Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yuka Sugiura. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yuka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I created Rezident Alien with the intention to capture moments that encourages your journey while embracing who you are, your culture(s), and talents, through photography. I want my photos to reflect how I see each person stand out in their own authentic energy. I feel the most aligned when I take photos of artists in their element or just capturing candid moments in life. I hope more people feel represented and connected through my photos as we each navigate our own unique journey.
Immigrating to the U.S. from the age of one and a half, I never truly felt a sense of belonging anywhere. I was too American when I visited Japan and being an immigrant, I never identified as an American nor was I ever really treated like one. I feel like a lot of immigrants understand a sense of identity crisis that makes you feel alienated. Especially when the media likes to paint people in a certain light. I’m sure this feeling, in other ways, can be understood regardless of being an immigrant. This is why I chose the name Rezident Alien. I saw those words on my green card when I was little and was the earliest memory I had of feeling different, because I was labeled that way. I didn’t understand why I was an “alien”. In reality, on this earth and in this lifetime, we’re all just visitors here. Rezident Alien is for people like me who felt like they weren’t truly seen or belonged anywhere. The logo is the Japanese symbol of friendship (also the first symbol of my name). I hope that when people see the logo, they know that there is someone out there encouraging their becoming.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Yuka and I’m a Los Angeles based photographer behind the name Rezident Alien. I was born in Japan and raised in Los Angeles. Basically just a little alien running around the streets shooting things with my Canon, focused on opening up the viewers to the diverse art, talents, people, and cultures that the world has to offer.
I started to manifest Rezident Alien after I graduated with a film degree and left with the lasting impression from my professor who told me, that if I wanted more racial diversity, I “would have to create a whole new media”. I wasn’t seeing someone like me represented in a realistic way most of the time. Media tends to perpetuate unhealthy stereotypes and often don’t represent real people authentically. There is always a veil of what they deem “acceptable” for media standards. I felt like my hands were tied if I continued deeper into the film industry, that was already rooted in following what they believed was profitable. I was hearing about too many original ideas getting skewed by whoever put in the most money, because they ended up having the most say. What I took away from all that was: I wanted people from all walks of life, to feel seen and heard. Especially in their own unique energy. Photography gave me that creative freedom and allowed me to be able to express that. Following my inner compass and going in a direction that felt most authentic to me, rather than following what paid more, was a vital part of my journey in finding myself as a photographer and developing my artistic style.
My style is influenced by my love for film but also has a lot to do with how I see energy around people. I like to capture moments that look as if they are stills from a movie. Each person is the main character of their own story and I just showcase moments of different scenes. My goal is to photograph the moment as raw and authentic as I can while also reflecting the essence of the artist. Not only reflecting the artist but the mood , atmosphere, colors and the overall energy of the environment. The aura type affect is done in camera and really depends on the lighting. Half of it is trusting in myself that I know what I’m doing and the other half is letting go of control. I can’t control the changing lights in nature or in a venue but I can control how I capture images and how I can bring them to life in post. It really reflects life in a way. We can only control so much of our lives but it’s also important to learn to let go of trying to control every aspect. Trusting that you know what you’re doing, and even if you have moments of doubt, that you know you are capable of figuring things out. We just have to keep trusting ourselves and following our heart, as cliche as it sounds. How else will you live a life that makes you happy?
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I first started getting work in photography, I was doing everything from couples shoots, family holiday photos, business headshots, portraits, real estate photos, live shows, and even product photos. I didn’t have a specific focus and was just thankful getting any work that was photography. The more I was taking clients and building myself as a photographer, the more I realized that I was just going through the motions. I was taking work for the money more than I was able to express myself creatively. Taking nice photos was fun but I wanted to not only do more, I also wanted to feel more from my own work.
What made me really change my perspective was when I was taking product photos for a company that sold performance vehicle parts. It was my first corporate job and my first big paying job. I loved it and came in every day happy that I was getting paid to take photos and edit all day. After 6 months of doing the same thing, I realized that, even if the money was good, I wasn’t having fun anymore. I felt like I was just someone who was good at taking photos and I didn’t feel like I was able to express myself creatively. I started asking myself, ‘what about photography I liked’ and ‘what kind of photography made me feel the most alive’. I was revisiting memories of shoots and how I felt before and during all of it. I realized that when I was taking photos of artists, musicians, and candid moments of people, it made me feel like I was just a kid having fun. From the excitement of knowing when you got the money shot, getting the perfect moment in sync with the venue lighting, to just obverting little moments in-between the chaos, it just really made me happy. Ever since I realized that, I have been chasing that feeling ever since. That was the moment I shifted my focus and followed what felt right for me not only as a photographer but as a creative.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artists and creative is not only the connection to all kinds of people but also that sense of community that is created. Art has a very unique way of sharing a message, starting conversations, and even just simply helping someone feel seen or heard, regardless of language. Art reminds us that we are not alone in this world, even in moments where we might feel like it. It has the capacity to hold space and express all spectrums of life and I find that very important. Being able to connect people not only through the good things in life but also the darker side of life is something that feels like a power in art. The darker sides of life is often ones we don’t like to share, or even suppress, but when artists share that vulnerable side or start conversations, it helps people who understand, heal and those who may not understand, empathize.
In photography, we are specifically capturing the light of the moment through split seconds of time, even through darkness. Sometimes those split seconds can be some of the most important moments in peoples lives. Being someone that notices those moments, seeing the beauty or intensity and capturing them in a way that can be felt and seen forever is a special connection to have as a photographer. A connection not only to time, but also for many generations of people.
Art and photography made me feel less alone and gave me an avenue to express what I can’t always with words. I hope more people are inspired to keep creating. We need artists in this world and anyone can start.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://RezidentAlienLA.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rezidentalien/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063754217630
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rezidentalien
- Other: TikTok: @RezidentAlien
BlueSky: @RezidentAlien
Image Credits
Yuka Sugiura