“What touched you most？”
“Distant Similarity.”
Our endless reverie of the starry sky will pass through billions of light years, be received by the distant unknown, and closely connect us with the universe. If we twist the DNA in our bodies into a thread, it can extend 10 billion miles, farther than the distance from the earth to Pluto, so we can leave the solar system by ourselves. Literally, "we ourselves are the universe." For Billy, who has always been a cinematographer, producer and director of short films and movies, deep space photography is undoubtedly another advancement for him.
The distant Orion Nebula is dazzling and extremely large, about 1,300 light years away from us. The crystal ball is home to an orange-colored ocean, which is very magical. The mysterious Horsehead Nebula is turbulent rapidly, but such turbulence is still too long for us to observe the changes in the appearance of these stardust in our lifetime.
"Not far from the Horsehead Nebula is the Rosette Nebula. Muddy stars, nourishing Milky Way, Hydrogen enriched nebula, and the passionate young bright stars makes the Rosette Nebula appear red in most photos. It will never wither. I want to take it with my lens and give it to my beloved."
The tools, equipment and corresponding knowledge required for photographing deep-sky objects are actually quite complicated. One need to start from scratch based on his/her existing photography skills. Daily cameras cannot meet the needs, so special equipment is necessary for astronomical photography. Then one can use these special equipment and filters to focus on capturing the spectrum produced by the hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and other elements in the nebula, and then complete the color processing steps through specific synthesis software.
“Looking up at the starry sky and gazing at the boundless universe is a dialogue of the soul, which can relieve us from the sorrow and melancholy in life, enlighten our perception of existence, and allow us to enjoy the subtleties and mysteries between heaven and earth.”
"Photographing the starry sky may seem daunting at first glance, but it is not always the case. In today's digital era, it is indeed not difficult to take a photo of the starry sky. Even amateur photographers only need a little equipment, a suitable shooting position, a camera with a good sensor and a stable tripod to handle it. Of course, patience is also required. However, when you really get involved in astronomical photography, you will finally face the difficulty."
5A1 Art Space specially launched a summer special exhibition: Billy Yiu - Sky Story Photography Exhibition. The works exhibited this time are Billy's successful advancement after repeated failures when he first started to get involved in astronomical photography. Facing the vast starry sky, there are countless bad weather and light pollution. The hardships, sweat, frustrations, losses, and all kinds of pain and joy are unknown. Billy's works are the shock of deep tranquility after witnessing the magnificent Milky Way hanging down from the sky. The distant stars call up our dreams when we were young and take us to start this interstellar journey. Although the vast universe cannot be privately owned, it can be stored in the eyes of those who pursue their ideals.
Exhibition Scene：
About the Artist:
Bachelor of Design from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia,
Master of Science in Multimedia Entertainment Technology from Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Postgraduate Diploma in Photography from the School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong,
Formerly worked as a video producer at Hong Kong TVB, currently works as a campus TV technical consultant at Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong Community College,
and works as a photography director at Bingfeng Films.
Awards:
·In 2009, served as the director of photography for "Cell Phone" and won the Best Creative Award at the 4th Fresh Wave Awards in Hong Kong;
·In 2010, served as the producer of "The Unknown", which won the Best Photography Award at the 5th Fresh Wave Awards in Hong Kong, the 48th Golden Horse Awards, and was shortlisted for the Best Creative Short Film at the Golden Horse Awards;
·In 2011, served as the director and director of photography for "Love Regeneration", which won the Silver Award at the Hong Kong Cyberport 3D Short Film Competition;
·In 2014, served as the director and director of photography for "Grassroots Mud Tree Top Flowers", which was shortlisted for the Beijing International Micro Film Festival.
