The Future Of Portrait Photography: An Interview with Tang

By Rene Ramirez

When it comes to photography it is very hard to distinguish yourself from others to find your own style. Every photographer knows this. But for Tang, she has been able to pave her own sense of direction when it comes to putting her art out. She is a rising photographer from Sacramento California and has proved to be a talent to look out for.

And she can back up that statement, From putting out a zine to being featured on Vogue Italia. She has proved to be on the rise and it's about time she gets some type of recognition. Tang isn’t a run-and-gun photographer. She takes so much time to prepare or shot or fix lighting for a shot that she envisioned. That patience is hard to find in some photographers as we see in many others who take photos in a hurry to drop on Instagram. She is different as she spends her time making sure she gets the shot that she wants and that's what makes her different and why you guys should pay attention.
And it's also why Tang is in FirstPlace! Read the interview with Tang below!

Rene: So tang, Introduce yourself

Tang: Hi! I’m Tang and I’m a 20-year-old portrait/editorial photographer based in the Sacramento and Bay Area :) I’m currently a 3rd year at UC Berkeley studying English and Gender and Women’s studies.

Rene: For every photographer, They have a different story of how we began taking photos, So tell us, How did you start taking photos?

Tang: I kind of grew up around a lot of photography--my dad studied it a bit in college and my older cousin and sister who I’m really close with also played around with photography when they were teenagers, so their influence definitely rubbed off on me while I was growing up. What really got me into it though was my junior year of high school when I studied Annie Leibovitz for an art project, and I chose to shoot some images inspired by her. It was my first time directing and shooting a whole shoot on my own, and that whole experience made me want to take photography more seriously when I entered college.

Rene: Did you have any roadblocks when it came to trying to find what class of photography you wanted to focus on or pursue?

Tang: Oh, 100%. When I started shooting, I instantly gravitated towards shooting portraits and fashion work because that’s what I had studied with Annie Leibovitz’s work, and When I started shooting in college, I worked with a fashion publication on campus. When the pandemic hit I had this huge existential crisis over my work where I was questioning whether portrait photography was something I really wanted to continue doing or if I was only doing it because I knew that’s what appealed to the masses. Since then, while I am still definitely trying to figure out my style and what type of photography I’d like to hone in on, I’ve tried to open myself up to more experimentation and focus on capturing what inspires and attracts me, and not just boxing myself into a certain class. I’ll probably always feel more drawn to portrait and editorial photography, but lately, I’ve also been playing around with still life and fine art.

Rene: Most people who check out your website will instantly notice how talented you are when it comes to taking portraits, So why portraits?

Tang: Thank you so much :’) Again, it definitely started with working with a lot of fashion publications at Berkeley--and I’m also just generally super interested in fashion--, so with portraits, I loved being able to style my models. Over the summer, I was able to practice studio work more often and do makeup and hair for my models, and that whole process is just so much fun. A lot of the people I work with are also my close friends and family, so being able to capture a portrait of someone I cherish and care about means a lot to me.

Rene: Do you have any inspirations? or any photographers that you may look up to?

Tang: I have so many inspirations! A few artists I look up to the most though are Tyler Mitchell, Petra Collins, Wong Kar-Wai, and Christopher Doyle, Alex and Rebecca Norris Webb, and Min Hyunwoo.

Rene: As a photographer. Is it the camera doing the work or the person behind the camera doing the work?

Tang: That’s a super interesting question actually because my immediate reaction is to say of course it’s the person behind the camera. Of course, I want to say it’s 100% the photographer themself because like with any other art medium if you gave two different people the same materials they would create completely different work. However, I think it’s simultaneously undeniable that a photographer who knows how to work with their equipment can better execute the ideas they have in their head. Up until this year, I had been completely self-taught and I had barely any knowledge on how to really run my camera, and it wasn’t until I took a class last semester that actually taught me what all the camera mechanics meant that felt like my technical skills exponentially grew. Overall, I’d say what you shoot with doesn’t matter. You don’t need to take a class or own a super expensive camera to be a photographer. But what I do think is valuable is building a relationship with the equipment you do have and figuring out what’s fit for you because it can help bring about the best quality product.

Rene: When it comes to your photos, I can tell you take so much time to prepare the shot. From the foreground, color, and depth of field. So can you explain why taking your time to get the shot is so important for your work?

Tang: For me, I am a huge planner when it comes to shooting. I’ll spend days in advance finding reference photos, putting together mood boards, scouting out locations, etc. just to make sure I get the perfect shot. Taking the time to plan everything out is important to me because I want to create something authentic to myself and the subject I’m working with. I don’t want my pictures to look copy and pasted between one another. I want them to all exist in their own unique ways. So, taking my time to plan everything out really helps with making sure I’m actively thinking about what I do and that I’m giving purpose to my shots.

