Meet Irvin Liu | Director of Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Irvin Liu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Irvin, what are you inspired by?
Some of my artistic influences are Wong Kar-wai, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Roger Deakins, Conrad Hall, Todd Hido, Saul Leiter, and Radiohead.  I am also hugely inspired by my collaborators and my life experiences. Often during prep, my collaborators and I will talk about how we feel and relate to the story we are trying to tell, and discuss the visual references that best represent those emotions. This exchange of ideas and being inspired by one another is one of my favorite parts of the filmmaking process. Once filming starts, it’s also very important for me to keep an open mind and be flexible to the spontaneous nature of filmmaking. The actors, the environments, and the circumstances can often elevate the project in ways that you can’t even imagine during prep.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
There are so many different ways to photograph the same story. Specific choices have to be made on where to place the camera, how to move the camera (or not), and how to light the scene, etc. I remember asking Johnny Jensen ASC how he comes to his decisions. “What does your heart tell you?” he replied. That has stayed with me ever since. By shooting from my heart and letting my emotional response to the story be my guide, it leads to an interpretation of the story that is unique to a culmination of my life journey and experiences. Though those choices are often invisible to the audience, I hope that the specificity of my decisions will translate into emotions that can be felt universally.

It’s definitely been a slow and arduous journey to get to where I am today. Though I’m still a bit away from where I want to be careerwise, I try to remind myself to be appreciative and proud of the things I have achieved so far. It’s simply a privilege to do what I do for a living. While persistence and taking risks have helped me overcome some of the challenges in the film industry, the biggest lesson that I’ve learned (and am still learning) is to just enjoy the present and stop worrying about achieving the next thing. Life is about the journey and not the destination, and the goalposts will always be moving.

As for what I’m proud of, I shot a feature that’s still to be released that I’m really excited about. Everything just felt right while shooting it – the sun was always at the right place at the right time, the layout of the rooms were conducive to the story we were telling, and the actors gave powerful performances that could be felt in the room. Our planning, paired with some luck, gave way to what I believe is a beautiful film.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My wife and I recently went on the Eaton Canyon hike and loved it. We jumped underneath the waterfall at the end of the trail, which I highly recommend, especially on a hot day. I would also recommend one of our favorite bakeries, Lodge Bread. They have amazing sourdough for those, like us, who failed miserably at making it during the pandemic. Lastly, I recommend checking out LA’s many street tacos vendors, as well as stopping in at some of the great Asian restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. We are pretty spoiled with food choices in this town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people to thank for my journey so far. I’d like to thank my parents and my partner foremost for their support and encouragement along the way. I’d also like to thank my mentors Johnny Jensen ASC, James Whitaker ASC, and Chayse Irvin ASC for always being available to answer technical questions and to give advice on navigating the industry in general. Last but not least, I like to thank all of the collaborators and crew I’ve worked with so far, I wouldn’t be anywhere without them!

Website: https://www.irvinliu.com/

Instagram: @irvinliu