Kevin Lee李明伟
A sea of clouds fills the valley; headlights draw a line of light beneath it; the Milky Way slants across the upper right.

PhotographyKevin Lee

Some light, you wait for.

While the shutter is open, I do only one thing: wait. This page is the light I have waited for over the years. Start with the five that won awards, then take your time.

Every photograph on this page is mine.

Milky Way, clouds and light trail2018.06.24 22:51№ DSC3487Photo: Kevin Lee

View the full photograph

01Awarded work

First, the five that won awards.

Ordered by award level within each competition; I don’t rank one competition against the other. The certificates and the organisers’ own records are in Five Photographs.

PX3Prix de la Photographie Paris

  1. In warm brown tones, a bride smiles beneath her veil.

    Happiest Moment

    PX3 2012 · Portraiture · Wedding · Non-Professional · Silver

    Taken 2011.09.10

  2. A round mirror; in it, a face in stage make-up, a red blur in the foreground.

    Hypothetical

    PX3 2013 · Press · People/Personality · Bronze

    Taken 2009.10.25

IPAInternational Photography Awards

  1. On a pebble beach, an ascetic in a red robe sits facing the sea, a green headland in the distance.

    Pray of an ascetic

    IPA 2013 · Honorable Mention · Editorial : Personality

    IPA 2013 · Honorable Mention · People : Culture

    Taken 2012.07.09

  2. Heavy rain at night: two people embrace under a white umbrella, the wet ground reflecting the lights of a building.

    Raining Love

    IPA 2013 · Honorable Mention · People : Wedding

    Taken 2013.04.24

  3. Black and white: a white veil, a profile, a hand lightly touching a chin.

    Grace of heart

    IPA 2013 · Honorable Mention · People : Wedding

    Taken 2013.05.25

Enter Five Photographs

02Night sky

Night sky

For the Milky Way, you wait: for a moonless night, for the clouds to part, for your eyes to learn the dark.

The core of the Milky Way across the whole frame: dark dust lanes and countless stars, in a 479-second exposure.

Milky Way2018.06.15 00:04NIKON D800479 secISO 400

The Milky Way arches across the night over a sea of clouds and the outline of a volcano; a dead tree stands on the slope.

Milky Way over the volcano2018.06.14 04:37NIKON D80025 secISO 3200

Portrait frame: a comet with a faint tail in a deep-blue evening sky, wind-blown leaves in the foreground.

Comet№ COM-67

The Milky Way rises straight up while an orange trail of headlights winds up the valley.

Milky Way and light trail2018.06.15 02:44NIKON D80059 secISO 2000

The Milky Way crosses the sky above a lake, the hills and stars reflected in the water.

Milky Way over the lakeSemenyih

Portrait frame: the Milky Way rising straight up between tall trees.

Between tall trees2018.06.14 01:01NIKON D80025 secISO 3200

The core of the Milky Way hangs over a valley and a reservoir, a few lights at the foot of the hills.

Milky Way№ KKB

Portrait frame: a lit cargo ship on the night sea, a comet trailing its tail above it.

Comet and cargo ship№ COM-34

Portrait frame: the Milky Way rises over a mountain road as a passing car leaves a long trail of light.

Mountain road and Milky Way№ DSC2941

03Landscape

Landscape

In the hour either side of sunrise, the light changes fastest.

Daybreak above a sea of clouds: the horizon turns from orange to violet as the sun is about to rise.

Daybreak2018.06.16 06:09NIKON D80070mm f/80.6 secISO 50

A sea of clouds at sunrise, golden light breaking through as mist moves in the valley.

Sunrise over a sea of clouds№ DSC9434

Mist in a forest, shafts of light slanting down between the branches.

Light through the forest№ DSC0980

A volcanic crater in the first light of morning, the clouds and sky magenta and violet.

Crater, first light№ DSC3549

The moon above a lake; a long exposure draws the moving clouds into streaks of light.

Moon and moving clouds№ DSC4109

A sea wall at night: glowing plankton lights a blue line along the stones in the waves.

Glowing waves№ DSC5171

Dusk: pink and orange clouds roll across the sky over golden grass and a white water tower.

Water tower at sunset№ DSC2705

Blue hour: the bow of a wooden sailing ship reaches into the frame; sunset and lights on the far horizon.

Sailing ship, blue hour2017.05.12 19:43NIKON D70014mm f/2244 secISO 100

A valley at dusk: a small town’s lights glow through the mist under a pink and violet sky.

