Meet Yong Teck Lim, an editor at Getty Images, and finalist at the 2021 World Sports Photography Awards with quite a Canon story to tell.
Retracing Yong Teck’s Canon journey, we found ourselves at a significant moment during the 2015 SEA Games. Back then, a young photographer received a kind offer by Canon Professional Services (CPS) to try out the EOS-1D X, which at that time, was an instant ‘weapon of choice’ upgrade from his EOS 600D.
Little did anyone knew that this little gesture from CPS would turn out to be the start of its lasting relationship with one of Singapore’s fastest rising starlets in the sports photography scene.
Today, the list of events he covers span all over the world while his works have also been used globally in several major publications including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. Here, you might be wondering: what happened in between?
The truth was, after the positive and enriching experience of using a higher-grade camera at the 2015 SEA Games (thanks to CPS), Yong Teck had set his sights for greater heights. He would eventually own a slew of Canon’s high-performance camera systems in his journey to produce top quality work at the sporting events he covers.
Being a CPS Gold-tier member has many perks, he says. From priority repair services to speedy equipment turnaround times, back-up equipment loans are available during downtime, and that includes discounted fees on service and parts. Yong Teck also shares that it is the extreme care and support given by the technicians at the CPS on-site depot at large-scale events for his equipment servicing that gives him peace of mind. Yong Teck also adds that he thoroughly appreciates the consistent, seamless, professional customer service and advice he receives every time he’s at the Canon Customer Care Centre.
These days, the top ‘weapon of choice’ of the self-professed LeBron James fanboy is the EOS-1D X Mark III camera system, whose ruggedness have been a pure blessing for a photographer who covers a wide array of sports, both indoors and out.
Free sensor cleaning is also something Yong Teck periodically looks forward to, as he trusts the hands of the CPS team to do a better job than himself when it comes to camera care. Gold-tier CPS members enjoy free sensor cleaning three times each year.
While Yong Teck admits that despite still having a long way to go in sports photography, he’ll never forget the kind gestures, networking opportunities and great support he received from the CPS team as he advanced his photography career.
Before ending our interview with Yong Teck, we also sought some parting words from him to the photographers out there who were already-CPS-eligible but yet-to-sign-up and this was what he said:
At the time of writing, Yong Teck is headed for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and he’s heading there armed with not just his full set of photography gear, but also the knowledge that Canon Professional Services will be present at the venue to support its photographers with back-up gear loans, equipment servicing and maintenance. This, gives Yong Teck all the assurance he needs when it comes to his equipment, allowing him to truly focus on capturing historic moments at the world’s biggest stage.
Own Canon equipment? Check your eligibility or become a CPS Member for free today.
