July 26, 2004 - This week, we interview Keith Kin Yan from Overshadowed:

Please tell us a little about yourself:
I'm 24 years old, born in Hong Kong, did most of my growing up there. Then moved to Singapore, lived there for a few years. Then Boston for a few years and as of now living in New York City working as an animator/designer in a broadcast design company.

Why did you start Overshadowed?
I hadn't been shooting for a while; I was excited about shooting again after a road trip. After another trip to LA, I started photoblogging on my blog, but I soon decided I wanted something more photo centric so I started Overshadowed. Photoblogging is a great way to keep me shooting daily, plus it provides another reason to justify buying more camera equipment.

Before we continue more on your site and yourself, it's important to address the current state of Overshadowed. You decided to put photoblogging on hiatus. Why?
I've decided to start a new motion graphics project. Since I can't focus on more than one project at a time, and the fact that there will be a lot of stills incorporated into this project, which I'll have to go shoot. I thought it'd be better for me to take a break from photoblogging and focus my energy on the video. Once that's done, I'll put my focus back on Overshadowed, either that or when that mysterious loner slide scanner I was promised last year finally makes an appearance and I can start posting the backlog of slides I have.

Back you you: Do you remember the first time you grabbed a camera?
It was a beautiful summer day in 1983, I was 3 years old. My dad and I were watching ferries docking at the Star Ferry piers on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Kowloon, Hong Kong. In a moment of inspiration, I grabbed my dad's brand new Leica, looked at it, I was told I took a picture of the docking ferry, then dropped the camera into the water. I don't think he ever truly forgiven me for that slick move. 8 years later I "acquired" my sister's Nikon FM2; from that day on I caught the photography bug and became a card carrying Nikon dork ever since.

So from someone who's been shooting for over thirteen years, why is photography so interesting to you?
The combination of science, technology and art appeals to me. I like going out exploring, finding interesting things to shoot. I enjoy the time alone I get when I go shoot, it's a good stress reliever for me. I started walking home from work and shoot a long the way to decompress.

Does living in New York help with this decompression?
Honestly no. It's the act of walking and looking for subjects that's relaxing for me. I'd be much more relaxed if I'm not worried about getting ran over by a bus. I tend to walk around looking up for shots, with the headphones on, it gets a little dangerous.

Any other hobbies? Do they mix with photography?
Well I'm into design, music, filmmaking, mountain bikes and BMX. Photography seems to go quite well with all of that. In fact, reading BMX and mountain bike magazines and seeing the action shots was what got me into photography in the first place. Back then I wanted to be a bad ass sports shooter.

I've seen some of your film and animation projects on your site. Obviously time consuming. Does your job get in the way of photography, and/or vice-versa?
HA! As much as I like to have photography to be important enough to have my job get in the way of it. Photography is a hobby, and as much love as I have for it, it's not what pays the rent. Plus it's not like being an animator is that bad.

What has been your most memorable photographic experience?
It was during the road trip my best friend and I did from Boston to L.A. The whole trip was a great photographic experience; the best photographic part of the trip was when (we) stop(ped) to see the Oklahoma City memorial. The lighting at the moment of our visit was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better moment. It was a powerful place. It was what I needed to get me back into shooting.

Any negative experiences?
Every time I was harassed by some power tripping security dick for taking a picture.

Being from New York City, you know about the subway bans. What are your thoughts on this?
Let them have their false sense of security. I absolutely do not agree (with) it. And it leads to things like what happened to Ian Spiers where citizens are being profiled and harassed for doing nothing more than living their lives.

Well said. Do you think you have a shooting style?
I think fellow NYC photographer Adam Pantozzi said it best, by saying that my images are, "deliciously wide." I love wide angles, optical distortions, odd perspectives, weird lighting, flat depth of field, clean sharp images.

I shoot mostly buildings and landscapes and I'm addicted to skies and clouds, I don't know what it is, but I love them clouds. But whatever it is I shoot I try to look for ways to make things look surreal. Looking normal is just too boring. I'm a moody shooter. I think a lot of my shots reflect what I was thinking or feeling at the time. The music I listen to while I shoot usually sets the tone, but mostly I'm just pissed off and stressed out from work a lot of times and that makes the tone of most of my images dark and lonely. I guess I can do happy pictures when I'm on vacation.

