First Impressions of the New Jupiter 3+ Lens: AM Renault of Yamanaka Yuko

Photographer AM Renault is a core member of Yamanaka Yuko and Six Dimen Boy. He is deeply in love with nature, a thing he always intertwines with photography and design. This time, Lomography is honored to have AM Renault shoot with the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens. What’s more, one of his photos has been chosen as the cover of the product package.

Name: AM Renault
Country: Hong Kong
Facebook: 山中遊子 Facebook, 生活在六維空間的男生 Facebook
Instagram: AM@山中遊子
Camera: Sony A7s
Lens: New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens

Photo by AM Renault

How are you doing?

I’m either mountaineering or preparing for mountain photography. I’ve been to Japan and China.

When I was mountaineering in China, I realised that I didn’t have enough equipment and my body couldn’t handle it either. I’m glad that I could make up for that situation. I am also planning for my next mountaineering in Hong Kong. Fortunately, I finished two thirds of the plan before the end of 2015—the plan is to climb 200 hills in Hong Kong.

As a core member of Yamanaka Yuko, what does mountaineering mean to you?

Mountaineering allows me to see the world from a different perspective, which has also led to a big change in my personality. It has an effect on my photography and even philosophy in life. The mountains teach me a lot. I have a new interpretation to “No matter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide if there is an enchanting fairy.” It has become my motto in life.

Photos by AM Renault

What’s one unusual experience you had while shooting in the mountain?

There are lots of memorable things. The most unforgettable one is the first time I climbed a mountain in a foreign country. The four of us from Yamanaka Yuko went up Mount Fuji, Japan. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad and my friend suffered from altitude sickness. We were actually just 30 minutes away from the peak.

We finally arrived there without any waterproof equipment, a perilous thing. We didn’t even take a proper group photo and the camera was just broken. So we hurriedly walked down to the hill to pack our stuff in the house. But the rain was too heavy from the house to the 5th Station of Mount Fuji. We had different walking speeds so we lost each other on the way. I walked alone for more than 2 hours until I met one of them.

It was raining and we were soaking wet. Fortunately, none of us got sick after the mountaineering. When I got to Hong Kong, I bought all the equipment I need to prevent the same thing from happening again! I actually climbed Mount Fuji again last winter.

Photo by AM Renault

What is your first impression of the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens?

Over the past two years, I took almost 99% of my pictures with a 50mm lens. So when I found out that the New Jupiter 3+ is a 50mm lens, I was really interested. Its focal length is very flexible. I can take photos in a wide angle or from a very close distance. When I mountaineered outside Hong Kong or traveled with my girlfriend, I just took one 50mm lens with me. The world got bigger right before my eyes.

Most people love to shoot the nature under the sun, but you took several at night. Why is that?

This is actually one of my photography plans, to walk. I wanted to walk the streets of Hong Kong and photograph the journey. I love the silent night on the street, so I invited a friend to walk around the Hong Kong Island for a week. We started our journey from Sheung Wan and spent 12 hours or more exploring.

We took a lot of photos where we walked along the road without any cars. We even had photos of wild boars. Walking unconsciously with purpose sounds contradictory, but it is exactly what I wanted to do in the series.

Photos by AM Renault

What do you like about the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens ?

How handy it is. It also has a large aperture which makes it convenient to shoot photos both in the morning and at night. The 50mm focal length is a big plus!

Can you tell us about one of your favorite photos?

I used the New Jupiter 3+ Lens to take pictures of my friends and people around me. My favourite is a portrait. I’m quite satisfied with the outcome. My girlfriend is usually camera-shy but I was lucky to get this natural-looking picture.

Photo by AM Renault

Do you have any tips for first-time users of New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens?

It allows users to shoot creatively, and is easy for people who love to shoot with a 50mm lens.

Any upcoming projects?

I will be mountaineering in Nepal mid-March to late April. Our target this time is the Island Peak (6189m). I have a month to go, so I’m preparing equipment (and myself) for the trip. Hoping for nice weather!


The New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens is being produced in small batches and thus will be available on a very limited first-come, first-served basis. Head to the Lomography Online Shop right now to get yours! For more information, head to the New Jupiter 3+ Art Lens site.


Did AM Renault get you interested in mountaineering? Read his Petzval-documented trip and his Osaka adventures.

written by phyllistc on 2016-02-29 #people #lifestyle #hong-kong #mountaineering #lomoamigo #yamanaka-yuko #am-renault
translated by Ka Sim Lam

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