Youngblood: Singapore's Joash Lee with the Petzval 58 Art Lens

Young photographer — really young — Joash Lee is our newest Amigo from Singapore. With an endearing enthusiasm, he explores the creative possibilities of the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens with some of his model friends.

At the young age of 15, Joash juggles his studies with his pursuit of photography. His passion got ignited when he was 11, due to a chance encounter with a solo traveler "who had a Nikon DSLR."

Photography has made an impact on my daily life, seeing things in a completely different light. Through the lens, I am immersed in a completely different world, one where there are no boundaries and the only limit is my creativity. Capturing moments is one of the essential aspects I look out for whenever on a shoot, allowing these precious memories to be relived later on. In the past 3 years, I’ve been exploring unconventional ideas, learning new techniques and scouting exclusive shoot locations. I’ve also been constantly shooting, polishing my skills along the way.

Being so young, Joash learns from the industry itself and "often seek inspiration from websites, magazines, newspapers, social media – anything and everything that has photographs in them." He also considers notable photographers as his inspiration and influence, namely; Yik Keat, Brandon Woelfel, Alex Strohl and Garrett King.

When asked about his experience with the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens, he notes that it is "unlike any other lenses I’ve tried before."

Everything about the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens was manual - from the aperture plates to focusing knobs, everything had to be done by hand. It wasn’t long before I realized this was the charm of the lens. Despite lacking some features many photographers would call “essential” - such as having an autofocus system, I instantly fell in love with the pure originality of the lens, allowing me to delight in photography’s purest form where ideas are limitless.

Joash notes that he did "three shoots in diversely distinct locations" which ultimately gave him the best chance to "experiment with the lens under different conditions."

Wrapping it up, Joash advises "anyone who’s just getting started with photography to dare to be different and try things you’ve never done before, and most importantly never give up!"

He also thanks "Chaityak, Deborah and Rohan for being models on the shoots despite the last minute changes in plans. Not forgetting Glen Chan, Jonathan Kho and Samuel Sianipar who also assisted me on the various shoots."

Joash is currently working on a short film to be shot in South Africa in collaboration with Safari365 and Cape Town Helicopters. Follow his photography journey through his Instagram and website.

written by crissyrobles on 2019-02-23 in #people