Meet Sam Yang | Educator & Multimedia Photographer

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

Hi Sam, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was working as an educator and a school administrator in the Northeast when COVID-19 hit the states. With an empty campus, I decided to pick up photography again which, as someone who has been doing it as a hobby, was not too hard to do. I have been using a camera on and off since middle school and I was a photographer for my high school. As soon as I began taking photos of empty towns and businesses again, I realized these small mom-and-pop shop owners and even the town government might need those photos later when they re-open to boost business. I began taking note of where I went and looked them up online to offer free business photos when they do indeed reopen. It was at the same time when my COVID class of students graduated—and with that, a need for graduation photos (outside with masks). I began getting inquiries to do portraits because people also need fresh photos for their job search after being laid off. So there I was: photographer by hobby turned into a pretty serious deal in the small college town that I lived in. There was a need for photos, and there was me, who just happened to have picked up a camera out of boredom. The good thing was my initial clients were so impressed by my photos that they could not believe that I hadn’t been doing photography for a long time, which spiked my motivation.

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.
My journey as a professional photographer took me back to Vermont where I was working as a college administrator. I picked the camera back up and began doing shoots for small businesses during Covid and next thing you know, I was doing branding content and working with the state to do business and tourism promotion. My transition from portrait work to sports photography was something I did not anticipate: I had just moved to California from the East Coast and was seeking connections. One of my old friends from college introduced me to a social media platform Kuaishou that has collaborative ties with the NBA, and I had also found my way doing work for USC. I am proud of how adaptive and flexible I am, quickly transitioning from just a still photographer to a full-capacity content creator doing interviews, short videos, and more. I was able to learn bits and pieces about sports photography relatively fast and refresh my memories of journalism on the fly. I also had to devote my time to attending games and editing videos which had a learning curve. The challenging part is I am doing all this work while also studying in a doctoral program in education at USC which requires excellent skills in time management. But all was worth it.
One thing I strive to do with my photography is to bring happiness to everyone who is in my viewfinder. I don’t do photography and content creation to obtain social status or gain wealth, rather, it was to help people see the best of themselves. I cannot describe to you the sense of accomplishment when my clients use my photos for them everywhere, which is the greatest testament to my work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA is a place where cultures collide, integrate, and co-exist, so it makes perfect sense for me to take them to multiple spots in the county to enjoy the diversity of the music, cuisine, fashion, and more that makes LA the city it is today. Multiple spots are also very photo-worthy if you know where to look. For food, John and Vinny’s on Fairfax is my favorite; for music, Rhythm Room in DTLA; for fashion, the entire Melrose stretch will keep you busy with thrift shopping. The surrounding trails embracing LA will then become the perfect spot to sweat things out. You should never get bored of LA.

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?
I want to recognize several folks who have played a significant role in my journey as a content creator, a photographer, and an educator. I want to shout out Yi Long for her unwavering support as my partner and as my model. She is an independent musician who also has a vision for beauty and aesthetics. I also want to recognize Yannick Peterhans who is a hardworking and talented photojournalist based in LA. He gave me a lot of great advice as well as guidance as a fellow photographer and opened my doors to many opportunities. I also want to thank Tiger Luo, a content creator and a sports journalist who introduced me to sports photography and media work!

Website: https://www.sammydepth.com/

Instagram: sammydepthphoto

Twitter: sammydepth

Youtube: youtube.com/sammydepth

Image Credits
Image Credit: Edge Tian @lafimedge