Yan then began to climb with professional mountain
guide Trevor Streat, based in Aoraki. They climbed
Tasman Glacier in May 2017, and then Fox Glacier seven
months later. Yan endeavoured to climb Mount Aspiring /
Tititea’s summit twice last year, but both attempts were
thwarted by severe storms. Despite these setbacks,
he managed to capture alluring images. His further
mountaineering wins include scaling the peaks of
Patagonia in 2016 and the East summit of Lobuche Peak
(6119m) in the Himalayas earlier this year.
Struck with mountaineering mania, Yan showcases
peaks that only the hardiest climbers experience. And
even they might not experience the same view captured
in Yan’s images, as he generally photographs from
midnight onwards, waiting for the perfect lighting and
star combination.
This approach sees the photographer waiting for the
night sky’s galactic displays to align in just the right way
for the composition he wants — if it takes all night for the
Milky Way to appear just so, he’ll wait. He uses the moon
and sometimes torchlight for luminosity and says his
favourite time of day is twilight.
“The atmosphere is quite moody and mysterious: on the
one hand, we still see stars in the sky, and, on the other
hand, we see the rising sun below the horizon start to
lighten up the east side,” Yan explains.
It is this soft light that gives the detail and contrast
necessary to capture the scenes with which Yan has been
building his reputation.
Undeterred by the weight of 20-plus kilograms, Yan
carries his DSLR camera, a couple of favourite lenses,
and a tripod, in addition to his tent and other supplies,
in his pack. Initially, he would also capture photographs
documenting the mountaineering journey but realized
that, because of the chance of encroaching storms, this
was too risky. The photographer now wears an action-
capturing GoPro on his helmet and a compact Sony
RX100 V in his pocket for snaps.