Today we’d like to introduce you to Luca.
Hi Luca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started photography, well more like filmmaking in middle school. We had a mixed media class which had us film a couple things for projects based on things we were learning in school. We had a set of school cameras that we could borrow to film our projects. After I graduated middle school and started high school, I started getting more interested in photography. So, I did what any inspired artist does at Christmas and asked my parents for supplies, in this case, my very own camera.
When I first started, I was only using the pre-set controls on the camera. ‘Landscape’, ‘Portrait’, and ‘Close up’ were my go-tos throughout high school. During my senior year of high school, I was finally able to get into the photography class for my elective but unfortunately due to Covid, we were forced to do online learning which had me taking more photos within neighborhood just to get enough photos to complete the assignments. But that’s when I learned how absolutely beautiful the area I lived in was. I started using my larger lens and began capturing smaller, more unnoticeable things that most people would overlook. A snail, a small flower in the sidewalk, a collection of dewdrops on a vine, all these things that people don’t take the time to actually look at and appreciate the beauty of. And that’s when my photography really started to evolve.
Per my teacher’s instruction, I started exploring ‘Manual Mode’ which gave me much more control over the ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture. With these things now under my control and not just pre-programmed I began creating my photos rather than just taking them. As my senior year drew to an end I was faced with my final project in the class. “Take a series of photos that you wouldn’t normally photography or tell a story with a series of photographs.” So that’s what I did. I asked my friend to model for me and once he agreed I began to write out and plan my project. I wanted to 1. Take photos of a human model which I have never explored before and 2. Use the model to express different disorders. (Anger, depression, addiction, etc.) The project went better than expected but unfortunately due to my lack of experience posing a model I was given a B on the project, which landed me with a B in the class. I was dumbfounded. I had spent hours, days, weeks, carefully curating this project just to end up with a B?! I nearly threw my camera in the trash.
After that, I decided to take a break and stop photographing. It wasn’t that I was angry at my teacher, I was more upset at myself for not learning more about the style of photography I had wanted to do for the project. After a few months, I started my first job and while surrounded by some incredibly inspiring people I found my passion for photography renewed and finally picked up my camera again. It really wasn’t until a coworker at that job asked me about headshots for an acting gig of hers did, I finally decide to practice and curate a portfolio of my work.
The headshots I took for her turned out beautiful and we ended up working on another project together where she casually suggested that I start charging people for photos. After that, I made an ad, set my prices, figured out my list of categories I photographed, and finally clicked post. And…nothing. Not a single person messaged me. I mean what was I expecting? Thousands of requests and a fully schedule? Ha…in my dreams.
Eventually, though my friend asked me to take some profile pictures of him and I agreed. Which turned out to be one of my favorite shoots I’ve done to date. Instead of a super professional atmosphere like with my other shoots and school projects, I invited a few of our friends to help and it was an absolute blast. We went to tons of locations and took so many amazing photos of him. Once those were posted I ended up getting another request for headshots from a mutual friend of ours. Which turned into more requests for photos.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of my biggest struggles was motivation and critiques. Whenever I was struck down my teachers’ criticism, my parents nagging, or a simple remark like “this photo isn’t as good as that photo”, I immediately start to question whether what I’m creating is actually good and up to par with my other photos I’ve taken. This is especially the case when it’s a paying customer.
When I get requests to take photos for friends I almost always say “no, you don’t have to pay me. You’re my friend, I can’t make you do that.” And I’ve realized that the reason I say that is because I’m scared of the amount of pressure that will be put on me to take money-worthy photos.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in headshots for theatre or business, as well as fun photos for dating or social media sites. I also love photographing animals at the zoo, flora and fauna, and cosplayers.
I think what sets me apart is my specific style of photography. Most photographers will spend lots of time setting up the perfect shot but I believe in letting the perfect photos come naturally by taking lots of photos of the same subject and then switching to a different angle or object when I feel like I’ve gotten the perfect picture that the client (and myself) are looking for.
I also personally prefer to shoot darker and dramatic photos rather than colorful and fun photos, which definitely sets me apart from other photographers.
What makes you happy?
That’s a difficult question. Happiness for me can come from many different things. A gift from a friend, a positive comment, a fun outing with people who make me smile, or a beautiful photograph that captures exactly what I’m looking for. But some days these things don’t give me the boost of serotonin that I need to keep positive and that’s when I turn to the photos that I have taken over the years and remind myself of the memories behind the snapshots of time that stay safely in my camera.
Contact Info:
- Email: Lucachae7253@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/luca_chae_photography?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucachaephotography
Image Credits
Trevor Chase Jackson
Nathan Stowe
