The Surma tribe of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia...a place where
mankind (and fashion) probably began. The children and teens
appear innocent and beautiful, with their ornate body paint work
and exotic head decorations made of flowers. The place appears
peaceful and untouched, but in reality, life here is harsh with the
tribespeople at frequent wars with neighbouring tribes over cattle
grazing rights. The line between peace and war is very fine and
very blurred. They can be so near to each other, yet at times
appear so far from each other...
Robin Yong is a multi-award winning Travel Photographer. He enjoys traveling to exotic destinations to befriend and photograph the locals. He is best known for his work on the Omo Valley tribes in Ethiopia, the Venetian Masked models in Venice and the Maikos of Kyoto. He calls these works his Travel Portraits, his Art of Travel Medicine. For most of his works, he does not use flash, reflectors or artificial lighting, depending solely on natural lighting alone. The photos are often dramatic, colourful and extremely beautiful. For Robin, every photo must look like a movie poster.
Awards Gold, Tokyo International Foto Awards 2017, People - Portrait Category
Best Movie Photo, Avalonia Festival
Best Photo Series, WatchDog Film Festival
Winner 2018 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, Best International Documentary Photograph
Winner, Best Photography, Cult Critic Movie Awards
Winner, Best Photography, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival
Winner, Best Photography, Seal Beach Film Festival 2018
Winner, Hedda Morrison Print Portfolio Competition - Canberra Photographic Society
Silver Award, Australian Professional Photography Awards 2018, Travel Category
Silver Award with Distinction, Australian Institute of Professional Photography AIPP 2018 ACT/ NSW State Awards Travel Category
Silver Award, Australian Institute of Professional Photography AIPP 2018 ACT/ NSW State Awards Travel Category
Silver Award, Australian Institute of Professional Photography AIPP 2018 ACT/ NSW State Awards Portrait Category x 2
Residence Winner, Hellarau Portrait Awards
Remarkable Artwork, Sienna Photo Awards 2018, Fascinating Faces and Characters Category
Nomination Award, 2018 Humanity Photo Awards, Portrait and Costume Category
Finalist, Australian Institute of Professional Photography AIPP 2018 ACT/ NSW State Awards Emerging Photographer of the Year
Finalist, Black + White Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) 2018 x 2
Finalist, European Heritage Photographer of the Year 2018
Finalist, Hamidan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) "The Moment" 2017 Black & White Category
Finalist, Hamidan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) "The Moment" 2017 Portfolio Category
Finalist, Heritage Bank Photographic Awards x 3, Open Color Category
Winner, Human Rights Photo Competition 2017, Australian Human Rights Commission
Winner, Sente Antu Cup International Photography Competition by Global Photography 2017
3rd Prize, Istanbul Photo Awards 2017, Story Portrait Category