You're widely known as, 'The Photoshop Guy' by many in the photoblogging community. Joseph Holmes from Joe's NYC even saif you were, "a guy who can use Photoshop the way the old photographers used the darkroom." What are your thoughts on this, and your opinion from the 'purists'?
I shoot with post process in mind. Let the purists scream and shout, I do a lot of post work with my images. I'm trying to make an image, I don't really care if the final result doesn't look anything what it is in reality. That's not what I'm going for and I set up my equipment for that.

Why shoot at all when you can make CG or something instead? Why don't you care if the final result isn't what it is in reality?
Well, CG is totally a different thing. In motion graphics and effects my main interest is in compositing real life elements, creating an abstract scene out of existing elements. That interest in my motion work carries over to my still work. I think of it as an enhancement of reality, a sharper, cleaner, moodier, higher contrast reality. Plus I just don't have the time, skills or the patience to build a whole cityscape in 3D that'd I'd be happy with.

Back to your shooting styles. Ever thought of having others?
I shoot other things too, they just come out looking like crap. (So) while I've been trying other things lately, trying to break out of the whole wide angle thing. But really, I think my ascetics taste is stuck in a mid-90s Hype Williams music video. I just love that over the top surreal look, I love adding emotion into an environment via colors, scale and space.

The big question: Film or digital?
Both. I'm a big advocate for digital imaging, I got my first digital camera in '96; to me digital has been the norm forever. The speed and ease sold me. But I started out with film, and I'll always have a soft spot for it. In a way it feels more right shooting film. Plus I love classic cameras.

Your favorite camera ever?
This one is a toss up between the Ricoh Auto Half which is the coolest little classic half frame camera to play with, and the Mamiya 645 with a Leaf digital back, which is just too much of an awesome package of geeky fun to ignore.

Alright. Your Keith Kin Yan getting ready for a photo day. What is your ritual, what do you do, and what are you carrying around with you?
Well, I face north, and pray to the Nikonians gods. May all my shots be in focus, may dust not be stuck to my camera's sensor, may my batteries not run out, may hot chicks stop, pose and give me their numbers.

Seriously, there's no ritual. I just make sure batteries are charged and CF cards are cleaned out and formatted in camera. I usually carry a wide angle and a standard-ish lens. Most of the time it's the 12-24mm DX wide and a 35mm prime. When I'm out shooting with the 10.5mm DX fisheye, I usually also have the 24-120mm VR with me.

By the way, why the name 'overshadowed'?
I think the word fits the style of work I do, I'm always looking at stuff above me and I'm always overshadowed by these bigger things. Plus it sounded cool and the domain was available. It was either that or 'itakewideanglephotosinnyc.com'.

What have been the biggest joys in running your site?
The feedback is nice. It's good to be able to see the progression of my work in the archives.

The biggest strains?
Keeping it going. Shooting enough to keep the updates frequent while also maintaining the quality. The comment SPAM, actually the whole idea of if I should keep comments around.

You should use the MT comment banner system. Anyway, has photography and photoblogging changed your life?
Yeah, well I have a lot less money in the bank now that I have another reason to justify buying more camera equipment and I sleep a lot less now that I spend so much more time on the photos. I've met a lot of great people via my photoblog, I think that is the greatest plus.

Who/what are your inspirations?
I stumble on to Chip Simons site freshman year in college. I fell in love with his style and it has inspired my work from that day on. Featured photographers and photojournalist are my other inspiration, the all versatile Joe McNally, Gary Knight, everything coming out of the VII Photo Agency.

Photoblog wise, Orbit1, Smudo, Chromasia, Rion, Quarlo, Slower, MyOpic, Chromogenic and Joe's NYC would top my list of too many.

What's the best photograph you've ever seen?
The Unknown Rebel by Jeff Widener; the man who stood before a column of tanks near Tiananmen Square on June 5th, 1989. That photo will forever be of the most significant photo in my life.

Any specific reason why?
It showed the power of a person who had the will to stand up for something he believes in. I think that photo was very symbolic of the student's movement.

In your opinion, what can make photoblogs better?
A way to turn it into something (that) pays the rent.

Are you involved in anything else photography-wise other than your photoblog?
Every now and then I'll shoot textures, graphic elements and PR for my current job. And I'll shoot for my friend's projects.

I've noticed links on Overshadowed pointing to Unrelated News. Care to tell the people about it?
Unrelated News is just my blog. I was photoblogging on that for a bit before I started Overshadowed. It's more of a current, "update my friends on what I'm doing thing". I post most of my snap shots over there.

Mostly it makes my mom happy that she can find out what I'm doing with my life with out asking me too many questions.

Thank a ton for the interview, and best of luck with Overshadowed!
No problem man! And Thanks.