Sight: a city of layers

Five years down the line, the 23-year old photographer has been recognised in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, and ranked second in 2019’s World’s Top 10 Landscape Photographers. He travels around the world for photo assignments and for leisure, but Hong Kong holds a special place in his heart.

“Its public transport means it’s easy to move around the city and you get a wide range of spectacles, from cityscapes to mountains, waterfalls and dramatic nature scenes,” he says. Though Sai Kung is his favourite place to photograph for its rugged wilderness and view of the Milky Way at night, Yuen also likes the view from the Tsing Yi and Eagle’s Nest Nature Trails, as well as from The Peak – a favourite with tourists.

As its name alludes, The Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island and offers some of the best views of Victoria Harbour via its Peak Circle Walk. Lugard Road is part of the circuit and the first place where most visitors arrive at a lookout to see Hong Kong in all its glory. Named after Hong Kong’s 14th governor, Sir Frederick Lugard, the road was built in 1913 – 1914 and remains a hotspot among seasoned hikers, runners and visitors.

Yuen says, “In the past few years I must have visited Lugard Road on The Peak over a hundred times. I love the perspective it offers me as I photograph the city below. It is layer after layer of district, mountain, district, mountain.” His preferred time to shoot is at dusk, when the lights of the city burst into life and the sky turns into a kaleidoscope of dark shades.

However, it is not easy to capture that perfect shot. “First, I visualise what I want to capture. Then, I will need to scout the location. Take a few draft photos, check the weather, understand the seasons and study the environment, then I go back and try to capture what I have in my mind’s eye. It is a lot of going back and forth before I get what I want.”