Valerie Chiang

Born in Taiwan in 1992, Valerie currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her interest in photography began when she joined the popular photo-sharing website Flickr. What started out as a mere hobby quickly progressed into a passion for fine art and fashion photography.

Photography is the medium Valerie uses as a method of escapism. By applying a mythical, almost enigmatic aesthetic to her work, Valerie always strives to offer viewers an opportunity to stretch their imaginations and form their own stories from her photographs. She incorporates elements of both realism and surrealism into her work, thus creating a world filled with daydreams, nightmares, and everything in between. (Taken from Valerie's website)

Which of your own photographs is your favourite?

This one (above)

It was completely unplanned, and I can't figure out how I edited it anymore. I like to look at it and make up stories about the people in the photograph.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography?

I'm not quite sure yet - right now I'm working hard on creating art. Who knows where that will take me!

What are your favourite blogs?

I love everyone I follow on Tumblr, so I guess that's a lot! But I also love:

http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://svpply.com/

What got you into photography?

I started taking photos seriously after being inspired by people on Flickr. And I've always wanted to create visual art with the ideas I had in my mind, but I can't draw well enough to do that. I thought photography would be the perfect medium.

Who is your favourite author?

I have too many, but these in particular: Thomas Hardy, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Kate Chopin, and Ernest Hemingway.

Who or what would you most like to photograph?

This changes based on my mood or what I'm inspired by at the moment, but right now I'd love to take photos of the beautiful mountains and fjords in the Scandinavian region. As to who I'd most like to photograph, I'd say Clark Gable. Or any old Hollywood movie star.

What were you like as a child?

I was very short and skinny, and I got my first pair of glasses when I was three. So I was kind of a nerd, and people either made fun of me for my height or called me cute and pinched my cheeks.

What music do you listen to?

Mostly classical, jazz, classic rock, and indie. The band Beirut has inspired me the most photographically, and I love Billie Holiday to death!

Who are your favourite photographers?

I love Wendy Bevan, Genevieve Naylor, Tim Walker, Ryan McGinley, Anna Aden, and Cecil Beaton.

Where did you grow up?

Ahh, I grew up in a tiny town in Northern Michigan, pretty close to Canada. I lived the quintessential American childhood. I played baseball with the neighbourhood kids, went on bike rides with friends, swam in the lake, caught frogs and crickets, climbed trees, walked my neighbour's dog, constantly bothered an old couple across the street, built snowmen, camped in the backyard, fished on the weekends, and delivered the morning paper. Sometimes I wished I grew up in a larger city (I moved to a larger city when I was 10), but when I think back, I wouldn't trade my childhood experience for the world.

What, or who inspires you?

Everything, really. The sky when it's cloudy, the ocean, whimsical little things, movies, art, music, people. I get a lot of my inspiration from drawings, whether it's a famous painting or a little sketch in a children's storybook.

What cameras do you use?

For digital, I use my Nikon D80 with an 85mm lens. I use a Nikon N80 for film, but I'm looking into a completely manual film camera like a Nikkormat.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be the world's first paleontologist-veterinarian-violinist, but that didn't really work out. I wanted to study reptiles for a long time, and for most of my life I wanted to work with animals. And there was one period when I was middle school when I cared so deeply for the environment that I wanted to be a garbage collector. [or rubbish collector ;)]

Valerie's website
Valerie's flickr
Valeries blog