By Kim Ly
Lights. Camera. Justin. Chia. All eyes are on him when he steps into the scene, not because he’s the focus of the story, but because he is the one who tells it. He directs—he envisions—he creates these intricate stories filled with transcendent colors; sometimes he creates stories without any color at all. He is Justin Chia—he is a photographer.
Senior Justin Chia’s journey in photography started with rather humble beginnings.
“I had an old friend who I was hanging out with … and he told me to take a photo for him … And I did, and he looked at it and he was like dude, you’re the worst photographer I’ve ever known,” Chia said.
He hadn’t grown up with photography by his side nor was it something that was even prevalent in his life. Only after receiving a hand-me-down camera from his uncle did Chia really start diving into the world of photography. With his new camera in hand, he began to take photos of anything he could; his pictures ranged from his friends to random sceneries that he found pretty.
As he gradually took more and more photos, he began to improve and find his own style and preferred subjects to take photos of. Generally, he found himself drawn to taking portraits of people in a rather editorial-esque style with deep blacks and high contrast.
“I like to take photos of people—portraits—because I feel like that adds a very real touch to it,” Chia said.
Though, the ability to take interesting photos and express his creativity weren’t the only things he gained from photography.
“I was kind of shy and I wanted to make more friends…and when you’re photographing people, it’s really awkward and you have to find ways to diffuse it and make them comfortable,” Chia said. “And through all of that, [photography] helped me develop some social skills which I’m very happy for.”
From his beginning photos to his most recent ones, it’s clear that the hours that he’s spent messing around in Lightroom and wandering his hometown of Singapore has paid off. Rather than following trends, Chia noted that his most favorable photos are a result of taking photos in his own style that he likes.
Recently, he’s also been moving onto different mediums within photography itself. These days, he finds himself experimenting with film photography and trying various nostalgia-esque styles; overall he’s been getting loose with his work and doing what he finds enjoyable.
For those interested in getting into photography, he advises to simply just go out and start taking photos; there isn’t a formula for photography, rather, do what you enjoy and you will eventually improve.
“[You can] watch some Youtube videos to understand how the basics work or ask somebody to teach you. But other than that, just play around with everything yourself to figure out what works for you … I grew my own [style] by just taking photos in the way that I like and by sitting in Lightroom for hours and pressing every single button until I figured out what everything did,” Chia said.
Although Chia doesn’t see photography as a plausible career option, he still sees it in his future as a past-time.
“I do enjoy [photography] very much as a hobby and photography kind of just helped me discover that I liked being more creative and telling stories through my perspective,” Chia said. “But it just so happens that photography isn’t the medium I’m choosing to pursue.”
And maybe, that’s the beauty of his photography—it’s carefree, it’s human and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. He doesn’t force himself to take photos for a portfolio; he isn’t constrained by the demands of a client and rather, he captures photos of whatever he feels like. Sometimes he creates a wonderful scene of his friends, other times he narrates the tales of his vacation adventures. No matter what his subject is, he manages to tell a story and let his personality shine through in all of his photos.
With nothing more than a Sony A7ii in one hand, Justin Chia manages to let us see the world through his own perspective—through his own lens.
This article was originally published in the 2021 RED Magazine. Stop by room 306 to pick up a copy.
