Introducing the ADVENSHARE series. Intimate dialogue sessions to cultivate a culture of creative conversations. Discussions revolve around topics of design, travel, photography and youth activism. Initiated as part of the Canon EOS Youth Ambassador Programme with support from Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Selangor.
ADVENSHARE SESSION 02
Annice Lyn
Photographer, Anntopia
Annice Lyn is a former national competitive figure skater & an architectural graduate. She stumbled across her passion for photography while obtaining her architectural degree & is currently devoting her time visual documenting Weddings, Sports & Humanitarian events. She's the 1st female photographer based in Malaysia to be accredited for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, Pyeong Chang 2018 & is a current Canon Malaysia EOS Youth Ambassador Candidate.
This Advenshare episode is available on Advenshatime, youtube
Share with us, how did you get into photography in the first place?
I found photography through architecture. Taking photos of your project scale models, ensuring the right angles and lighting, building your 3D model on the computer, and finding the perspective for it's presentation - all aspects of this was quite similar to photography.
But my interest developed further through my friend - both of us had always shared tips and tricks for photography. She studied finance in the UK, and was a budding photographer as well. I started to get really in depth with photography, as she really supported and helped me with that interest. She passed away a year before my graduation..
I'm sorry to hear that.. So you delved deeper into this interest after your graduation?
After I graduated, I had a 2 month gap before my convocation. With that free time, I started to get into art. It was a period of exploring a lot of different media - at one point I was mixing photography together with watercolours.
But my interest developed further through my friend - both of us had always shared tips and tricks for photography. She studied finance in the UK, and was a budding photographer as well. I started to get really in depth with photography, as she really supported and helped me with that interest. She passed away a year before my graduation..
I'm sorry to hear that.. So you delved deeper into this interest after your graduation?
After I graduated, I had a 2 month gap before my convocation. With that free time, I started to get into art. It was a period of exploring a lot of different media - at one point I was mixing photography together with watercolours.
So cool! Where can we see more of this?
You can view it on Anntopia.net! The name is basically a mix of Annice + Utopia. Anntopia actually started during zaman Xanga, Blogspot... but back then it was just rants from high school. I need to shut those posts down soon haha!
Back to Anntopia.net - so on there I have photos from my assignments too, including the most exciting one, my experience in Pyeonchang earlier this year.
Yes! You were there ealier this year in Pyeonchang to take photos at the Olympics! I think one of the things that I was most amazed and most awed by was how you got to become an Olympic accredited photographer.. so how did that happen?
It's truly an honour. Plus, it was the winter Olympics, and Malaysia isn't well know for winter sports. I chased the deadline and it was a long, arduous process. I appealed to so many channels and received so many 'nos'. At one point I gave myself a deadline to stop appealing by the 31st January. But on the 2nd of February, I got an email of acceptance! My happiness lasted about 5 minutes before the anxiety of the logistics started settling in. I only had 5 days to sort everything out before the Opening Ceremony. Friends helped me with some of my winter clothes, boots, temporary funds .. and Canon Malaysia helped me by lending some gear. I only confirmed my accommodation one day before departure. All that hard work was worth it! It was one of the most unfathomable experiences I've ever had... I was there to shoot the figure skating program. It's Malaysia's debut for figure skating at the Olympics!
That's astounding. The sheer determination and will it takes to fight through, and I am so happy to hear you got there! Figure skating? How did you get involved in that?
I used to train as a national figure skater myself! But then I guess figure skating has a shelf life - there are always new, fresh, younger athletes. A lot of my peers are actually training to become judges now. Back then, my coach encouraged me to take photographs of his trainees. I found that there's definitely a need for it, because not a lot of people are aware of such a niche branch of sports photography. So I tried it.. and kept on doing it..
It sounds like a really technical and tough sport to capture, actually..
Yes ice skating is a mixture of technicality and artistry. You need to be technically good when you do the triples, doubles.. and aside from that, you have to be really good at acting out the story of your routine! You need to control your body language, and facial expressions. You have to be mentally and physically submerged in your program. And bear in mind these skaters they train for years, with injuries everywhere, surgery after surgery, just to have 3 or 4 minutes to prove themselves.
As a figure skating photographer, you have to know about the movements, what to expect in their routine. When I was at the Olympics, there was a Japanese photographer in front of me, all decked out with his cameras. During intermission, the photographer was busy going through his phone. That's when I realised that he was busy familiarising himself with the next skater's routine. This is crucial to prepare yourself for the moments that are best captured. At the Olympics, photographers are assigned to different positions around the rink. The best views are always behind the judges - that's where the best jumps happen. One time, I was placed at the rink side. So it's important to know the moves from your angle too.
I guess it's quite important to embody and really know the sport if you're a sports photographer..
It definitely helps.
What was one of your photographic highlights at the Olympics?
It's this photo of an athlete after she won an event. What I love about this photo was that I was surrounded by so many photographers, and it only lasted for a moment, but it was captured.
Here's another photo. These are siblings. The difference between them and other pairs is that they are family. When you're not family, you have to work on chemistry and make believe that, say, if your story is about love and passion, have to make it sort of sultry.. with maybe tango elements. Basically, you need to convince everyone that you are in love. But these siblings, United States representatives, they danced to Paradise by Coldplay. They won bronze and you can see that they're very proud of it.
Through all this I'm sure your journey wasn't all roses..
