Meet Cary Qian | Photographer and Filmmaker

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

Hi Cary, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It was something I became attached to from a pretty young age, and for the longest time it was just a hobby. But I remember at some point in high school I realized this was something I could go to college for. And in that sense I feel incredibly lucky, that my college major lies in something I’m super passionate about. Not to say there aren’t people who study business or finance who aren’t passionate about those things, but no one pursues an artistic or creative career for job stability.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I really like the photography of individuals doing anything honestly, which includes portraits, sports, or other events that people do. I think even with how good phone cameras are getting these days, there’s something really nice about getting a great photo of yourself with an actual camera. When I’m taking photos of people I know, it’s my way of supporting them and really making them special in my eyes. One of my friends does standup comedy, and I take photos of her. Another one of my friends is a college athlete, and so I take photos of her. Countless of my other friends are always on film sets doing incredible things, and so it’s genuinely a joy to capture them in middle of something creative.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It’s strange, I always talk about how Los Angeles is the kind of city you visit only once just to say you’ve been there, because at the end of the day a lot of the city’s landmarks are somewhat underwhelming. If they’re into sports, it’s hard to ignore all the iconic options you have with SoFi stadium, Dodger Stadium, and the Staples Center. On the rare occasion they’re into classical music, one of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras in available to you in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, an orchestra I’ve had the lucky chance to see before. I think the only attraction genuinely worth visiting and spending a good portion of time is the Santa Monica pier and the Venice Boardwalk a bit further down the beach. The area embodies what people think of LA, and there’s a lot to do in terms of attractions!

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?
The easiest way for me to get emotional is to think about all the hard work and sacrifices my parents made to put me in the position that I’m in right now. They immigrated seperately to America and met each other at university. I have a complicated relationship with them, but at the end of the day I know everything they do is because they care about me and want me to succeed. And of course there’s my friends, who I’ve grown to appreciate far more during my time in college, and it’s something I need to express more often to them personally. I’m a very sentimental person, and the friends I have mean more to me than I can put to words.

Website: caryqian.com

Instagram: cary_qian

Twitter: sinotfound