Interview: International photographer & videographer Anton Lim - Men's Folio
Style, Interview

Interview: International photographer & videographer Anton Lim

  • By Yong Wei Jian

Anton Lim – more often known as @mellowedhigh on Instagram — has carved a name for himself as Singapore’s go-to photographer and videographer in the music and streetwear industry. The self-taught creative’s distinct photography style has drawn the likes of the social media generation and caught the attention of local clients and international artists like Adidas, Hypebeast, DBS bank, Darker than Wax, MadeinTyo and Big Sean.

Scrolling through his timeline, one will be captivated by a feed of Hypebeast-styled shots, featuring the latest sneakers and decked in the waviest garments. Anton’s portrait shots of renowned personalities capture his special use of colour and composition — his unique artistic style that sets him apart from his counterparts.

What got you started in street photography?

Basically it started around three years ago, back when there were very few photographers on Instagram. I was into sneakers and saw how people were taking nice pictures of their stuff, so I borrowed a camera from my friend to do the same. Not too long after, I got a job from Potatohead, and that was how Earn [Chen] — a prominent figure in the streetwear scene locally and internationally — found and groomed me. He linked me up with people the in the scene, and eventually I got to know people from Hypebeast, which triggered my start in shooting streetwear,

You’re self-taught.

Being self-taught is a challenge, and one of the reasons is there’s nobody to tell you when you’re doing it wrong; you only find out when it’s too late. At least that’s what I’ve learned. The benefit is you learn a lot faster because you go through everything directly, learning only what you want to learn.

How would you define your personal style of photography?

I’d say it’s quite diverse. I can be shooting up to four different styles of photography in a week: day or night, in an urban environment or even in the Maldives, where I just came back from. And obviously the vibe is very different on an island. I’m also doing a lot of music photography, shooting festivals and clubs.

So you’re working with more music artistes.

There’s an energy between people who do creative stuff. A lot of musicians are self-taught as well — they started because they wanted to sing or rap or make music — so that makes it easier for me to connect with them, which is why I like being around them. And I just like shooting spontaneous stuff. Having to plan and storyboard is a challenge, especially when I’m working alone, but if I’m touring or doing shots with an artiste, it just happens. I do hope to one day be the guy in Asia or Southeast Asia that’s known for working with artistes.

Check out the other interviews of Men’s Folio 20 Men including cover star Pierre Png, DJ MYRNE and more in our 20th anniversary October issue, available now.