I must admit that winter has never been my favorite time of the year. I just wish I could sleep for a while and wake up in the spring when everything is fine and warm. But then I saw a landscape photo of Dr. Lin Jiawei, but the situation changed. When the first snow fell in Novi Sad, I was eager to travel outside, explore and shoot, rather than wrapping myself in a blanket and never leaving bed. These "cool" stunning landscapes have multiple meanings when it comes to winter and when it comes to taking pictures.
So DIYP reached out to Kah-Wai, who kindly shared some beautiful photos with us. If winter isn't your favorite season, then these photos may only change your mind!
Kah-Wai was born in Malaysia, but took him to many other places during his lifetime. He holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Lviv State Medical University in Ukraine and a Doctor of Medicine (Ph.D.) from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. In 2012, he moved to New Jersey, USA, where he still lives.
Even with his successful research career at Princeton University, his life changed paths. He decided to follow his passion and become a professional landscape photographer. As a lover of landscape photography, I must say – I'm glad he decided to pursue this passion of his own.
I asked Kah-Wai a few questions about his photography process, as well as the joys and challenges of photographing cold, icy, and snowy landscapes that he shares with us in this article. What many of you want to know is the gear. So I asked him what kind of equipment he usually uses when shooting in cold weather and heavy snow.
Currently, I'm using a phase one medium format camera because not long ago I started working with phase one usa. Although most of the images here were taken using the Fujifilm GFX 50R medium format camera. I love using a wide-angle lens in large landscape and night photography because it allows me to be creative when composing a picture and combining all the elements into an image. I also like to use telephoto lenses to capture intimate landscapes, which are not easily visible to the naked eye. As we often say, see what you can't see. I also use ND filters a lot because long exposures are one of my favorite techniques.
As I mentioned, I don't like winter and snow. I rarely shoot in such conditions, and I'm always afraid of damaging the camera due to the temperature and moisture of the ice. So I asked Kawi what he used to protect his gear from the cold and various elements. I wonder if he has any tricks to deceive in this situation.
I didn't actually take specific steps to protect the gears from cold and other factors. I think that today, modern cameras are very capable of coping with cold and unfavorable weather conditions. After the shoot, I clean the camera and gear, especially on the shore where the salt water hits the gear.
Oh, great, so I thought I could relax when I went snow shooting! But I wonder about the challenges Kawi faces in weather like this. I was very sensitive to colds and it immediately occurred to me that this would be my biggest challenge. As it turns out, Kawi is no different: he finds that colds are also the most challenging! However, he enjoyed the winter scenery so much that he could not overcome it. "After decorating with snow, the scenery will immediately turn into paradise. Snow and ice are magical elements in photography. "He told me. I suppose that despite the cold, such a landscape warmed his heart, and sometimes even if it was cold outside, it was enough to go out and shoot.
I also want to know where these beautiful photos were taken. Ka-Wai told me that most of them were filmed in Norway, Greenland and Antarctica. He told me: "These are my favorite places because they offer some of the most stunning landscapes on earth. "I've been to Norway and Greenland many times over the past few years and they never stop amazing me!"
Some of the photos he shared showed all the glory of the Northern Lights, adding more magic to the already stunning images. So I asked Kawi if he had any tricks and tricks for shooting and editing Aurora images.
It's important to understand how to predict the aurora borealis and where to take pictures. Finding interesting landscapes, especially foreground elements, is also crucial. As far as photography is concerned, what is an image of the Aurora without landscape and composition.
Take a look at these other wonderful pictures below. Even if you're a "summer guy" like me, I bet these will make you want to go out and make the most of the winter fun. You can find more of Kah-Wai's work on his website, Instagram, Facebook page, and YouTube. Also, make sure to visit his Stetinded store, you can also become his Patreon supporter.