National Geographic Photographer Tells AURAK About His Work
National Geographic contributor Kiliii Yuyan gave a presentation about his photography titled True Grit in Photography (and Life) at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK).
The presentation was organized in conjunction with the US Consulate General in Dubai and the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation.
Mr. Yuyan specializes in photographing the Polar Regions, the wilderness and indigenous life and his pictures have received awards and featured in National Geographic magazine.
He started by explaining the hard work that frequently goes into the photos all the effort before the photographer releases the shutter using the example of the well-known shot of a man blocking tanks in Tiananmen Square throughout protests in Beijing in 1989.
When you look and think how the excellent pictures that we see in our world today so many of them took a lot of effort to get, he said. Theyre actually tough to get. Weve no idea.
The best photos are not made the moment you press the shutter. Its the moment, its all the time spent before the shutter clicks. That is what matters. All of the research, all of the time that you spent getting to know the people youve been there with, all the time youve spent learning the language, all the time you spend understanding the place, learning how to survive in this place, all of the time it took you get you to that physical location to take that photo that is what makes that photograph.
Mr. Yuyan stated there have been three things that a photographer wants to get excellent pictures: the right approach, practice and perseverance.
Regarding approach, he stated The people who do wonderful things in the world just have one thing in common: they all actually just want to know a little bit more. We prefer to get bigger than we are. We prefer to grow a little bit and learn as plenty as we possibly can.
He also stressed the significance of practice. With all skills, practice is an essential thing. With something like photography or the arts, practice is very, very important. Even in the very straight physical talent of it really clicking the shutter, making sure the camera isnt shaking, perception how you do all the settings and all that sorts of stuff. But thats the very beginning. Thats the start of it all. If you need to get good as a photographer you have to get good at all the other stuff that takes place before you take the photograph. Mr. Yuyan mentioned that it was worth mastering more skills such as using a drone or diving or rock climbing to extend the range of shots he may take.
Perseverance was additionally key, he said, including that if you are going to do a project everything else cant matter more than that project. He mentioned an anecdote about photo editors forcing him to reshoot photos that took two weeks to get, in pursuit of better images.
Ending the presentation, he stated Ultimately, the best way to make a good project, to make a good story, to make good art, is to discover a project that you care about, that you care about so much that nothing will cease you from doing it. No excuse will quit you from doing it.
AURAK is a nonprofit, government-owned institution of higher education which offers the local, regional and global communities with a North American-style education integrated with Arab customs and traditions. AURAK is licensed by the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates and has been approved in the United States of America by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) since December 2018. AURAK offers a total of 22 approved undergraduate and graduate programs throughout a wide range of disciplines.
