Meet Dax Lee | Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Dax, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up my whole life I have always been creative. I started in the visual arts by making little youtube videos back in 2012/2013 of some of my favorite video games growing up as a kid. Something about the video editing aspect and creating a full on story that we can watch hear and feel all at once just made me fall in love with the craft and never want to go through life without it. Fast forward a couple years I am a sophomore in high school and I joined one of the video production classes at my school and became obsessed. I became very close with my teacher at the time that I looked at him as more of a mentor in the film world rather than a teacher. He was the one that really pushed me to join the other video programs my school offered as well as a way to give back to the new and up coming students in the lower classes. By the end of my high school years I was one of the top students in the advanced film production class, my high schools morning news show, as well as tutoring students in the beginner video production class. My senior year, my film teacher let me borrow a Canon T6i and a regular 18-55 kit lens to play around with a camera and just get familiar with a DSLR. I learned shortly after that I love photography and I want to learn more and see what else is in this craft. So i bought myself my first mirrorless camera which was the canon M50 as a graduation gift to myself and thats when I really started caring about photography.

I played junior hockey shortly after high school for a couple years which involved moving to a different state for 7 or 8 months and traveling all across the country playing hockey. Of course photography was then put on the back burner for a bit until covid hit when sitting inside all day I decided to buy myself a 50mm prime lens and go head first into photography and trying to teach myself as much as I could.

Through this time as I keep playing around with it, and working normal everyday jobs, then in November of 2021 I was gifted my first full frame camera and from there, I knew I needed to be in the creative world so I did/do everything I can to keep myself in the creative world with meeting people, working with people, and really just surrounding myself with other creative people to all work together and see all the different realms of the art world. From fashion designers, to people who are amazing at drawing/painting, to musicians. This all keeps me motivated to stay in the creative world and I hope to stay in this realm for as long as I can.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
With my art I love to create moments. I have always been in love with trying to capture the beauty in everyday life that can go missed. I also believe in creating beautiful soft looking images that can look almost like it is out of a dream. My favorite form of photography is film because I like how you get one chance to get the shot, you can’t see the image until the moment is far gone, you have to be picky and choosy with what colors you want to be in the image, the grain, the subtle shift is colors for some film processes. So i decided to base all my work off that. I think the only difference is I allow myself to reshoot images if I need to, but I try not to. I try to execute a one and done type of shooting style.

One of my favorite things to hear when it comes to my work is people are surprised the images are all done digitally. I think the fact I have majority of my work looking like it is film but it is all done digitally is what really sets me apart from others.

To get where I am today is honestly just wanting to shoot and staying consistent with evolving my craft. I still have a long journey a head of me to learn more and take my career to the next level. I don’t think it was easy at all to be honest because I’d say the one thing I always struggled with is staying motivated and not getting so discouraged with seeing so many other photographers work who may seem “better” than my own. After the past couple of years of realizing that photography is all about trying to tell a story from the perspective of the artist. there is no who’s photos are better or worse, it’s more about the execution and story telling of the image. I think also looking at the medium as an art form and not just a way to start a business and make money is crucial for me to remind myself why I wanted to pursue photography and not treat it just as a way to make money.

If I could give advice to anyone who wants to pursue photography, I think networking is the most important thing. Not just for getting assignments but for feedback, relationships, a support system. I think getting another perspective especially from someone who is in that field, they can really give you proper feedback that only a photographer might only see. Like a new way to light the scene or a new editing technique.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am huge coffee fanatic so the first thing we will be doing everyday is finding a new coffee shop in the area we are hanging out in for the day!

The first part of the city I’d say we have to hit is somewhere near the beach, I personally love Malibu for the beach but if I have a guest who is not from here, we are stopping at Santa Monica and going to the pier, then taking some bikes or a skateboard if they can and ride north to enjoy the beach vibes.

I love art and history so the next stop is for sure the Getty, there is one right next to the beach so that for sure is the next stop to check out all the beautiful piece of Roman and Ancient Greece art.

The next day is a stop off in Hollywood to check out some of the most iconic places like the walk of fame, where I was able to shoot some of my favorite photos in Hollywood, like in the middle of street of Hollywood Blvd with a couch.

I obviously have to show off the Hollywood sign, I have this one spot that is like a hike but it’s just a little trail of about a 2 minute walk off the side of the road in some random neighborhood. This angle of the Hollywood sign I think is my favorite as you don’t really see the sign from that angle especially in photos. I think my other favorite part is the location is rather quiet so you won’t need to worry about any other tourists messing up the view of the sign!

The next day would be a shopping day, so that would involve going to the Topanga mall and a few other spots. I love vintage shopping and I feel like I have a good time finding good vintage pieces or streetwear pieces all along Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks and hitting all those shops like 2nd street, wasteland, buffalo exchange and any other random stores there. It is a must though if we are in Sherman oaks/Studio City to get one of my favorite resturants, Uovo. it’s an Italian restaurant that in my opinion is some of the best service and some good food!

One must go to for me would have to be any type of barcade but more specifically EightyTwo, it’s like an adult arcade! I am a huge gamer so that’s a must go for me, We also would go get some sushi at a revolving sushi bar!

I love get out and into nature, especially going hiking. One of my favorite trails in LA would have to be the one that takes you up to the wisdom tree. The mountain is located off of Barham blvd in the hollywood hills. I love this trail because it is a bit of a trek as it is steep but the view is worth. you can see all of the San Fernando Valley, and all of Downtown, Hollywood, Culver City, Everywhere!

The final stop I think is a must for everyone who loves to explore little markets and what not is the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I love vintage clothing and trying to find little house decor so this is a must for me. It is only once a month but it is so worth it because there are hundreds of different kinds of vendors you can be there all day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family, there is no other group of people who have been as supportive as them.

There was only one other person who I would say is a photographer but I never learned they were until after they passed which was my grandma. we found one of her old canon 35mm cameras in an attic collecting dust and I was fortunate to be able to take it and test out to see if it worked.

Some of my other family members had dabbled a little in the craft but not that seriously, my older brother was a musician but that was it for the creativeness in the family. I was one of the firsts to really indulge in the craft and no one really knew how or what it would look like in the photography world. But my family was the first ones to accept and help me navigate the world however way they could.

I don’t think I would be anywhere without them and I owe it all to my whole family for helping me figure out the journey one day at a time.

Website: https://daxxleee.com/

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