Lights in the valley№ DSC9389

04Self-portraits

Self-portraits

Set the camera. Press the shutter. Walk into the frame, and hold still.

On a dam road at night, Kevin stands beside his car looking up at the Milky Way; sodium lamps turn the guardrail orange.

№ DSC4091Self-portrait

A dam road at night: sodium lamps light the guardrail orange as Kevin stands by his car under a sky full of stars.

№ DSC3918Self-portrait

Moonlit clouds fill the sky; Kevin, in a white shirt, stands beside his car on a lit hillside.

Clouds under the moon2018.09.24 21:34NIKON D8004 secISO 2000Self-portrait

05Portraits

Portraits

When I photograph someone, I wait for them to relax first.

In a backlit meadow, a girl in a straw hat rests her face in her hand and looks at the camera.

Portrait№ DSC1657

Black and white, portrait frame: a short-haired girl looks down, her hands lightly touching her cheeks.

Portrait№ DSC9636

Blue hour: a girl holds up her skirt on a hillside, seen only in silhouette.

Silhouette№ DSC1794

Under an evening sky, three girls leap on a hillside, seen only in silhouette.

Silhouettes№ DSC1835

Black and white: in a curved corridor, a man stands between light and shadow, looking up.

Portrait№ DSC0259

06Weddings

Weddings

When I came home in 2013, I shot weddings on my own. Three of my awarded photographs are weddings, too.

At night in an open space, balloons and lights frame a stage as someone goes down on one knee to propose.

The proposal№ DSC5465

The same morning: the bride’s profile through her veil.

2011.09.10 09:46NIKON D70085mm f/1.41/500 secISO 500

Portrait frame: the bride in her veil turns towards the window light.

2011.09.10 09:46NIKON D70085mm f/1.41/500 secISO 400

In warm brown tones, a bride lies with her veil spread around her.

Bridal gown№ DSC5476

In a room, a bridesmaid looks down at something in her hands while the bride sits nearby in her veil.

Wedding morning№ DSC4835

07Documentary

Documentary

People on the road, children by the sea, the shadows of a city.

Black and white: birds crowd the electric wires against churning clouds.

Birds on the wires№ DSC7742

Black and white: two buildings lean towards each other as a person walks down a narrow lane under a street lamp.

Street corner№ DSC2221

Black and white: by the sea, two horses carry riders across the sand, the sun and clouds behind them.

Horses by the sea№ DSC6544

Black and white: the shadow of a glass façade falls across the ground as a person walks through, head down.

Shadows№ DSC1809

Black and white: children play on the sand at low tide, seen only as silhouettes and reflections.

Low tide№ DSC7905

Blue hour: a line of dancers in traditional dress hold hands on a stage.

Dancers№ DSC5868

Dusk by the sea: a rider on horseback in silhouette, a streak of red along the horizon.

Rider№ DSC7824

08Flowers and plants

Flowers and plants

Come a little closer, and the world goes quiet.

Portrait frame: a pink water lily, with a rainbow flare crossing the lens.

Water lily№ DSCFEB1-87

A purple water lily opens among deep-green leaves.

Water lily№ DSC8713

Pink cherry blossoms on a slender branch against a soft green.

Cherry blossom№ DSC9469

Black and white, portrait frame: a swallowtail rests among leaves.

Swallowtail№ DSC7820

A butterfly rests on a cluster of pink flowers against a soft blue-green background.

Butterfly№ DSC3417

A few white flowers stand in the dark against orange and white bokeh.

White flowers and light№ DSC7370

A dusk sky turning from blue to orange, flowers and grass in silhouette in the foreground.

Flowers at dusk№ DSC2472

09Still life

Still life

An old camera, a drop of dew, a few stalks of grass. Small things deserve good light too.

A twin-lens reflex camera on a café’s wooden table, warm bokeh behind it.

Twin-lens reflex camera2016.12.21NIKON D70050mm f/1.4

Portrait frame: a few stalks of grass seed against a green blur.

Grass seeds№ DSC5073

Morning grass heads hung with dew, backlit into a field of golden points of light.

Grass at dawn№ DSC3227

Backlit wild grass glowing gold.

Golden grass№ DSC2631

Among green plants, Kevin raises his camera, the lens pointing out of the frame towards you.

Portrait2023.03.08

I never stopped taking photographs.

Only now I use the same eyes to look at homes and at people, and I teach my team to explain a home clearly with photographs and video.

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