We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arthur Woo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Arthur thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

When I first started my career in NYC, one of my first clients gave me some tips over the course of our working relationship.

He mentioned that for his clients, he always tries to bring something new to the table, or give them options, vs. doing the same thing for them. Sometimes, he said, they don’t even know they need something new.

That always stuck with me. There have been repeat projects and clients through the years, and I always try to do something new instead of taking it easy because I’m comfortable.

So you could say I take small, calculated risks on every project. I learn new techniques and viewpoints and study other people’s work in between projects and think about how I could incorporate certain things into the next project.

Everything is always evolving, so constant evolution is a mantra I’ve taken on.

Arthur, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a director of photography and cinematographer based in NYC, focusing on commercial and narrative films. I have extensive experience in beauty – makeup, cosmetics, skin care, hairstyling, hair color, etc. It’s something I naturally gravitated to from my initial interest in Fashion Photography, and I’ve been fortunate to work with large brands who are setting the standard and creating amazing products.

My focus has always been on lighting and technical execution, and being able to translate that into everyday language that people who are not as familiar with the technical side can understand.

I’m constantly up to date on modern lighting and filmmaking techniques, as well as work on social media campaigns, so I am always evolving to help clients achieve what they need from a look perspective.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Pandemic was one of the most challenging times of my career so far. Just a few years into my career, the pandemic started and many of the in-person productions in NYC halted for almost a year.

During this time, I had a deep desire to continue to work. Fortunately, I was able to hone my skills in post production. I had already been editing small projects since the beginning of my career, and color grading was the next skill I developed over a 6 week period of deep learning with a course and mentor.

From this pivot, I was able to offer existing and new clients additional color services and was able to pivot until in-person productions started to pick up again.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up in a working glass environment and family, the mindset is always “be grateful for what you get.”

While this is definitely true, there comes a point where negotiation of certain things like income and project rates come into play.

For the first couple of years I just accepted any rate, feeling like I didn’t have the experience to speak up to ask for more. Over the years, as I’ve developed more experience and spoken to more experienced colleagues and agents, there are certain projects where the role I play does command a higher industry standard rate, and I should not be afraid to ask for that if it’s warranted.

However, I have found that it is a balance, as not every job requires the same level of experience and so the rates change, which has been a balancing act I have been managing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arthurwoo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/arthurwoodotcom
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/arthurwoo

Image Credits
Justin Derry Maksim Axelrod