Opening up about my photography journey

It's February and on the day after Groundhog Day, it started snowing in Vancouver. Of course the one and only John Yoo called it the perfect excuse for a photoshoot being the artistic genius he is.

Just a quick 411 — John is a really, REALLY talented wedding (and portrait) photographer in Vancouver (who also makes mean Kimchi Fried Rice.) Come to think of it, I met him two Christmas' ago and we've never had snow like this year.

A post shared by David Salandanan (@djuansala) on Feb 8, 2017 at 7:29am PST

A photo posted by David Salandanan (@djuansala) on Feb 5, 2017 at 5:26pm PST

A photo posted by Thomas Bullock (@thomas.bullock) on Feb 4, 2017 at 5:52pm PST

A photo posted by Ben Glassco Photo (@benglasscophoto) on Feb 5, 2017 at 11:42am PST

A photo posted by Scøtt Kauppinen (@ohnoscotty) on Feb 4, 2017 at 8:09pm PST

A photo posted by Brandon Wu"hoo!" (@brandonwuhoo) on Feb 4, 2017 at 8:12pm PST

#LetsShootVan with IAMJOHNYOO ft. Sheldon Lynn

Through #LetsShootVan, I met Sheldon and I'm beyond amazed by the shots he took of me so I absolutely had to share — all the photos below are taken & edited by him. From the short time that we were shooting together, I've never met a photographer who's made me feel so relaxed in front of a camera and I love his aesthetics and visual compositions. So if you're reading this Sheldon, I'm putting you on speed dial for future collaborations!

I wasn't always interested in food photography.

Prior to my identity as a foodie, my interest in photography began when I followed my dad to his photowalks, taking photos of landscape and nature. As much as I loved photographing my subjects during different times of the day and in contrasting conditions, I thought my photos began looking too much like stock photos. So I turned to portrait photography when I turned old enough to experiment with make up. There's so much room for creativity when I'm able to control the mood and artistic direction of my photoshoots. Most importantly, working with a models taught me A LOT about human movements and expressions. Shortly after, an opportunity as a wedding photographer turned up so I focused on capturing candid moments for couples on their special day.

I didn't have as much time for photography when I started going to university but I found myself with an iPhone camera roll full of flat lays from my meals. There were some decent photos so I decided to create an Instagram account named @candycomplex to share what I ate with an audience beyond my Facebook friends. Its still crazy to reflect back and then to see where we are now! I will always be really, really grateful for every one of you who's joined me on this journey.

I promise I'll always find new ways to share my adventures with you. One thing I want to work on this year is to become more comfortable in front of a camera to make my content a little more personable for you —

Hinge toque | Max Mara Weekend parka | Articles of Society ripped jeans | Cougar rain booties

Photos by Sheldon Lynn

I certainly feel like I've grown a lot as a photographer but there's still so much for me to learn. As I'm working closer towards my graduation date, I can't wait to be involved in more creative interdisciplinary collaborations. There's still so much to learn as a photographer and I want to challenge myself to be less nervous when I'm being photographed or filmed.

Thank you always for stopping by,