Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Claire Wang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Claire, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

After buying my first 35mm film camera, I started to watch videos on basic camera knowledge. This includes learning about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, all three of which are the most basic camera mechanics a photographer should learn. To be more specific, the ISO determines how bright the image is, the aperture adjusts the depth of field, and the shutter speed controls how fast the shutter fires. However, as I furthered my exploration, I realized how important the technical aspect of photography is. My work is always driven by my intuitions and emotions, yet it lacked certain techniques since I never received any professional training or coaching until my sophomore year in college. This is when I met my mentor, who brought me along for photoshoots where he showed me, in detail, all the important settings, techniques, and lighting angles. His guidance allowed me to further refine my craft and the overall quality of my images.

Looking back, I realize the importance of having a community with people who share the same passion, ambition, and eagerness to create art. I could have sped up my learning progress if I had been more active in looking for a community for myself. Another thing that slowed me down in learning is copying other artists’ styles. I didn’t realize how important it is for me to develop my own distinct style and I was too comfortable copying other photographers’ styles. If I was braver in exploring my own style, I would have grown faster as a photographer.

The most essential skill is to create an environment that is comfortable and intimate for the client. Being photographed in a professional setting is inevitably uncomfortable and nerve-wracking. Therefore, I always reach out to my clients beforehand, asking about their needs, visions, or requests so that they feel heard and reassured. It is also essential to have conversations during the shoot about outfits, posing, and overall artistic direction, as it is always my priority to satisfy my clients’ needs with my technical background and artistic vision.

As a full-time music student at UCLA right now, balancing schoolwork and photography can be challenging at times. Being a musician demands hours dedicated to practice, which means that I have limited time to spend on photography and photoshoots. Now, I have learned to balance my time in a way that does not compromise either of my crafts. I hold both music and photography closely to my heart, and it is important to me that neither is sacrificed in the process of the other.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I was seventeen, I traveled to the Amalfi Coast of Italy to attend a music festival. There, I shot my first roll of 35mm film of beautiful strangers. Looking back, I realized my particular interest in taking photos of people. It felt very organic as I was drawn to the beauty of taking photos of strangers. I will never know their story and probably will never see them again, but photography is a way for me to capture their facial expressions, emotions, and actions eternally. Being a musician, art allows me to see so many different dimensions. I want my work as a photographer to convey emotions such as nostalgia, anger, and happiness, and to allow others to express their artistic visions.

It is my priority for every single one of my clients to look and feel beautiful. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin and it is my job to allow them to see that. Being an introvert myself, I completely understand the struggles of being camera-shy. For years, I struggled to feel beautiful in my own skin. I constantly felt parts of my body or my face weren’t pretty enough, or I didn’t feel slim enough, or I didn’t feel tall enough. As I continued to refine my photography, I realized how important it is to encourage my clients to simply be themselves. Throughout the photoshoot, I lead my clients in posing, choosing outfits, and preparing themselves mentally to convey their visions. I am proud to say that all of my clients have come back to me, thanking me for helping them feel more confident. Seeing themselves through my lens allowed them to realize how beautiful they are when they feel confident.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is copying other photographers’ styles. While working with my mentor, I realized I had fallen into a loop of copying his style. I would see my subjects through his lens and started to only take photos that were similar to his. It felt comforting to know that if I took a picture just like him, it would be well-received and liked by my clients. However, this hindered my personal growth greatly. I wasn’t able to develop my own distinct style which slowed the process of making a name for my brand.

I realized this problem when another photographer had critiqued my work: She told me she felt my photography have an overly commercialized looking. It occurred to me that I had lost sight of my initial goal: to create art. From then on, I have tried many different approaches to capture my subjects. This varies from different lightings, poses, angles, and backgrounds. Now, I can confidently say that I am proud of the photographer I have become, and I can represent my artwork.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to see my clients be able to express themselves through my art. I believe everyone is artistic in their own ways, but I understand not everyone is able to express their emotions freely. Some feel awkward, uneasy, or scared while others simply don’t see the importance in showing their true emotions. It’s always so rewarding to hear from my clients that they feel liberated or more confident after doing a photoshoot with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: studiorainydays.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio_rainy_days?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

All photos taken by me, picture of myself was a self portrait.