Views from the sky: an interview with award-winning photographer Mike Zhao
The only way to innovate is to be curious about how a thing works. If you’re curious, you’ll study it, and that’s how the spirit of innovation remains alive.
A pair of hands and a small drone like the bamboo-copter from Doraemon can fly into the sky and offer a fresh perspective on the existing world. With the power of creativity and imagination, we can reinterpret everyday life.
Mike Zhao Yangchun, a fourth-year student from the Faculty of Business at Lingnan University, teamed up with Wang Zhenyu, a graduate from the Lingnan Institute of Further Education, in the 8th Kede Cup National University Student Drone Aerial Photography Competition held in Beijing. Competing against nearly a thousand contestants from top institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, The Central Academy of Drama, and the Beijing Film Academy, they won an Excellence Award for their series of photos entitled Growing Towards the Sun (《向陽而生》), and were the only team from Hong Kong to win a prize.
“People usually take photos from a direct or side view, capturing whatever they see. But drones offer a completely new perspective from the sky, showing people, objects and scenes from angles you wouldn’t normally spot. This is what we call the 'God’s-Eye View' - when you look down, you can create a special visual tension that can truly move people,” Mike explains.
Mike began his aerial photography venture after graduating from high school and working on several commercial photography projects. He has been a drone pilot shooting aerial footage of hotel swimming pools, controlled standard camera gimbals for aerial cinematography, and he even lay down on the ground for drone shots for this competition - he is passionate about drones.
"Drones are the new mainstream media, and they represent an ideal direction for personal development," Mike says. He also points out that the founder of domestic drone giant DJI, Wang Tao, went to university in Hong Kong, making Hong Kong a cradle of drone technology.
In recent years, the Hong Kong Government has promoted STEAM education to give local talent a solid foundation in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, so as to combine them all in the future development of innovation and technology. For Mike, Lingnan University’s liberal arts education encourages the students to explore a variety of fields, enabling them to take into account endless possibilities through an integrated approach to both the humanities and sciences.
“At Lingnan, we are never rebuffed when we try and investigate new ideas. The university encourages us to break new ground, even if we make mistakes. In fact, it's by understanding our own mistakes that we learn valuable lessons. I’m really grateful to Lingnan for its educational approach, which provides us with plenty of opportunities and platforms.”
For Mike, drone aerial photography isn't just a hobby - it aligns with China’s recent push to develop the low-altitude economy. He’s looking ahead now at how drones can be used in many industries in modern cities to seize business opportunities by leveraging technology.
"The low-altitude economy refers to activities involving manned or unmanned aircraft flying below 1,000 metres, extending to 3,000 metres as necessary. It spans industries such as agriculture, aerial photography, rescue operations, and logistics - in fact all upstream and downstream industries. Drones should be a huge entry point for the future."
Taking logistics delivery as an example, Mike says that local companies have already set up drone airports in office buildings. When you place an order on your phone, the drone receives the command and flies off automatically to deliver your package, before flying back to its charging pad and docking station. "I believe drones will soon become part of our daily lives."
Besides practical applications in building mapping and disaster zone search and rescue, Mike is sure that aerial photography technology will generate avant-garde initiatives throughout the entire visual creation industry. Drones can now completely replace traditional filming equipment like cranes and cable systems, offering greater flexibility. Furthermore, drones have been using artificial intelligence algorithms that enhance autofocus, colour processing, and image resolution for the past three to four years.
Mike believes young people should have a sense of curiosity about everything, and always ask "why". "Only by understanding how something works will you be able to study it. That’s how the spirit of discovery persists." He adds that, to drive the development of drone technology, you must first understand how drones operate and how that technology can be applied to different aspects of everyday life.
"I hope to bring together more Lingnan students who are interested in aerial photography, and to form a team that includes both actors and staff. We can then produce short films, and perhaps compete for the top prize at next year's Kede Cup. If more people learn to use and operate these unmanned devices, that will really boost Hong Kong's talent pool for the drone industry.
“My dream is to become truly cosmopolitan, travelling the world and recording its stunning beauty. In future, perhaps I will be able to use drones to capture the smiles of people on the beautiful Lingnan campus, showing the inclusive, open, and diverse educational setting here.”
Mike and Zhenyu's award-winning photo series “Growing Towards the Sun” uses the unique aerial perspective of a drone to create 2D visual illusion images, displaying the vitality of proactive modern youth, constantly striving for originality.
1. "Strength" – We propel the rocket, giving us the power to progress.
2. "Surge" – In a bustling society facing the unknown, our feet are on the right path, and we are happy.
3. "Life" – Life may often be bitter, but give yourself the right to enjoy some peace.
4. "Passion" – The treasures brought by passion are interconnected gifts.
5. "Seek Truth" – Through a large telescope, we explore the stars recorded in books, pursuing both practice and experience.
6. "Ambition" – To define the direction of life, it only takes a firm step to climb higher and higher.
7. "Us" – Our predecessors pull us up the steep cliff as we strive to shoulder more responsibility and carry out more missions.
8. "Embrace" – Embrace the stars - and in doing so, embrace the infinite possibilities of the universe.
9. "Blazing" – The blazing light of fire and stars ignites new hope.