Meet Tyler Polani | Photographer & Filmmaker

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

Hi Tyler, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business actually goes back to when I was about 10 years old. My mother worked in the tech industry for over 25 years and my father was a top salesmen for over 30 years. Through observation, I noticed my mother working many hours on the computer, so many, that she developed tendonitis in both of her arms requiring a total of 3 surgeries. My fathers job was so stressful that he’d often would be in a bad mood when coming home, causing stress outside of his work. My 10 year old self came to the conclusion that having a boss can lead to injury and stress. I had no idea at the time how I was going to end up living my life, but I knew the 9 to 5 life was not going to be a life for me.

Fast forward 10 more years, I pick up a DSLR for the first time, and instantly fell in love with learning everything I could about cameras, and how to improve the quality of my photos. After entering art school, I quickly began putting the pieces together, realizing I have a real chance of building a future around visual media. Even when I feel stuck in my journey, I remember the stress and pain my parents went through, which gives me the strength and focus to keep pursuing my dreams.

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 believe what sets me apart from others is my editing style. Not only can I emulate various styles of looks, but I love to go outside the box, creating abstract imagery. A phrase I’ve always used to describe my work is “I don’t know what I’m looking at, but I love it.” Using bright, bold colors cohesively to give viewers something to really stare at. A goal of mine was to make boring images look great, taking over or under-exposed images, and making them worthy of putting on someone’s wall. Not at all an easy task, but it has forced me to constantly improve my techniques. I feel as though I will always be a student of my craft, eager to learn and evolve as an artist.

Getting to my current state as an artist has not been easy, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. To overcome challenges, I talk to those who support me as an individual, and ask them questions about what they think of me, my work, my current goals. I’ve heard that people close to you, often notice things that even we don’t see in ourselves, with that information, I love asking my peers and loved ones questions about myself. Why do you hire me? What stands out about me as an artist? You’ll be surprised at the responses you get, but those are genuine answers that can help oneself take their next steps with a lot more ease.

An important lesson I’ve learned is, you’ve got to change what you’re doing, to get where you’re going. Whenever you feel stuck or stagnant, just know you’re not done, you simply need to make some adjustments. Whether that’s learning new techniques, taking a healthy break, or listening to a genre of music you’ve never given a chance.

My goal to be successful isn’t a selfish route, but an opportunity to shine light on other artists. There are many of us who know we are great at what we do, but we haven’t met the right people, or gained the proper experience we need to take things to the next level. I hope to be a mentor for others, providing opportunity for artists to shine as bright as they possibly can. I’ve yearned for someone to acknowledge my potential, instead of putting my head down, I’m motivated to reach new heights in order to give artists their recognition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in the Bay Area allows for various environments. For myself, I love to be in nature, whether it be Lake Merritt, Santa Cruz Mountains, or Hayward Hills. The Bay has a lot to offer, and environments for all kinds of different individuals.

If you love the ocean, Santa Cruz is a great place to visit. Monterey, Big Sur or Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Of course we’d have to stroll through San Francisco to provide an experience of the bustling city, its delicious food spots, and dozens of bars and restaurants on Polk Street. Even visiting the Castro District for some views you never thought you’d see in person, like naked people walking down the street. You never know what you may experience in the city!

Across the water you have Downtown Oakland, where you can literally eat foods from all ethnic backgrounds, AUTHENTIC! You’ll quickly realize restaurants aren’t offering different kinds of foods just to gain customers, they make food with the same recipes and ingredients as their family and ancestors, making you forget you’re in California.

Fortunately, there are always events taking place, whether it be a musical event, going to a-lot full of food trucks, or rooftop networking events. The amount of options we have truly makes us spoiled, but there’s no place like The Bay Area.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are numerous individuals who deserve credit for my success. Various family members, who always believed and supported me even when the didn’t understand what I was trying to achieve. As well as instructors in art school who saw the artist in me, before I did. My instructors pushed me, sometimes harder than my other classmates, because they knew I could achieve more.

I’ll never forget digital photography class, where we presented our photo assignment and I KNEW I did a great job, even my classmates told me I had the best photo in the class. When it was my turn, my instructor ripped me a new one, I was in awe and shocked but will never forget my instructors final sentence, “I expected better from you”. Years later, that same instructor told me that he ripped me a new one in class that day on purpose. He knew I was great at what I was doing, but didn’t want me to get comfortable. I appreciate him so much because that lesson forced me to continue reaching new heights, no matter what accolades have been achieved.

One more instructor named Marwan, pulled me aside from the class one day and told me I had to lead my group because, “You have a crazy mind, that is your super power, the rest of your group doesn’t think like you, you have to take charge”. I didn’t like standing out, I just wanted to be great in my own world, but his words allowed me to lead not only myself, but others. I thought I went to school to learn how to make movies, but I really learned how to be the best artist & leader I could be.

Website: LuphoricPictures.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tylerpolani

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/tylerpolani

Facebook: facebook.com/luphoricpictures

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luphoric-pictures-hayward

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tylerpolani

Other: www.Luphoric.Store

Image Credits
All photos by Tyler Polani