Prestige HK's annual 40 under 40: Photographer Olivier Yoan

We split the list among the writers in the office, and it was such a great pleasure to write about Oli'! In fact I loved writing about the batch of youngsters (and mildly resentful as I go bitterly into my middle age) who are, in their own ways, shaping, changing, improving Hong Kong in their unique style and putting their stamp on the 852.

Out in the July issue NOW, see who made the cut of 40 under 40!

The entire list will be online next week (with pics!), but until then.... here's a snippet:

Olivier Yoan 

The French former model turned fashion photographer’s pictures transcend into the realms of fine art; there are some pictorials that unfold like contemporary oil paintings captured on camera, Yoan’s affinity for nature being his signature brushstroke. With campaigns (Calvin Klein, Mr. Porter, Marc Antoine Barrois, Kasane) and editorials (every leading title across Asia from Esquire, Elle, to cover shoots for Lifestyle, My Place and celebrity portraits for Prestige) galore, the self-taught intrepid artist is hopscotching Europe as we type these words, expanding his already formidable portfolio. If his directed and edited short video clips online are any indication, we foresee a movie (framed and lit perfectly) in the near-future.

UPDATE: As with any list, there are a handful who were not thrilled that they were not included. There is only one reason Olivier Yoan was chosen--our stars, society and celebrities deemed it so. In conversation with Christina Ko, the last formidable editor of Prestige Hong Kong, she pointed out, whenever we had a slightly reluctant and failure to commit celeb or socialite, we'd dangle the work of Olivier Yoan as a carrot at the end of a stick. They'd love his work and come running to set, location and agree/and/or listen to his every instruction. No other photographer's work (at the time) had such a drawing power. And no one else since...