Rene: Let's talk about your work. You have released a series named the "The Love Series". How was the process of getting the photos for that series, Any problems that you faced that you overcame? and how did it feel to release the series to a warm reception?

Tang: “The Love Series” was a project I started while in quarantine so that in itself was a huge obstacle for me. My goal with that series was to visually capture the different ways young couples experience and navigate love with one another, so I’d begin with finding a couple and asking them: “where do you spend a lot of time with each other at” and “what’s important to your relationship”. Their answers would decide the shooting place and the type of emotions I’d try and capture. The number 1 problem I ran into was the fact that lockdown and social distancing was a thing so that obviously wasn’t super romantic. It was difficult for me to meet with many couples, and though I originally intended for it to be a summer-long project, it just wasn’t possible for me to shoot much content. To cope with those issues, all of my shoots have been outdoors with social distancing and

This is now an ongoing project. I’m hoping in the future I’ll be able to capture more intimate moments shared in public places or homes. And I’m very happy that the people I worked with and my audience have enjoyed the series. I think it’s nice to show a little love and warmth throughout these really shitty times :’)

Rene: How has your work changed over the pandemic? have you changed the ways you go about taking photos with people?

Tang: Interesting enough, the pandemic was a huge turning point for my work. It was probably because of all the hours I spent with myself and being trapped in my own thoughts lol, but it did allow me to think really critically about my work and decide where I wanted to go. At the beginning of quarantine, I was able to practice more studio work so I could focus more on refining my technical skills. I worked one on one with models (socially distanced of course), which allowed me to showcase a lot more intimacy. Later on, because I wasn’t able to see many people outside of my family, I started to shoot more landscapes and experiment with the physical objects around me. I was able to practice shooting still life, which has helped me with lighting and art direction too.

Rene: Have you taken advantage of the pandemic? With empty streets around have you taken photos of this pandemic?

Tang: Besides that, I did start photography around late 2018, now that I think about it, I did shoot in 2020 more than any other year. It wasn’t really the open streets and emptiness that contributed to that--though it definitely helped--, but more so the extra time I had to think and dedicate to building my work.

Rene: Do you have a favorite piece of work that you have put out?

Tang: One of my first shoots that I did remains to be one of my favorites, and that was a photo project titled “breeze”. I shot that project in 2019 with my friend Lindsay who is an amazing dancer, and it was the first time I actually looked at what I shot and felt proud of what I had created. I remember having no idea what I was doing that day--kind of just shooting on the fly--and we were literally out there for hours, but the lighting was just perfect that day and Lindsay looked so fluid and beautiful that I can’t help but still cherish that shoot today. Because it was early on in my photography journey, I didn’t have access to a bunch of equipment yet, so I shot a lot of pictures with a plastic bag with Vaseline rubbed on it wrapped over my lens, and I still hold that experience very close to my heart.

Rene: Some people might not know but you were featured on Vogue Italia. That is a huge accomplishment, So I have to know. How did it feel to be featured on a platform that big?

Tang: Oh, I was so stoked when I found out. I had submitted work to Vogue Italia’s Photo Vogue archive for a little less than a year at that point--all to no avail--, so when I found out that my picture of my little sister had been published, I was so happy and grateful. It came at the perfect time; right when I was in another questioning-my-entire-existence period, and it just really helped in letting me know that This is what I wanted to do with my life.

Rene: So what's next for you tang? Are there any projects that you want to announce or share?

Tang: Beyond just continuing to shoot and put more work out there, I’m working on another zine with my friend Luci! She’s a beyond talented visual artist and we’re planning to feature a lot of drawings, photographs, and poems in this zine so stay tuned for that!

Rene: Where do you see yourself taking your art in the future? Any plans?

Tang: I’m definitely still trying to figure out what the future holds for me, but for now I’m hoping to work with fashion publications in creative and artistic direction or photo production! Either that or grad school where I’d hope to get my MFA in photography :)

Rene: Well Tang, You are in FIRST PLACE, do you have any last words for the readers?

Tang: Rene is the coolest and you should all please continue supporting him. Also, stay safe and take care of yourselves <3 Thank you for having me!

Well there you have it, Elizabeth is in first place! If you are interested in seeing more of her work the link will be provided below to her personal website!

https://www.elizabeth-tang.com/

Thanks again To Elizabeth for the interview.

The Tang Interview

The Future Of Portrait Photography: An Interview with Tang