Forbes 30 Under 30 for Asia (Arts) 2022. Lauv’s official 2023 world-tour photographer. 1.2 million Instagram followers and 2.1 million TikTok followers. All feathers in his cap for 27-year-old Singaporean photographer Lee Yik Keat.
“I remember the first full Singapore skyline I shot in the evening,” Mr Lee began. “I was really blown away at how much detail a camera can capture. It unlocked a whole new world,” he quipped. This exhilaration drove his desire to venture into the endless possibility of immortalizing the breadth and depth of everyday life. Mixed with curiosity and self-ambition, Mr Lee “took a leap of faith” at 21 years old to pursue a full-time career. “It took me about half a year to firm up that decision. The passion at that age had already become a huge flame; I really wanted to try it out to see where it takes me.”
It was a gamble because he had just been accepted into aerospace engineering at Nanyang Technological University, but he gave it up to “dive deep into something (he did not know) would bring guaranteed success or not.”
Turns out, it did for Mr Lee. However, transforming an innocent dream built solely on the foundations of passion and purpose has not produced stellar achievements for many photographers. So what set his success trajectory apart?
“Through the years, I have been told that I can make the daily simple life beautiful and artistic. (Hence) I look out for lots of details that people miss out and amplify them as art,” said Mr Lee.
One of his proudest pictures and “career highlights” was of a sakura cherry blossom tree with a curved mirror on the road reflecting the beauty. “It was in Kyoto in 2020, and the reflection intrigued me; naturally, I was drawn to taking that picture,” Mr Lee said.
“It was such a meaningful picture (as) it represented how fragile life is because cherry blossoms only bloom for a week or two,” he added. Instagram reposted it, and that particular picture was picked up by many photography accounts after.
Another career highlight would be being Lauv’s official world-tour photographer this year. It started four years ago when the singer’s manager reached out to Mr Lee to be his concert photographer for two nights at his show at Singapore Capitol Theatre in May 2019. “I was really eager and agreed to it immediately. Back then, I only had about three months of music photography experience (so) it was a lot of pressure,” Mr Lee recalled.
Nonetheless, he decided to jump at the opportunity. “Everything went so (well), and the team loved the images,” said Mr Lee. “I clicked with everyone, including Lauv, really well (so) they got me on the Asia tour right after.”
On working with the singer, he said that Lauv’s off-camera personality is identical to his on-camera persona. “He is random yet has the most brilliant thoughts at odd times. Lauv is also really easygoing and communicates creative thoughts really well. That helps with brainstorming together for ideas.”
Thus far, Mr Lee has done eight tours with Lauv worldwide, including Europe, the US, Asia-Pacific, and Asia.
When it comes to music photography, he said that everything seen online visually are crafted pieces, which are only about 10% of what really happens. “90% of the time, what goes on behind the scenes is what makes everything shine,” Mr Lee explained.
Touring globally is very hectic too, he continued. “We hop countries every two days on average. That means waking up really early and heading for flight after flight.”
On show days, Mr Lee uses the time to head to local areas to photoshoot some content. Leading up to the concert, he will scout the area for potential angles to shoot. “Right after the show, I take about 45 minutes to deliver everything to ensure Lauv posts the content as soon as possible to maintain the respective show’s relevancy. Then everything repeats again,” he said.
One memorable moment for Mr Lee in New Zealand was when the team had a heart-to-heart talk late one night. “It really bonded all of us, and having a well-gelled team is (very) important (while) on the road.”
On who he would like to be on tour with next, Mr Lee cited Coldplay as he has a lot of “admiration” for them. Commercially, he wants to partner with bigger brands like Nike that have “inspiring stories which elevate cultures and communities.”
Mr Lee’s vision for the future includes educating himself more on photography so that he can teach the public. “Perhaps packaging it into a digital masterclass of some sort!” he said.
“I would love to inspire the community to continue to appreciate the beauty in daily life. At the same time, (I plan to) expand my own brand and name on an even bigger global scale.”
Read another inspiring story of how one man was hell-bent on making his business successful with much grit and determination even when all odds were against him…
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