Meet Tara Niami | Cinematographer and Photographer

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

Hi Tara, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
I love the quote from Leonard Cohen- “There’s a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.” I feel this way as an artist and as a person. It’s important to acknowledge the cracks-the challenges of the human condition, the heaviness of the world-while also seeing the light-hope, joy, beauty. My work captures this duality of light and dark, melancholic and hopeful.

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 feel there is something special in the way I see the world and others that is meaningful to share. The various facets of my identity inform my work whether visible or more subliminally.

It wasn’t easy to get to where I am now nor will it will be an easy road to journey on in the future.
One of my biggest hurdles to overcome was myself. I started photography young, in high school, and as I went on to receive accolades for my work and have it published, my expectations of myself continued to grow and grow. This led to intense self-criticism and fear. Grief was something else I had to process, as I lost my mentor when I was in college. He had met me as a teenager, saw that I had potential, and supported me as an artist. Losing him was a surprise, a shock, and I ended up in a deep depression and spiral of anxiety. Ironically, creating art while struggling to do so, helped me get through it.

Outside of these challenges, not fitting into a neat box nor appealing to the masses and being ‘outspoken’ have certainly made it harder for me to succeed in the art and film industries. It’s frustrating yet I’ve come to realize though that I have no desire to sacrifice my moral values to appease others or allow myself to be silenced simply because speaking up for justice is seen as ‘radical’ somehow. I can be a chameleon as a cinematographer, shooting different genre works and styles but I will always stick to my integrity and never give it away for a paycheck or a moment of fame.

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?
The place I frequent the most these days is 2220 Arts and Archives in Filipinotown. It’s a venue as well as a non-profit and they host all sorts of amazing musical performances, film screenings, and other interesting events there. I’ve seen everything from experimental Hungarian animation films to Palestinian poetry performed there.

I would take them to have coffee at Chit Chat Coffee, a charming coffee shop with delicious coffee and good vibes.
For food we could go to Farsi Cafe for great Persian food, Thai Town, or perhaps Guisados in Boyle Heights for amazing tacos.

I’d recommend the Laemmle cinemas for watching current arthouse films and Huntington Gardens for some beautiful nature.

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 shout out my friends who’ve supported me as I’ve grown and evolved in life and in my art. I want to give a particular shout out to Brittany Radel, whose first narrative film I’ll be shooting when it’s time. She’s an enormously kind and talented individual. I want to shout out my family and partner who I love and lean on.

Website: https://www.taravioletniami.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/taraviolet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-violet-niami-b096b962/

Other: Imdb page:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3659925/

Image Credits
Photographs all Copyright Tara Violet Niami