Alisan Fine Arts is currently hosting Stephen King’s first solo photography exhibition, Rhythms in Nature, from 24 January to 2 March 2018. Stephen, a landscape photographer based in Hong Kong, explores the hidden patterns in nature through his photographs. With several published works and awards under his belt, he has been recently ranked # 3 in the world (and #1 in HK) in the World’s Top Ten Landscape Photographers 2017 competition held by One Eyeland. We caught up with the ace photographer at the opening of his exhibition at Alisan Fine Arts.

Your exhibition is named Rhythms in Nature. What is the significance of this name?

Patterns or rhythms in landscapes fascinate me. Sometimes, these patterns are obvious, at other times, hidden. As human beings, we respond emotionally to these patterns and rhythms. We can see these patterns in grand vista-type shots or in intimate shots like grouping of leaves or designs on a rock. These natural rhythms really resonate with me and I hope to convey the same feelings to my viewers.

Some of your photographs look like paintings. Are you influenced by Chinese painters and their art?

I do get this a lot. I think it’s because as a painter you can put elements on your canvas exactly as you wish. You don’t have any extraneous elements. Everything fits together harmoniously because you can control it. On the other hand, a photo can be chaotic or random.

For me, as a photographer, composition is very, very important. I take a lot of care to compose my photos. I brutally exclude things that don’t add to a picture. So when people see my photos, they compare them to paintings, because, like paintings, my photos don’t have extraneous elements.

To get to your question, I have been surrounded by Chinese paintings all my life because my mother owns an art gallery. My use of negative space and vertical composition is borrowed from Chinese paintings. But it’s not just Chinese paintings that influence me. I am also influenced by the works of Western painters like Georgia O’Keefe, Mark Rothko, etc. It’s not a conscious decision on my part, but unconsciously I feel drawn to the aesthetics of their paintings.

You have been honoured with several rewards and recognition. Is there any that is particularly close to your heart?

One of my photos was recently selected to be on the October cover of Landscape Photography Magazine.  I have also won the Best Single Image award in the Earth & Climate category in Travel Photographer of the Year 2017, and have been ranked #3 in the World’s Top Ten Landscape Photographers 2017 competition held by One Eyeland. Last year I had a photo published in the Outdoor Photography Magazine in their top 150 photos. I have just been informed that they have selected two photos for the Top 150 list this year among 18,000 submissions. In fact, the two photos selected are displayed here at Alisan Fine Arts exhibition.

What are the challenges of taking landscape photos?

The thing about taking landscape photos is that it is very unpredictable. You can plan where you want to shoot, you can go to the best spot for taking photos, but the weather’s going to be different from what you planned. The light will be different from what you planned. So you need to be a bit spontaneous and work with what the landscape has on offer. This can be challenging, but this makes it so much fun as well. The same landscape looks completely different in different conditions. If there’s a storm coming, it could look dramatic, if you are shooting in direct sun, you can play with the patterns in the shadow. It’s all about your emotional response to the nature in front of you.