Relax. It ain’t that serious. — When I first started photographing models, I felt like every picture had to be perfect or the entire shoot would be a fail, the models would see me as a fraud, and I would never get to work with another model again. But after a few rounds of trial-and-error, I grew comfortable with my process and let the final images speak for themselves. The models agree and are happy to work with me and vouch for me to their fellow models.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dustin Ha.
Dustin Ha is an LA-born Korean-American that was raised in El Salvador leaving him with three fragmented identities, always the outsider. But it wasn’t drugs nor the spiritual cult Dustin joined that gave him purpose, it’s his camera where his singular focus melts away his Sisyphean anxiety. Dustin confronts his demons through his meticulous photography practice that celebrates the misfit in all of us through juxtaposition and unusual formats.
Dustin’s debut solo photography exhibition is launching on Saturday, February 10 at Helen J Gallery in Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Los Angeles to Korean-born parents, but was uprooted when I was 5-years-old to San Salvador, El Salvador for my father’s business. As you can imagine, this was quite the culture shock for me as a Korean-American kindergartener. This took be out of my bubble and showed me the world at an impressionable age. El Salvador provided me a lot of freedom since there are few rules and ever less police. My mother provided a counterbalance as a helicopter parent. That led me to rebel and take the on the designation of the black sheep of our upstanding family.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I come from a long line of buttoned-up businessmen. This was the path laid out for me. While I pursued a major in entrepreneurship at the University of Miami, I started watching art documentaries that did deep dives into the practices of the greats. Inspired, I tried my hand at painting, but the thrill of creation didn’t strike. But then I watched “See Know Evil” about “heroin chic” iconoclast photographer David Davide Sorrenti that inspired me to pick up a camera. I started my practice with street photography and fell in love. And I finally knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One morning, I was driving through downtown Los Angeles on my way to work when I saw an unhoused man laughing hysterically. I pulled over and approached the gentleman to ask what is so funny. “Don’t worry. You wouldn’t understand,” he told me, still laughing. Inspired, I asked him if I could take his picture. “Yeah. Why not?” As soon as the camera clicked, the unhoused man gave me the saddest expression as if he was a dramatic actor trained at Julliard. “You’re welcome,” he told me and shuffled away. That moment still haunts me to this day and remains one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am about to launch my first solo photography exhibition “Remember Why You’re Here” at a gallery in Hollywood, CA. This collection of works is my world debut as a fine art photographer and a culmination of my photography practice. Remember Why You’re Here is a materialization of my crippling anxiety that I have only recently learn to manage, not with meds, but with my camera. The exhibition is also a critique of society’s insistence on compartmentalization. I for one do not belong in any one box.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I was fortunate to work with Irish photographer Tony Kelly and assist on one of his shoots. Tony’s work has always inspired me, but he was so funny and personable, that his work took on greater significance for me. While I was hired as an assistant holding reflectors, this prestigious photographer entrusted me to do more on set, and even got down and dirty removing soaking wet carpets from an older woman’s home that we rented for the shoot. I will always be grateful for Tony treating me with respect and providing me with invaluable advice about the inner workings of the photograph world.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
My inspiration comes most often from deceased artists, many of whom sadly burned too bright. Going back to my love of art documentaries, “A Brush With Violence” about Francis Bacon whose paintings create the feeling of sadness and despair taught me that art that is challenging trumps art that is solely aesthetically pleasing. Photographers like the aforementioned Davide Sorrenti, Peter Lindbergh, and Vivian Meyer give me the same creative nudge to push the boundaries. My brain is a tempest of dark emotions and unconventional ideas that I reflect through my camera lens. My exhibition “Remember Why You’re Here” is the end result of this philosophy in practice.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I am still young and new the art world. While I am grateful to have my first exhibition, success for me is still further down the road. As my careers ascends, I will pay it forward. We all stand on the shoulders of our heroes, so I hope to offer my own shoulders for the next generation of photographers and artists to climb on to reach even higher.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Relax. It ain’t that serious.
When I first started photographing models, I felt like every picture had to be perfect or the entire shoot would be a fail, the models would see me as a fraud, and I would never get to work with another model again. But after a few rounds of trial-and-error, I grew comfortable with my process and let the final images speak for themselves. The models agree and are happy to work with me and vouch for me to their fellow models.
2. Be ready to pivot (just flow)
Photoshoots rarely go according to plan. And that’s okay. In my early days, my shoots were over-planned and over-thought with a minutely detailed shot-list. I would obsess over checking shots off my list that never matched that perfect image in my head. But the Dustin of today doesn’t sweat the details. In fact, my best images usually occur when I crumple up the shot-list mid-photoshoot and try something new.
3. Don’t focus so much on the technical
Photography is technical. The shutter speed, aperture, and lighting are all important. But I cut my teeth, not in a studio, but doing street photography where candid moments won’t wait for you to adjust your F-stop. A technically perfect photograph to me is boring. And if the subject doesn’t grab my attention, who cares? I try to bring that energy into my practice wherever I am shooting.
4. Just ask
Fortune favors the bold. If I see someone that looks interesting on the street, I will walk right up and ask if they want to do an impromptu photoshoot. You would be surprised how often you hear “yes”, and I always accept a “no” with a smile. The same goes for the online street of Instagram approaching influencer with millions of followers. Sliding into their DMs with a professional request has netted me plenty of “yes”es that have helped me get my foot into the door of professional photography.
5 . My dumbest ideas turned out to be my best photographs
There’s a fine a line between genius and stupidity. And much to my parent’s chagrin, I am constantly teetering on that tightrope. Realistically, I fall flat on my face on the stupid side most of the time. But every once in a while, I shoot the moon and the results are glorious. My favorite dumb ideas are now prominent in “Remember Why You’re Here” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You never know if your idea is stupid or brilliant until you try it.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Self-acceptance as a mantra, especially for the youth struggling as I did. I hope that my work can inspire everyone to accept the fact that we’re all a little weird, and to embrace that because it’s what makes you special. Cesar A. Cruz had it right when he said, “Art is meant to comfort the disturb and disturb the comfortable”. So, I encourage you to embrace your own weirdness and celebrate others’ weirdness. The best way to inspire people is too be true to you.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
My upbringing in El Salvador brought me up close and personal with the gangs like MS-13. I recognize my own privilege where I didn’t have to join a gang in order to survive. But I knew many who didn’t have that choice that were recruited as early as primary school with the promise of a better life. I have always wanted to interview and photograph the leaders of these gangs, controversial as they are, to hear their stories and understand their perspective.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Instagram: @dustin.j.ha
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Dustin Ha: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.