled "Outside Looking In--Kuala Lumpur", which was a compilation of 76 black and white street images of KL, especially of the Chinatown area. Little did I know it was to become a document of Petaling Street just before the current canopy was built over the street, which has since been a topic of controversy!

Now, I am about to publish my sequel to "Outside Looking In", this time a color, hardback book title "MALAYSIANS Faces". This A5-sized book will contain over 250 portraits of Malaysians from all walks of life and races, celebrating the rich, diverse and ethnic composition which is Malaysia today.

In bookshops, I found that books featuring people are rather thin on the ground. There are plenty of lifestyle themes, interiors and beaches, but not many on people. Hence, this project. My writer and I traveled across Malaysia twice and it has been a learning experience. We met many fantastic faces along the way, discovered many misconceptions we had, and enjoyed the trips.

Beach football in Terengganu
I asked if the boy would mind holding the ball to pose, and he came up with this pose. I used a wide-angle lens to include the scene around him.

Tip: Experiment with the lenses you have to take portraits. Wide angles may not always be suitable, but it's good to know their potential.

Bubbleboy
This is a handheld shot taken in very low light, with just one or two bare light bulbs illuminating the boy's face, in an outdoor night market. I had to use ISO 1,600 and hope for the best! Luckily, I had a fast f1.8-85mm lens which allows for decent shutter speeds. The camera had problems autofocusing due to the low light levels, so I switched to manual focus and depended on my eye sight!

Tip: Make sure you know your camera inside out, like how to turn off AF in an instance, or changing ISO, otherwise it may cause you to miss a great picture opportunity!

Smoker
This was taken in the amazing Kota Belud Tamu market in Sabah. This man was sitting next to a tobacco seller, puffing away, and not noticing the people around him, including camera-toting me. The sunlight was hitting him in the back and I saw that the smoke enveloping him was glowing, so I took the shot. Again, the AF was useless in the smoky haze, so I had to switch to manual focus.

Tip: Look around all the time, especially with your peripheral vision, and catch things that are going on around you before you put the camera to your eye.

Ajit
This is a photograph of a Sikh Major who's now retired, and who served under the British Army in Malaysia. I love this portrait which has wonderful color and detail.

Jaky
This is a beautiful portrait of Jaky, the daughter of a friend in Miri, taken by the beach. It was sunset, and the feeling of shooting at F1.8 with the 85mm lens was magical.

Tip: Keep your focus sharp on the subject's eye, and especially with very shallow depth of field.

Kelabit elder
This portrait of an old woman was taken in Bario, Sarawak, on her porch. The light was directional and bright. I asked her to look straight into the camera lens to get direct eye contact.

Penan
This was a "grab" shot of a Penan boy. Penan people by their nature are very shy and avoid strangers. However, I managed to ask him his age and he answered. Once the ice was broken, I was able to shoot this photo with direct eye contact.

Tip: Learn the local language as it will help in certain situations.

Pilgrim
This Hindu pilgrim was in a wheelchair by the entrance to the Batu Caves. I approached him and indicated I wanted to take his photograph. He smiled and obliged. Sometimes, it's that simple!

Tip: Don't be shy to ask strangers. The most they can say is a "no" and you have to respect that.

Thaipusam child
This boy was taking a public shower at the festivities in Kuala Lumpur. I saw the opportunity and he smiled for me. Children are the easiest to photograph, especially during religious festivals, as they are often dressed up and are proud of their faith.

Semiar child
I was driving down from Cameron Highlands when I noticed a Semiar family by the roadside selling fruits. I stopped and chatted to them. I noticed this little girl was playing with a huge green beetle and asked her to show it to me.

Rocker
In Kuala Lumpur, I met this teen dressed up as a punk rocker. It was indoors in a shopping center, and the lighting was all dim fluorescents, the hardest light to shoot in. I set the camera to RAW and balanced the color in Adobe Photoshop later.

Nyonya lady
This was taken in Penang, inside a coffee shop. I had asked the lady to wear her best Kebaya top to meet me. She obliged and the setting was ideal. I had arranged the venue beforehand, knowing the window light would be soft and flattering for portraits.

Tip: Check out the venue for prearranged sittings, and know your subjects beforehand to avoid wasting time during the sitting.

Opera male
This was another setup appointment. I was to photograph Chinese opera performers making up, but the lighting was poor and flat again with the fluorescent tubes. Shooting RAW and picking out a dramatic angle with direct eye contact helped in this portrait.