AGE: 33
BASED IN: New York
NOMINATED BY: Cass Bird

My photographs look beyond the conventional and explore the many different aspects of romance one can experience in life. New York has always been my main source of inspiration. It’s very intriguing to me to observe from afar.

In college, I met a talented illustrator named Annie Choi. One day in 2010 we were walking in Williamsburg. One of the photos that came out of that day was Annie walking with a briefcase past Senko Funeral Home. It was one of those moments I love when photographing in the city, where things align and an image has so many little nuances and connections in it. There’s even this graffiti tag on an old parking meter that has ‘TriX’ on it, which is the film stock I shot the photograph on.

I’ve recently started shooting food after a decade of shooting portraiture and fashion. It’s been so exhilarating to use a new part of my brain when approaching an image. It forces you to find a voice without the collaboration of a moving model. I’ve loved the challenge of taking something immobile and seeing what life I can bring to it.