Today we’d like to introduce you to Huy Tran.
Hi Huy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a photographer based in San Diego, CA. Huy specializes in Lifestyle, Fashion & Landscape Portraiture.
I never thought my journey would lead me to where I am today, and I am genuinely thankful for all the experiences and relationships I have had with the people I have worked with throughout the years. With that being said, let’s dive into how it all began.
It all started in 2012, during my senior year of high school. One of my best friends, Nico Villanueva, inspired me to take pictures, and I decided to take AP photography that year. Since then, it’s been one hell of a journey.
In the beginning, Nico and I shot portraits weekly during the weekend, and I learned almost everything I needed to know about the game. When I first started, I had a difficult time finding my style. I had difficulty figuring out what kind of energy I wanted. As time passed, I figured I wanted my work to be bright and vibrant with a soft touch. The more time I spent in the lab, the more creative and keen I became. During this time, I would often shoot at places like Balboa Park, Seaport Village, Old Town, and just about any monumental landmark and park you could think of in San Diego. Shooting at these locations made me realize how unfamiliar I was with my city.
I rarely left where I lived, and photography gave me all the opportunities in the world to explore and be a more cultural human being. It was also during this time when Instagram was just starting to take off, and all of my peers began sharing their work on their Instagram pages. Through Instagram, I found the portrait photography community here in San Diego, where I met a lot of creative individuals. As time went on, I established many memorable and sentimental relationships with people I can call some of my closest friends to this day. Overall, it’s been a beautiful journey with many trials and tribulations, and I would not trade it for the world.
One of the most important lessons I learned early on was never to take any of my photoshoots for granted because I knew that every photo shoot I had was just an opportunity to be the best photographer I could be. I learned how to be a better photographer and a better person, friend, brother, and colleague. I also learned that we all have our community. As I got older, I realized I wanted to give back to the community and work with people from all walks of life around me. Throughout my journey, I have learned to cherish many of my relationships with the people I have worked with, and I learned how to strengthen and keep those relationships. Overall, I realized that our relationships with the people we work with are just as meaningful as those we have with our family and friends.
Learning to take pictures was almost like learning a new language. It has its nuances, styles, expressions, and cues. In a sense, that’s one of the most beautiful things about photography, how we can express however we like. From how we frame the person or object to editing it and making it unique to us. When I first started, I mainly focused on keeping portraits and landscapes separately. Eventually, I decided to combine the two elements, and as a result, I ended up with a style that highlights the person and their surroundings.
When it comes to being creative and staying creative, I draw a lot of inspiration from music, conversations, fashion, design, architecture, and nature. A few things that I like to do that also draw inspiration are either brainstorming ideas with my friends on what kind of styles we’ll want to shoot, going outside and taking a walk around my neighborhood, or exploring either a part of town that I have been to thousands of times and a new place in the city that I’ve never been to yet. There are thousands, if not millions, of ways to draw inspiration; these are just some forms of how I do it. What’s yours?
Overall, the game has given me a lot. It taught me how to be confident and comfortable in my own skin, and it also taught me to be polarizing and unapologetic in all aspects of my life.
Thank you so much for reading my story, and I want to thank SD Voyager for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Many people have helped me tremendously over the years, and I want to take this time to acknowledge each of those individuals who have impacted my life.
To Nico Villanueva | @nicovilln,
Thank you for being one of my greatest friends and inspiring me to take pictures. Without your mentorship, friendship and brotherhood, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Thank you so much for teaching me how to take portraits from the beginning. You have helped me sharpen my craft throughout the years, and as a result, I continue to learn and improve. You are a pioneer in taking portraits, and the game forever thanks you for everything you have done.
To Charles Guinto | @charlesgambino,
Thank you for teaching me what it means to be consistent in the game. Thank you for teaching me how all crafts and professions share the same process and steps to be great. You have helped me pay more attention to my work, and as a result, I have taken it upon myself to pay more attention to the littlest details to help elevate my craft.
To Erik Sena | @eriklives,
Thank you for being one of my greatest friends and inspiring me to be creative in everything we do. Thank you for always talking to me, challenging me to be more creative and innovative in my craft, and holding me accountable when it matters the most.
To Kalea Pitel | @kaleeea,
Thank you for always being down to work with me and teaching me how to work and communicate with models. You also taught me to be professional and personable with everyone I have worked with. You’re a creative, energetic, and talented individual, and it’s always a pleasure working with you.
To Genel Ronquillo | @genelronquillo,
Thank you for always talking to me and giving me advice about everything. Whether our conversation is about our goals, vision, or creativity, thank you for always supporting and inspiring me.
Best Regards,
Huy Tran | @mbnhuy
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
One of the struggles I faced initially was learning how to reach out, communicate and set up shoots with people I wanted to work with. I had no idea how to do it, so I couldn’t work with many people in the beginning. As time went on, one of my friends gave me a prompt to follow, and I learned to make it more personable with every person I worked with.
Another struggle I faced was learning how to communicate with the person I was working with during the shoot. For example, I wasn’t sure how to communicate giving instructions to the models I worked alongside. As a result, it created a disconnect and tension between the two of us during our shoots. I corrected this issue by building rapport so that we both understood each other better before our shoot. From these experiences, I learned that it is always the little things that we work on that help us out the most in the long run.
Lastly, a significant struggle I learned to overcome was being social and confident during public events. I always had a tough time socializing with strangers growing up, and I told myself that I had to put myself out there if I wanted to continue working with new people. Meeting new people is a challenge that I constantly work on, and I believe it is one of life’s most valuable and practical skill sets we all need to work on. I overcame this struggle by believing in myself, being myself, and believing in the work I was putting out. It was not easy, and I knew this would be a massive investment in myself in the long run.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in landscape and portraiture photography, and I am mainly known for my portraits. What I am most proud of are all the experiences I got to experience and all of the people I got a chance to meet and work with so far. What sets me apart from others is my vibrant and contrasting style.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
A bit of advice I can give to those who are just starting is to figure out what you do and don’t like. You need to experiment, experiment and experiment. Toy with your camera and figure out what each setting or mode does. Also, become comfortable finding out which setting and mode work well together. Experiment with your editing and edit to your liking and not anyone else’s because it is your work that you’re showcasing to the world.
Know that the equipment doesn’t matter much and that you’re only limited to your imagination and creativity. Learn to be as creative as you possibly can be.
Lastly, have fun doing it. Have fun figuring it out. Have fun struggling with it because our struggles always make us better in the long run. Working helps us become more sustainable with our craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.huy-tran.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbnhuy/
