All posts in: Photography

29 Apr 2021

Blog Roundup

photo | Ivana Cruz
  • Is Clubhouse the Next Tinder? [Vogue]
  • The Evolution of Production in BTS’ Discography [Splice]
  • This Artist Faked Being a Billionaire So You Could See NYC’s Best Views [VICE]
  • 7 Pieces of Bad Career Advice Women Should Ignore [Harvard Business Review]
  • How to Shop San Francisco’s First H-Mart Like Chef Chris Oh [Eater]
16 Jan 2021

Zendaya for GQ

Zendaya is our woman to watch in 2021 and beyond. This year, she has a highly anticipated film slated to come out, has been on numerous best dressed lists (even in a pandemic) and will return as the lead to her HBO series, Euphoria. She may have gotten her start on Disney Channel, but she’s not a Disney actress anymore. Her recent work has proven that. This February, she’s on the cover of GQ and this photoshoot highlights her duality both in front of the camera and off.

The pandemic has caused all of us to re-evaluate our lives and while many of us were embracing rest time, Zendaya sought out work. Malcolm & Marie was one of the few films that were shot early on in the pandemic slated for release on Netflix. Rumor has it that it will make her a contender for Best Actress.

For the full cover story and more photos, read [here]

06 Dec 2020

Blog Roundup

  • 5 Ways to Elevate Your Lunchtime Sandwich [Men’s Health]
  • For My Asian Mom, Feeding Me “Everything” Was An Act of Love [Refinery29]
  • TikTok’s Top 10 Songs of the Year [Hypebeast]
  • How Tinned Fish Took Over the Internet [Refinery29]
  • 11 Minutes of Exercise A Day May Help Counter the Effects of Sitting [The New York Times]
  • The Bay Area Will Fully Lock Down on December 6 [Eater]
  • Around the World in 130 Chicken Soup Recipes [Atlas Obscura]
  • How to Make Hot Cocktails That Actually Taste Good [Thrillist]
  • Photographer Explores Asian American Identity in ‘Where We’re Really From’ [NPR]
  • Whether on the Street or in Museums, KAWS is Having an Effect on Popular Culture [The Study]
  • Warner Bros. to Release All 17 Movies in 2021 Lineup on HBO Max [Hypebae]
  • Radio Disney to go off the air in 2021 [FADER]
29 Nov 2020

Hong Jang Hyun

Before BTS came into my life, we’ve always profiled photographers that we’ve been impressed with. The “Dynamite” era proved to be successful for the group and with that came a wave of western press. For months, this left with me a lot of questions. Before I became a fan, were they always getting this much press attention? Why don’t American artists and bands have nearly the same amount of press the way they do? I read every cover story: Variety, Wall Street Journal, and Esquire – all released back to back with each other. Each piece had a different voice and focus because obviously – three different outlets here. The ones I didn’t love as much were the pieces that continued to compare them to The Beatles. Enough, already. The one I loved most was [Esquire]. Dave Holmes had clearly done his research on the group and allowed each member to bring more depth and vulnerability to the piece in a way we haven’t seen before.

After reading each piece, I never returned to the content, but what I came back to more than once was the photos. It’s no secret that, by now, the guys are outfitted in the best looks for these types of shoots. Who can forget the Dior era they had on stage even? But it’s not just about the fashion here. Why do they look like they’ve been modeling for years? Are these the same guys I watched wood carving and singing karaoke from “In the Soop?” Each of these cover stories had one thing in common, photographer, [Hong Jang Hyun].

A quick search leads me to [Hong Jang Hyun’s] Instagram page, a very well known fashion photographer. His range of work spans editorials, collections, and advertisements. In addition to BTS, he has photographed some of my favorite Korean celebrities. Song Hye Kyo, Park Bo Gum, and Park Seo-Joon have all worked with him. Even though these pieces have been out for some time, I keep going back to the photographs – something I rarely do for anyone else.

A few favorites:

There’s a theme here as we follow the guys through this promotional process for “Dynamite” and their new album “BE.” But let’s also not forget that Hong Jang Hyun can do this with BTS too:

When I read pieces, I often leave thinking only about the content and the photos as an afterthought. Hong Jang Hyun’s work leaves me feeling the complete opposite. As someone who wrote for their high school newspaper and yearbook, this concept of these two things supporting each other should have been more important to me back then. I don’t know how many more pieces BTS will have through the end of the year, but we secretly hope that Hong Jang Hyun will continue capturing them every time.

