Tiffany Lue-Yen eyes legacy
Published:Friday | October 1, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer
At the age of 10, Tiffany Lue-Yen received her first disposable camera. She fell in love. Today, that love for photography has taken her into a world filled with celebrities, weddings, fashion and portraiture.
Lue-Yen isn't just in love with photography though, she has worked on becoming qualified, having earned an associate science degree in photography in 2004 from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
After completing her studies, she was employed as a portrait photo-grapher for Interstate Studio and Publishing Company and later went on to becoming an in-house image retouch artist for a portrait studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Her body of work includes countless spreads for newspapers, photographing talent like Usain Bolt, Tami Chynn, Alaine, D'Angel, Tifa, Timberlee, Natalie Storm, Tessanne Chin and Protoje. International newspapers such as The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer add to a long list of publications she has worked for, including Skywriting's magazine, The Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues magazine 2009, College Lifestyle magazine, Hype TV Summer Mag. 2008.
Recent projects include The Jamaica National 'I love money' press campaign 2009 and College Lifestyle TV.
Ever evolving, she continues to add hard work to dreaming big, and is planning to continue her studies in film and cinematography in the coming year.
How long have you been in this field?
Professionally, four to five years.
Why this career path?
This career is a perfect match for my personality. I get to express and share a piece of myself with most assignments. My overall goal in life is to satisfy people's needs and, hopefully, help them in their endeavours. Through photography I've come to realise that I can. With my photographs I capture memories, assist in the growth of companies and help individuals succeed in their careers.
What was it like in the earlier days in the field?
I started working in this field shortly after I turned 19. I worked in the States for two portrait companies and came back to Jamaica when I realised I couldn't make the rent. It was a challenge building my reputation as I am a petite, young female in what is considered to be a male-dominated industry. I felt I had a lot to prove and had to work twice as hard to get the respect I was deserving of. There is no better feeling than knowing that my accomplishments have been achieved by my hard work and integrity.
What do you hope to achieve in 10 years?
Have a house that's not made out of zinc with 'bandooloo' light and cable. More seriously, in 10 years I hope to still be a part of the film industry, working in both photography and video. Hopefully, producing work that will inspire our culture.
What drives and inspires you?
The need to succeed, to sustain the lifestyle I desire, to make my family and friends proud, to help those who deserve it, once I am financially comfortable.
What legacy do you want to leave the generations that follow you?
I hope that consistently producing quality images will open the eyes of the population, allowing them to understand the importance of photography. I also hope my work allows ambitious young persons to raise the bar in creativity, so we (Jamaicans) can compete on a global level.
Besides access to education, what do you think needs to be done in order to transform youth in Jamaica?
I think adults, and even young people, need to understand that their actions easily influence others. Setting an example and being consistent with your morality is key to gaining respect and pro-perly influencing people, especially young persons who are figuring who they are as individuals.
What has been the most challenging part of making a name for yourself in your field?
Having to deal with persons who run their business dishonestly and selfishly. I've been bitten many times, even by persons I thought had my best interests at heart.