Amber Hues
FEATURED IN STAYCATION | VOL.2 | ISSUE.17
Q. How did you find your style of photography?
I grew up being an emotional kid, so simple things make me moody. I guess I woke up one day with a light ray shining through my room and it made it sentimental. From those moments on I strove to capture them in a photo so they won’t go away. I also find human skin to be the best clothing we can have, so implied concepts that give details to the skin are always gorgeous to me. I don’t know, it sounds weird when I write it out like this.
Q. Where do you find your inspiration for shoots?
Instagram is the main inspiration. I would see one detail from my favorite artist and get inspired by that. Daily life aesthetics inspire me a lot, too. Simple things such as sunlight, architecture, the ocean... give me a ton of ideas. Frankly enough, Anime sometimes helps me being creative, too!
Q. How do you decide what models you want to work with?
Deciding which model is perfect for the concepts is not easy. For me, it all depends on the model’s features. Close up photos require the model to have sharp face edges, while implied concepts often require a lean but curvy feature. The hard part is choosing and deciding who can be the perfect fit.
Q. How much time goes into planning, shooting and editing a photoshoot for you?
To be completely honest, I finish planning my shoot the day I come up with the idea. Waiting for replies from models and choosing a good-weather day are the main time-consuming part. I would take an hour or two on the shoot day, and finish the sets within two weeks.
Q. What has been one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?
The most satisfying project that I am proud of until this day is one of my bathroom photoshoots. I sliced lemons and dump them in black water while the model was posing with it. I then shone my phone’s flashlight through a glass of water to create textured ocean looking lights. I had never been a fan of artificial lights until that shoot, everything looked natural and gorgeous.
Q. All of your images give off a comforting feeling, describe the aesthetic you create!
I think all of my answers earlier lead up to this. Imagine waking up after an afternoon nap in a cold room with a light ray shining through onto you and your dream lover. That’s it, that’s my aesthetic.
Q. How did you learn how to edit your photos, how did you find your style?
A lot of fooling around. I used to sit in Lightroom and Photoshop for hours to mess around with the tools, trying to make presets then throwing all of them into the trash and trying again. It took me a while to know what I like and customize my own. I think when you prefer creating things manually is when you know you will like it in the end.
Q. What are some great tips for conveying emotions through photos?
This is where I give my appreciation to my models. I can try to explain all my heart the emotion I want for the shoot, but it’s only when they are on the same page with me that we can create the best photos. Eyes' emotions are always my first priority, then come posing. So great tip: find a good model, put on a good playlist, describe and let her feel the vibe.
Q. What has been one of your favorite projects you’ve worked on?
The most satisfying project that I am proud of until this day is one of my bathroom photoshoots. I sliced lemons and dump them in black water while the model was posing with it. I then shone my phone’s flashlight through a glass of water to create textured ocean looking lights. I had never been a fan of artificial lights until that shoot, everything looked natural and gorgeous.
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Photographer: Lei Houtian @original.lei
Models: @kaytee.jn, @alivendwell,
@smjdzrz, @ _brittneymarshall, @c_rlym
@smjdzrz, @mvancae
📍Houston, Texas
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