Humans of MHS: Photographer Nathan Tran

Interviewer: Kyle Lam

“What got you interested in photography?”

“I believe a handful of factors contributed to my interest in photography, specifically technology, art, and science. Whether people pay attention to those subjects or not, they all have their role in producing a photo and to me, that is very fascinating. Along with that fact, I have always loved analyzing and interacting with art, but I did not think of myself as artistically talented so I strayed away from the typical mediums such as drawing or sketching. As for photography, it is easy to understand; people simply define it as pressing a button and an image is produced. But the learning curve and limitless creativity is awe-inspiring to me.” 

“When did you get into photography?”

“Photography has been with me for the majority of my life, but I never delved into the artistic aspect of it until this year. I started off around March of 2020, right after quarantine, using my iPhone XR. Using an iPhone, I was really limited on what I could do but still, I persisted and learned as much as I could.”

“What are your favorite memories of taking pictures?”

“One night, I was driving up the hills of San Jose while there was a full moon and I decided to capture it, since astrophotography is something I rarely get to do. I met up with a friend there and we walked down the road to this hillside where we set up “camp” and started shooting long exposures (when the shutter opens for a long time to let in more light). And since there was no light around us other than the moon, we both had to turn on our phones’ flashlight and we began to run around the grass to capture the light for the photo. After about 10 minutes or so of running around we heard a rustle in the tall grass… a wild Pokémon! Nah, it was just a skunk, yet I proceeded to pick up all my camera gear and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction. The tall grass and the darkness did not help and two seconds later I fell down a small cliff scrapping my camera, tripod, and myself. I dislike skunks now.”

“Can you describe your photography process and if/how it has changed as a result of the pandemic?”

“I have two shooting processes, depending on what I aim to shoot. For example, when I shoot portraits, I usually scout the location in advance so I know the areas where the light is soft or full. Then, I would choose my lens and start warming up with the talent. The whole warm-up process takes about 10 or so minutes, and it basically allows me to get a feel for the lighting situation and angles that I want to achieve. When I finish the photoshoot (usually about an hour to an hour and a half), I would upload the photos to my phone via wifi and then the editing process starts!”

“What type of photos do you shoot? Is there a particular niche (portraits, landscape, nature) that you specialize in?”

“Photography gave me an excuse to try and learn all types of things, so I took it upon myself to practice all the sub-categories such as astro, portraits, landscapes, or street. However, as of right now, I specialize in portraits just because all the other types are very condition-based, meaning it can only be shot at the right time of day. Portrait-style photography has also allowed me to meet many new people since everyone has a slightly different way of shooting portraits. Collaborating with others photographers has taught me a lot about using studio lights, sunlight, or even neon lights.”

“Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers or people who want to pursue a passion of their own?”

“For those wanting to start photography, I would recommend using your phone first since a DSLR is quite expensive. I think a big misconception people have about photography is that you need an expensive camera or lens to shoot nice photos, but a phone actually works just fine. I highly encourage you to start using any camera you have and learn about the basics such as the exposure triangle and editing. Try to implement new techniques and tricks, and remember to have fun with it! I know a lot of people who quit when they first started because they were comparing their photos with others and that is a huge mistake, not only for photographers but for all artists in general. I believe everyone has a unique style of art and it is crucial to highlight that.”