Yes, it involved a lot of struggle. I received so many comments saying that I'm just a freelance photographer, or that I'm just a girl. The Olympic committee is more likely to hire photographers who are under an organisation, as they need photographers to capture and broadcast, basically those who can ensure that it gets publicised. If you're a freelance photographer theyre definitely going to ask - what will you use the photographer for? The spots for these events are really precious. There is also the accreditation quota. There's a total (if I'm not mistaken, I got this info from the IOC) of 744 photographers from all over the world that was accredited for Pyeonchang, but only 77 out of that were female.
I think photography is a very male dominated industry. And being a female photographer feels quite badass.
I'm happy that you're one of the few girls who are proving we can do it too!
I really hope that there'd me more accredited female journalists and photographers in the future. To be fair, the male photographers I've met are really supportive and welcoming of more female photographers. Besides that, one of my hopes is that In 4 years, in Beijing 2022, that we'd have representatives for female and male skaters, even perhaps a hockey team.
Thank you so much for this informative session! Before we wrap up, any last words?
Start within your own circle, know what you like, don't just follow the trends. And be humble about it.
You can view it on Anntopia.net! The name is basically a mix of Annice + Utopia. Anntopia actually started during zaman Xanga, Blogspot... but back then it was just rants from high school. I need to shut those posts down soon haha!
Back to Anntopia.net - so on there I have photos from my assignments too, including the most exciting one, my experience in Pyeonchang earlier this year.
Yes! You were there ealier this year in Pyeonchang to take photos at the Olympics! I think one of the things that I was most amazed and most awed by was how you got to become an Olympic accredited photographer.. so how did that happen?
It's truly an honour. Plus, it was the winter Olympics, and Malaysia isn't well know for winter sports. I chased the deadline and it was a long, arduous process. I appealed to so many channels and received so many 'nos'. At one point I gave myself a deadline to stop appealing by the 31st January. But on the 2nd of February, I got an email of acceptance! My happiness lasted about 5 minutes before the anxiety of the logistics started settling in. I only had 5 days to sort everything out before the Opening Ceremony. Friends helped me with some of my winter clothes, boots, temporary funds .. and Canon Malaysia helped me by lending some gear. I only confirmed my accommodation one day before departure. All that hard work was worth it! It was one of the most unfathomable experiences I've ever had... I was there to shoot the figure skating program. It's Malaysia's debut for figure skating at the Olympics!
That's astounding. The sheer determination and will it takes to fight through, and I am so happy to hear you got there! Figure skating? How did you get involved in that?
I used to train as a national figure skater myself! But then I guess figure skating has a shelf life - there are always new, fresh, younger athletes. A lot of my peers are actually training to become judges now. Back then, my coach encouraged me to take photographs of his trainees. I found that there's definitely a need for it, because not a lot of people are aware of such a niche branch of sports photography. So I tried it.. and kept on doing it..
It sounds like a really technical and tough sport to capture, actually..
Yes ice skating is a mixture of technicality and artistry. You need to be technically good when you do the triples, doubles.. and aside from that, you have to be really good at acting out the story of your routine! You need to control your body language, and facial expressions. You have to be mentally and physically submerged in your program. And bear in mind these skaters they train for years, with injuries everywhere, surgery after surgery, just to have 3 or 4 minutes to prove themselves.
As a figure skating photographer, you have to know about the movements, what to expect in their routine. When I was at the Olympics, there was a Japanese photographer in front of me, all decked out with his cameras. During intermission, the photographer was busy going through his phone. That's when I realised that he was busy familiarising himself with the next skater's routine. This is crucial to prepare yourself for the moments that are best captured. At the Olympics, photographers are assigned to different positions around the rink. The best views are always behind the judges - that's where the best jumps happen. One time, I was placed at the rink side. So it's important to know the moves from your angle too.
I guess it's quite important to embody and really know the sport if you're a sports photographer..
It definitely helps.
What was one of your photographic highlights at the Olympics?
It's this photo of an athlete after she won an event. What I love about this photo was that I was surrounded by so many photographers, and it only lasted for a moment, but it was captured.
Here's another photo. These are siblings. The difference between them and other pairs is that they are family. When you're not family, you have to work on chemistry and make believe that, say, if your story is about love and passion, have to make it sort of sultry.. with maybe tango elements. Basically, you need to convince everyone that you are in love. But these siblings, United States representatives, they danced to Paradise by Coldplay. They won bronze and you can see that they're very proud of it.
Through all this I'm sure your journey wasn't all roses..
Yes, it involved a lot of struggle. I received so many comments saying that I'm just a freelance photographer, or that I'm just a girl. The Olympic committee is more likely to hire photographers who are under an organisation, as they need photographers to capture and broadcast, basically those who can ensure that it gets publicised. If you're a freelance photographer theyre definitely going to ask - what will you use the photographer for? The spots for these events are really precious. There is also the accreditation quota. There's a total (if I'm not mistaken, I got this info from the IOC) of 744 photographers from all over the world that was accredited for Pyeonchang, but only 77 out of that were female.
I think photography is a very male dominated industry. And being a female photographer feels quite badass.
I'm happy that you're one of the few girls who are proving we can do it too!
I really hope that there'd me more accredited female journalists and photographers in the future. To be fair, the male photographers I've met are really supportive and welcoming of more female photographers. Besides that, one of my hopes is that In 4 years, in Beijing 2022, that we'd have representatives for female and male skaters, even perhaps a hockey team.
Thank you so much for this informative session! Before we wrap up, any last words?
Start within your own circle, know what you like, don't just follow the trends. And be humble about it.
You can keep in touch with Annice of Anntopia here:
Web: Anntopia
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