I wasn’t born with a camera in my hand.

In fact, for a long time, I was a biotechnology engineer. I had a "real job." I had the safe career. But I also had a secret obsession.

While my colleagues were watching TV or reading fiction on their days off, I was wading through chest-deep glacier water. I was crawling through knee-deep mud in dense forests. I was running through crusty snow until my lungs burned.

I was chasing a feeling.

I was trying to reconnect with the boy who grew up in Hong Kong, clutching a copy of The Magnificent World of Wildlife, dreaming of bears and wolves he had never seen.

** But I had a problem.**

I vividly remember the summer of 2000. I showed my portfolio to someone, hoping for validation. Her response cut right through me:

“The photos you took suck.”

It was harsh. It hurt. But looking back, she was right.

I was taking pictures, but I wasn't making art. I was obsessed with the gear, the settings, and the "capture." I thought if I just had the sharper lens or the faster shutter, I would finally feel satisfied. I thought technical perfection was the goal.

Then, I discovered the truth that changed everything.

I realized that the only way to create images that truly matter—and win the world's top awards—is to stop "documenting" wildlife and start creating Art, because technical specs fade, but emotional storytelling is immortal.

This was my shift.

I stopped trying to be a photographer and started trying to be a poet with a lens. I drew on my love for Chinese calligraphy and the poems of Su Dongpo—masters who understood that emotion is more important than accuracy.

Suddenly, the world opened up.

My images stopped being "snapshots" and became award-winning pieces in the Nature's Best Photography exhibition.

I began judging the very contests I used to dream of entering.

I found myself face-to-face with a brown bear in Katmai—the exact bear I dreamed of as a child reading Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac—and I captured his spirit, not just his fur.

But this isn't about me. It's about YOU.

If you are reading this, you probably feel that same pull I did.

Maybe you have a "day job" that pays the bills but doesn't feed your soul. Maybe you have thousands of photos on a hard drive that are "technically perfect" but emotionally empty. Maybe you worry that you’re just adding noise to social media, rather than leaving a mark on the world.

My mission is larger than photography.

I believe that wildlife photography is the most powerful tool we have for conservation. But to save nature, we have to make people feel it. We have to make them cry, laugh, and gasp.

I am here to help you leave a legacy.

I want to help you create images that don't just sit on a hard drive, but that change minds and protect the species we love. Whether you are an engineer, a doctor, or a retiree, you have a masterpiece inside you.

Let’s find it together.

If you are ready to move beyond "taking pictures" and start creating art that changes the world, you are in the right place.

Tin Man Lee Wildlife Photographer | Mentor | Judge

3 Quick Facts About The Man Behind The Lens
1. "Tin Man" is my real name. It’s not a nickname! And yes, I do have a heart.

2. I am a Book Nerd. I can sit in a coffee shop for hours—especially if there is a latte involved—just reading and dreaming. I believe one good idea from a book can change your life.

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