Can you give us a little introduction, who you are, where you come from and where you live now?
My name is Peter Yan, I am a Chinese-born Australian travel photographer and artistic entrepreneur based in Melbourne, Australia.
What do you do for a living? And how does that influence your photography or how does it relate to your photography?
I am lucky to say that I make a living doing what I love. As a photographer, I have worked with a long list of world-class brands such as DJI, MINI Cooper, Olympus, adobe, GQ, four seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Changi Airport. My passion for travel has also allowed me to work with some tourism authorities such as San Francisco, Macao, Turkey and Japan. Compiling stories through images to create and portray exciting places I loved exploring. To date, my artwork has been exhibited in more than 30 galleries worldwide and has appeared in publications such as GQ, Condé Nast Traveller and Lonely Planet.
How did you start your photography career? And how has it developed over the years?
It all started as a hobby. To be honest, I only got into photography a few years ago. I was more of a geek and was interested in things like technology and computer games.
When I first traveled to the United States in 2011, I bought a new Nikon camera and thought I'd try to take some good photos (instead of just using my phone). Surprisingly, I received a lot of great feedback on the photos I took on the trip and that's when I realized I might have something extraordinary to offer.
But it was late 2017 when things really took off. I bought a drone and started posting aerial photos on my Instagram account @yantastic . From there, I started gaining a lot of followers pretty quickly. It only took a few months for me to reach 10k followers and in January 2019 I hit the 100k milestone. For the last two and a half years, I have continued to work full time at my day job but also photographed every day, edited, learned new photography skills on Youtube and engaged in social media after work. Now I am at 210k followers. Although I know it is just a number, I am proud to have achieved it. Because I know it took hard work and a lot of dedication to realize this goal.
Today I am an in-demand visual content creator. Although I am based in Melbourne, I rarely stay in one place and am constantly looking for new experiences.
What do you think of the IG fanbase/community you've built? Do you often connect with other IGers?
Personally, I think the Instagram community is much nicer and friendlier compared to other social media platforms. I have a lot of appreciation for everyone who comes by and I always try to respond to every single comment.
You have traveled halfway around the world for your pictures, it is very amazing! What would be one (or some) of the most impressive or inspiring things you have encountered on these trips?
I love spending my birthday in a different country every year, so a few years ago I wanted to celebrate it in Norway because I always wanted to visit Lofoten. I remember jokingly telling my boyfriend that my birthday wish was to see reindeer and Northern Lights at the same time. We both laughed because we knew it would be impossible. The night before my birthday, we happened to stay in a hotel (with a last minute booking) owned by a Sami family who had about 100 reindeer in the back garden. As you can imagine, my wish came true that night. I got to experience the most epic Northern Lights of my life with the cutest reindeer by my side. A magical moment I will never forget.
When you go on a trip, what are the most important things to pack? What can you not do without when you travel?
Things you'll find in my backpack when I travel:
My Olympus cameras (two), usually with three lenses. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone with several batteries. Power storage. Passport. Air pods. My new 16-inch Macbook Pro. Several SD memory cards and SSD storage for editing. Various adapters and charging cables.
I always have a pair of swimming trunks in my luggage, no matter where I am going, because you never know when you might need them.
I can't live without my smartphone (usually iPhone) because I use it to run my business.
You have a very specific use of colors, a lot of teal and orange. How did you choose that or what attracts you so much about it?
Like most boys, I always loved sky blue as a child. Photography taught me to chase the perfect sunsets and every time I see orange, it reminds me of the sun and makes me feel warm and happy. Plus, orange and teal are opposite each other on the color wheel, so not only do they complement each other and create contrast, but they also draw the viewer's attention. Maybe that's why I was so fascinated by them.
