She didn’t own a digital SLR until 2007, but in April, Ozamiz-born Fil-Am Yen Baet bested hundreds of photographers to win National Geographic’s Exceptional Experience Photo Contest.
Yen’s patient wait for the right light between day and darkness captured “A Rainy Night in Halstatt.” Here, the itinerant Fil-Am, now based in England, talks about life as she sees it through the lens.
You call yourself a transient. Is there a place where you feel most at home?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from moving constantly, it’s that home is never just a physical place. I feel at home wherever my loved ones are.
What was life like before you became a full-time photographer?
I took on different jobs through the years but tried to stay within the artistic profession: I once worked as a writer, a glassblowing artist, and a web designer. My most recent job though was as a travel assistant for an office that managed flights, tours and travel packages.
What draws you to the blue hour (the time of day when there is neither full daylight nor total darkness)?
Yen Baet shot her winning photo on a rainy autumn night in Hallstatt, Austria.
The quality of light is at its finest during the blue hour. Blue has always been known as a calming color. Shooting scenes of towns and cities during twilight, and in return getting this lovely blue scene in my camera, gives me a nice peaceful feeling—that’s a reward in itself.
Most picture-perfect place you’ve visited so far?
I always believe that it’s a photographer’s job to make a place picture-perfect regardless of people’s perception or what is deemed beautiful or not. This favorite quote of mine, by Aaron Rose, “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary,” explains how I feel about this. So every place to me is picture-perfect, if it’s seen in the right light and at the right time.
Why did you pick “A Rainy Night in Hallstatt” to enter in the NatGeo contest?
It happened to be my most popular image on Flickr at that time, and it seemed only right to assume that if many people liked it, then there must be something special about it. Indeed, the folks at National Geographic agreed and I couldn’t be any happier.
What camera gear must you always bring in your travels?
As a low-light photographer, I need to have a tripod with me at all times. I also make sure I have a cable release for long exposures, my graduated neutral density filters, and my favorite lens—a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8.
What’s the first thing that you notice when in a new/strange place?
The lay of the land is important to me, and how that place pays attention to detail, values its landmarks and caters to photo enthusiasts by making things accessible.
Name three spots in the Philippines that you’d love to shoot.
I would love to shoot the various festivals of Cebu, the old architecture of Vigan, and the colorful tribes of the mountainous region in and around Baguio and/or Benguet.
What separates a good photographer from the rest?
Some people tend to forget that owning a camera doesn’t make one a photographer. It is merely a tool, and to make that tool serve its purpose fully, you have to have the eye and a vision. Add in a generous amount of passion, dedication and belief in yourself—to me, that is what makes the difference.
Best advice you can give someone who’s just learning photography.
Never lose your passion and never be satisfied with what you have in your camera. Your photographs speak volumes on what you invest into them. What you capture and how you present it, is after all, a reflection of yourself, so why not show your best?
