Meet Ken Lee | Night Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ken Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ken, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
How do you define success?

Defining success as an artist is multi-faceted. I feel one of the most important things is finding my voice. I feel like this is when I have not only learned but internalized many of the techniques, and now, I am doing this as myself. It is definitely a feeling where creativity is flowing through me, but I hope that it manifests itself as being uniquely me to others, no matter how strange or odd it seems to others.

Related to that is being able to pre-visualize something and execute it. For night photography with light painting, that of course is being able to figure out the perspective. This is not only for distance and angle, but even what sort of lens you use. Perhaps a longer focal length is needed. Or something with selective blur. Or a fisheye. There is also pre-visualizing what the sky might look like, whether it’s pinpoints of light or star trails or something else. And of course, there is adding illumination to the subject, or “light painting”.

Pre-visualization also includes light painting. Light painting is one of the exciting and creative elements of long exposure night photography. You can determine what to illuminate and what to keep in shadow. You can add color or texture or mood or mystery. You are like a film director on a set. I use a handheld light to illuminate the subject. Therefore, this becomes almost like a choreographed dance with light, a performance. This is one of the reasons why night photography with light painting is one of the most actively creative forms of photography. And being able to pre-visualize what you are going to do and execute this is to me success.

Finally, success to me would be using all my capabilities to the fullest.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am probably most proud of what I achieved in my answer to success, described above. Certainly, I feel proud to have created unique night photography images that I was able to pre-visualize and execute successfully. Secondary to that, looking to external achievements, I feel proud to have had my night photos included in National Geographic Books, Los Angeles Times, Omni Magazine, Westways Magazine, and more. I also have written two books featuring fun “you are there” stories, history of abandoned places and night photography images. These are published by America Through Time. I am working on two more books as well! I also feel proud that when I’ve taught people about night photography, they have learned quite a lot, feeling great and energized throughout the process.

It feels easy to have achieved where I have gotten to professionally so far. When I say that, however, I mean that even though I put many years of learning, work, experimentation, expenditures, and travel into what I do, the effort felt energizing and fun to do. The whole process is a journey, and through it all, I remain open to learning many new things and staying humble and creative. I also do not feel that I have come close to creatively peaking. In other words, the journey continues! Finally, I’ve become really great friends with other fun night photography weirdos. They have been a huge help and inspiration to me. Our trips, friendship, learning and fun continue to be fantastic achievements.

Lessons I’ve learned along the way? The importance of scheduling time to create. Creative fearlessness. Knowing when I am forcing things creatively and to start something else. Extending the “weird factor” already inherent in night photography to whole new levels. Finding the best taco stands.

What do I want the world to know about me? I’m totally happy to help you. I’m creatively restless. Okay, sure, I’m probably restless in general. And probably like you, I have had my share of hardships. However, I kept hungry and creative and never let those hardships dampen my spirit. I’d want the world to know that although night photography might initially seem daunting, you can do it. It doesn’t require specialized photographing equipment. What it requires is a sense of creativity, fun, adventure, sense of humor, a love of the unusual, and sure, maybe a little patience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It always starts with food, doesn’t it? I love Los Dos Molinos on Central in Phoenix. I love their New Mexico green chile stew. It’s pure goodness in a bowl, with slow cooked pork, potatoes, and carrots in spicy NM green chile with a side of rice and a whole lotta magic. Kiss Pollos Estilo Sinaloa is a little hole-in-the-wall neighborhood place. The regular burrito with chopped chicken, rice, and beans is excellent.

In Phoenix, you have so many possibilities of day trips too. Whether it’s something as simple as visiting Mystery Castle or running up to South Mountain, Phoenix can be a lot of fun. My friends and I like to get outside. We’d probably spend our time exploring ghost towns and Native American ruins in the Sonoran Desert. Another fun trip would be to drive up north and visit some of the abandoned Route 66 areas east of Flagstaff. Or for a fun diversion, we could visit the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Night photographers in general deserve credit. In particular, I would like to do a shout-out to Lance Keimig and Troy Paiva, two enormous inspirations in this field. Also, night photographers Tim Little and Mike Cooper for not only night photography but support and friendship.

Website: www.kenleephotography.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kenleephotography

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kenleephotos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenleephotography

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUoFKWn7ZB_WUYBsNv1mgfQ