Tantalum: Hey Jessica can you tell us a little about the two shoots you produced four or 4th issue?
Jessica Yeh: Both of these two shoots were inspired by the amazing team I worked with. The "Secret Garden" shoot was based upon the collection from designer Cynthia Chong and The "Bold & Beautiful" shoot was inspired by the make-up artist for that shoot, Penny Antuar.
Tantalum: What kind of direction did you give the wardrobe stylist, hair and makeup artists for "Secret Garden"
Jessica Yeh: The "Secret Garden" was inspired by the amazing designer Cynthia Chong as we were shooting her collection. We've all seen the movie "Secret Garden" so we wanted to create a fashion story based on the film.
Tantalum: What inspired you to do the shoot for "the Bold and Beautiful"? The Paint effect is fantastic! how did you go about developing that effect?
Jessica Yeh: Photography is all about capturing 'that' fleeting moment that is otherwise lost. I thought capturing the dynamic movement of a liquid substance would demonstrate that quite literally. The paint effect is all real! We had everybody throwing paint at the model on the count of THREE!!
Tantalum: In general, during a session, how many pics would you say you take to find "the right one"? For B&B how many times did you throw the colored paint on to the model?
Jessica Yeh: I'm quite pedantic with giving the model directions so I don't seem to take many images in general. Sometimes if the atmosphere is right, the killer shot is within the first few we take. For the "Bold & Beautiful" we had a maximum of three paint throws or else we'd flood the studio! Each shot comprised of paint being thown at the model from four different directions. The studio almost turned into a kindergarden by the end!
Tantalum: How do you decide on the location for "Secret Garden" & subjects?
Jessica Yeh: The movie "The Secret Garden" had a lot to do with our location choice. We wanted somewhere that resembled the unkempt garden in movie, almost like a secret world.
Tantalum: Some photographers say that there is such a thing as someone really having a "natural eye" for photography? what do you think?
Jessica Yeh: I think we all have natural talents but I think passion can surpass any talent or "natural eye".
Tantalum: I love the images with the wonderful images with the saturation of color on both stories. What makes you choose to shot something in Color and sometimes in B&W?
Jessica Yeh: I shoot mostly in colour because I think colour plays a huge role in our day to day interpretation of people or things around us. I love the complexity it can bring to a shot. By changing the colours in an image can bring a whole new mood to it. B&W on the other hand is timeless and the absence of colour can often invite very personal interpretations of the image. In the end I think it really depends on how I want the picture to be felt.
Tantalum: Do you have other creative outlets? Which do you get the greatest satisfaction from?
Jessica Yeh: I come from a family of classical musicians - my father is a professional violinist and my mother was an opera singer. I'm a violinist myself as well as a violin teacher and it has always been a huge creative outlet in my life. The feeling of creating a beautiful image or a melody on my violin gives me the same satisfaction - they are both creative outlets to express what struggle to put into words.
Tantalum: As an artist do you find yourself drifting away from one form of media to another, devoting your creative forces souly to the media at hand. Or do you try to divide up your time more equally?
Jessica Yeh: I just go with the flow of how I feel. I don't think anything forced turns out well so I can't say I clearly divide up my time between all the creative things I'm involved in. If it feels right ... do it!
Tantalum: What is the ONE lasting impression you want to leave in your photos?
Jessica Yeh: If my photographs can provoke people to feel something, anything at all, then I'm happy.