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

Alright, Helen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I initially was a psychology major during my undergrad, with the intention of becoming a therapist.

During my studies, I grew more detached to the US mental health industry and what my future would look like. I knew I wanted to help people, and wanted to work in ways where I could be compassionate and of service to others. I was out drinking with a few friends at a bar in Brooklyn one night, a year before graduation, and picked up a photo book by W. Eugene Smith of photos from the Vietnam War that was left out on the street outside. It was the first time I felt viscerally moved by the humanity and connection through portraiture, and realized I could maybe still help people, but through indirect paths with photography. I had always been a visual person and learner, and always enjoyed photography, but that’s when I began taking more classes in journalism and photo classes printing in the school darkroom.

That’s what guides my work today. I see photography as a service, like a love language, and an act of appreciation for people I meet and have in my life. It’s also been a way I’ve been able to experience the world with more mindfulness, and a way for me to process all the stimuli around me. It’s often hard for me to express how i feel all the time, but taking a photo of someone is an attempt to show them the beauty I see in them, and doing so I hope to mirror my admiration or curiosity for people around me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Helen–I grew up in New York City, where I am currently based today! These days, I am lucky to be freelancing full time, where I am currently assisting other photographers and get to learn and have fun working in a field i’m passionate about–meanwhile, continuing to build my portfolio so I can grow my network of clients!

My own work is primarily in the world of environmental portraiture. The things that I thrive on are information and always hoping to represent someone in ways they feel are authentic to their personhood. I love context about what they do, or what makes them unique, and try to incorporate that into a portrait for as much of a depiction as I can about someone.

I started off as a street photographer throughout and after my undergrad, sneaking photos of people with my 35mm analog camera around the city. After graduating, I spent a few years traveling around, but that helped shaped my approach to interacting with people. Being in foreign countries and an outsider often not speaking the local language, I felt the need to be respectful in other’s homes, so I would engage more with the people I wanted to shoot. These days, some of my most serendipitous photos on the street, and the ones of strangers that I’m most proud of are the ones where the subject also has a voice. I spent a long time feeling conflicted about “not getting the moment” by engaging and letting it be known I’m taking a photo. But I think for myself, it’s more important that I ask myself what gives me the right to take someone’s photo. I’d like to see each photo as a dialogue, where i’m a support role of them being who they are.

I think (and hope!) I’m at the baby stages of my career currently. I continue to learn so much through working as an assistant with a variety of different artists and types of photography–I feel grateful each day that I’m in a position to be able to draw on so many resources and a variety of experiences. I’d like to one day branch out and shoot on my own primarily, working with people and making interesting work through storytelling–either with editorial or commercial, and continue to draw on my experiences of the essence of human connection in photography.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After a period of personal turmoil in my late teens/early 20’s, I knew I needed to leave New York.
After graduating from my undergrad, I packed a 50lb suitcase of poorly construed clothing options, and left to visit my family in China. I grew up spending Summers between grades visiting, and it had been years since last seeing them. My goal was to stop and visit, before moving to Hong Kong indefinitely and try to get a job there when I arrived. I didn’t really have a plan, because I was just trying to leave New York as soon as possible. I showed up on a tourist visa and thought I’d figure it out after getting there–but it was so expensive for me at the time, and felt too much like New York that it didn’t feel like a good fit. I didn’t even make it one week there, but instead got a one way plane to Thailand which was the start of the next few months backpacking around aimlessly Southeast and South Asia before coming back to NY to visit my family again (and my money had run out).

It was a spontaneous act of escapism and freedom that our early 20’s grants us, that I probably wouldn’t be able to do now! I’m really happy I got to spend so many years traveling, working intermittently in restaurants and coffee shops between long stretches of backpacking trips, before finally settling back down in New York. It was the best decision for me to leave. At the time, the city was too intense for me, and I wasn’t able to properly appreciate and get what I needed being there. Now, I never take for granted all of the culture, art, and accessibility to so many things that bring me fulfillment and fun in the city.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The network of people I’ve come to know has been incredible. It’s not always mentally easy coexisting with a loud inner critic. The lack of stability that comes with freelancing makes me feel like I never know what to expect, and freelancing is still something relatively new for me. It often times feels like I’m not doing enough, or I want to rush to my next goal, or want to be doing everything simultaneously and instantly.

I’m surrounded by so many talented photographers and artists, on good days it’s inspiring and I work synergistically seeing such beautiful work–from people I look up to, and my own friends! On my down days, it’s hard to get out of the comparison headspace and feel less-than after seeing how busy people are, or how prolific their work is, or just how downright talented someone is.

But i’ve come to know how supportive this industry is, and the friends i’ve made along the way, which i’m so grateful for that it sometimes feels undeserving. It’s been really nice to be able to call on a network of people, from small questions about technology or technical skills, to the days that are really mentally trying and make me want to give up–which have been so crucial to my growth in retrospect.

Working in a creative field where I’m constantly looking at other’s work, I had to unlearn that it’s not so much a competition, but everyone in this field is just trying to make work they’re proud of at the end of the day. I try to remind myself that there’s no barometer of success, and that learning and growth are all that matters, and I think many of my peers have echoed that conversation so it’s been great to share in this collective experience in the city. I feel so lucky to have met everyone that I have since I began working after moving back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Helenhophotography.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/Helenhophotography