10 Nov 2020

Zendaya x Elle Magazine

Since she left her days of Disney behind her, Zendaya has become such a force. Euphoria is not the type of show I thought I would enjoy, but here I am waiting patiently for a second season. Time after time, she continues to transcend on the red carpet and I’m so excited to see what’s next for her. In her latest [cover story] for Elle Magazine, we are being served with more than a handful of incredible looks and an interview done by her co-star Timothy Chalamet.

09 Nov 2020

BTS Season’s Greetings

As someone who became part of ARMY this year, I’m still earning about all of the different pieces of content this group is involved in. Apparently their version of Season’s Greetings comes not only with a video, but a whole line of merchandise for purchase and DVD. Someone said that BTS was a national treasure to Korea and I absolutely believe it. ARMY fans picked up on this theme quick this morning with all of the guys dressed in 80’s 90’s retro style. I would have thought it was just an extension of the Dynamite era, but what do I know? What we’re seeing is just a preview though! Expect to see much more content from the guys every day leading up to the new album out on November 20th.

Collectively, BTS looks great, but we couldn’t not include our bias who in our opinion, looks the best!

30 Oct 2020

AOC x Vanity Fair

I don’t know why seeing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the cover of Vanity Fair makes me emotional, but it does. These days leading up to the election have made me feel nervous and uncertain about the future. There is only one hand (if that) I can use to recall the number of people in politics that I respect and look up to. AOC is one of those five. For as long as we’ve known her in this spotlight, her voice has been unwavering. She is a role model without even trying and she’s so cool that she’s a household name under my parent’s roof.

Seeing her on the cover of Vanity Fair is powerful. Whether it’s being on this cover or playing “Among Us” live on Twitch, there is no doubting how relatable she is as a figure. She’s one of us. Not that this even needs to be said, but here she is in a matter of weeks being a gamer, in politics, and talking about how her red lip is her signature. As BTS army would say, “the duality!”

For the full cover story, you can read this at [Vanity Fair]

18 Sep 2020

BLACKPINK x Elle

With a new album and a Netflix documentary out next month, BLACKPINK is building up their fans to get hyped over their new releases. This week, they are on the cover of Elle Magazine. It’s major news considering that they are the hottest girl group out right now and on a US cover. Since the ladies have always been known for their style, this photo shoot is no different. The visuals are absolutely stunning. In addition to photos below the cut, we also included a fun “Song Association” they did with Elle!

Read more “BLACKPINK x Elle”
12 Sep 2020

Selena Gomez x Allure

While the pandemic has proven to be much more challenging on all of our lives, it’s amazing to see how people persevere when they don’t always have their normal resources. For one, editorials and magazine shoots are at is most innovative. In the latest issue of Allure, Selena Gomez is responsible for all of her own makeup. It doesn’t hurt that she’s also promoting her new cosmetics line, Rare Beauty, so she’s no rookie here. Given the circumstances, everything is getting done with a smaller team and smaller production. It just goes to show what we can accomplish when we’re constrained! We love this entire look though. For the full interview, you can read the cover story at [Allure].

This is my favorite shot.

30 Aug 2020

Los Angeles Bachelorette

I love any excuse I can get to take a trip to LA. Before pandemic and before Thailand, we were in Los Angeles just a few weekends before celebrating Elynn’s bachelorette. Talk about good timing because who could have predicted what would happen next?

I was most looking forward to this bachelorette party because Elynn is one of my favorite friends to eat with. She has high-quality taste and she’s always one of the first people to introduce me to a new restaurant and my go-to for boba recommendations in any Bay Area city. We do our fair share of trying some of the bougie stuff around the Bay Area, but we can also be very simple. Both of grew up having home cooked meals with our families so we’re comfortable with the staples. Every meal would consist of a carb (rice or noodles) vegetables and meat. Some of my favorite meals out with her have been to these type of home-y places that are comforting for us.

It was so fun to celebrate with Elynn because it was entirely made of all of her favorite things – boba, delicious food, games, and karaoke.