Justin Wu enrolled at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., as a biology major, the first step on his path to becoming a doctor like his dad. He graduated with a biology degree three years later. In between, he developed a passion for photography – and found a new career to pursue.
One of Wu’s first-year floor mates was a fine arts student. He pushed Wu to follow his artistic interests. As much time as Wu spent studying science, he began spending even more on the arts.
Wu’s mother was a fine art painter, and she had always encouraged him to develop his artistic side. He loved sketching and drawing. His dad gave him his first camera. “He thought photography would be a faster art – one click and you’re done, right?” says Wu. “Little did he realize that I would become so immersed in photography, learning about it, wanting to do it, that I really dove into it.”
Within the year, Wu bought his first digital SLR. With bills and student loans to pay, he worked evenings at Camera Kingston. His shift usually being quiet, Wu had time to shadow the seasoned photographers and photojournalists who were his colleagues. He also had plenty of time to “study.” “With all the books there, I was very much immersed in that world, more than the biology I was supposed to do,” he says. “I wasn’t supposed to bring my schoolwork to work. There’s all these photo books as amazing resources, so I sat there talking to staff members and learning my craft that way.”
His sophomore year, Wu won a Dean Award for Best Emerging Artist, the first non-arts student to do so. “That gave me the validation I needed to think that this could be a career choice.”
After graduating from Queen’s, Wu enrolled at Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. He told his parents he wanted to learn entrepreneurship; in reality, he wanted to see if photography was a viable business.
He became the photo editor of the campus newspaper. The style section he created quickly garnered the attention of a photo agency in Toronto. That summer, he took a research trip to New York and found numerous agencies receptive to his work. “The true turning point,” he says, “was when an agency said we would love to sign you and represent you as a photographer.”
Finding his focus
In business school, Wu did a deep analysis of careers within the photography field. It quickly revealed his first passion, art photography, was not a viable option. Wu wanted to know what gave him the most creative license, respected the artistry and still had regular business and clientele.
“The fashion world hit all of this,” he says. “Brands and magazines want photographers to tell a story and create a new world. They allow photographers to come up with something new as opposed to going to a place and capturing what’s already there. And it was something I could sell to my parents – there are regular clients.”
Wu has worked professionally as a fashion and portrait photographer since 2009.
He loves the collaborative aspect of the fashion world, working with different designers, models and stylists. “Everyone must contribute creatively,” he says. “It’s not just the photographer’s vision but what everyone brings to the table to help enhance the storytelling of the scene.”
Portrait photography is more personal. “For me, it’s about unlocking a truth about an individual,” says Wu. “I love people and I love to understand stories, and portrait photography allows me to discover their vulnerability and understand who they are in an intimate way.” His goal is to capture a side of someone no one has seen before. “I try to understand their history, their motivations, what makes them happy or afraid,” he says. “Somehow through that intimate conversation, I can capture their essence in a photograph.”
Shooting socially distanced
This past year has presented new challenges. Travel restrictions and physical distancing guidelines have pushed photographers to find new ways to create content. Wu created his own technique of photographing virtually. Having taught photography as a guest lecturer, he’s developed a simple way to explain how to use lighting and equipment. Now, over Zoom, he helps talent set up their camera on a tripod, build their lighting and operate their gear. From Toronto, he’s virtually shot subjects atop the Vienna Opera House, and in Paris, Los Angeles and New York.
“This approach to virtual photography has opened more doors than it’s closed,” he says, “and maybe could be a new way of working alongside shooting in person.”