21 Questions with Michael Liu

By Staff Writer Aarav Vashisht 

BART has long served as a reliable source of transportation for Bay Area residents. For Senior Michael Liu, a current photography student here at MSJ, the idea of BART hit close to home. After recently submitting a photo essay detailing his experiences on BART and the memories he made, Liu’s submission was featured on the KQED Youth Media Challenge Page. Follow along as we ask 21 questions about Liu’s journey as a photographer.

Origins

SS: Where did your passion for photography/art originate from?

ML:  “[Ever] since I was little … every time I was on a walk, I closed one eye … and pretended what I was doing was like a camera. That got me into looking at things and seeing stuff that interests me. The digital photography class this year gave me the tools to act on  photography … so I followed from [there].”

 

SS: How do you believe your photography skills have evolved over time?

ML: “I never really touched a professional camera until this school year … the digital photography class was really helpful because there’s [a lot of] camera settings to learn. Having that one period to practice ever so often is nice too.”

 

SS: What have you learned through your time as a photographer?

ML: “I’ve always been very anti-AI … I try really hard to stay away from AI … but what I found is that in Photoshop I finally found one good use for AI  [which is] isolating objects in a scene  [which is] really useful. I wouldn’t really gain anything if I did it manually.”

 

Personal Photography Experiences:

SS: What is your favorite photography piece you have captured? Describe the emotional significance.

ML: “Before the photography class … every time I [went] on a run, I [would] take a picture of the sunset at this spot at Lake Elizabeth [and] I try to get the same spot every time … and over the past couple years I’ve just been doing that. The emotional impact is [that] it’s something to look back upon  [as] I remember this one [photo where] I think it was July 4 and [the sunset[ was really orange and I felt really good that day.”

 

SS: What type of photo projects have you done so far?

ML: “I … take pictures of what looks cool to me. I think when I was a kid … I think since I … pretended my eyes were a camera … I had a … backlog of things that I wanted to try taking photos of. Also playing around with different lighting [and] different angles is fun.”

 

SS: How do you edit your photos to make them more aesthetically pleasing? Describe the process.

ML: ‘For the photo essay it was very simple, I just had a little preset to make like film photography [because] it gives it more of a personal [and comfortable] feel. Generally I’ve been very drawn to the vintage [and] film aesthetic so I usually try to work that in somehow.”

 

SS: What equipment do you personally use for photography? Why these parts specifically?

ML: “The two cameras [that] I used for this project were both checked out from the school. The first one was a Canon 6d [and] the second one was a Sony N73. The 6D was the first one we checked out so it was more high end  [and] I wanted to play around with it … and the N73 was a new model [and] I wanted to check it out for a video … like I was working on a video project. I kind of either check something out or use my phone.”

 

Motivation + Narrative:

SS:  What inspired the narrative for your photo essay? 

ML: “When I first rode BART it was like the feeling that you get when you first drive on your own … very liberating or like makes you feel independent. I’ve always had fond memories of BART, especially when I took [it] to … summer classes these past two summers.”

 

SS: Did you take inspiration from your own experiences?

ML: “I wasn’t very intentional with anything … I had a storyboard because that was a part of  the planning assignment in the class. But I didn’t actually  follow the storyboard in the end. In my particular statement … I said  [that] when I was a kid … my dad took me and my brother to the San Francisco Auto Show … we’d always take the BART because [the show] is right next to the BART. I used to be really into cars  [and] BART is very tied into that memory.”

 

SS: What were you trying to convey through your photography essay?

ML: When you think of public transportation  at least in the US, it has a very negative  connotation …. people generally view public transit negatively  [as] it’s the second option … it’s never the first choice. I think  being on public transportation, you get a lot more [of a] feeling of connection that you don’t get while you’re driving in a car … and considering that there’s a loneliness epidemic, I think it’s time to reconsider this mentality that public transportation is second class.”

 

SS: Who was your target audience for your submission? 

ML: “I’d say mostly just … people that don’t like taking public transit, or having a negative view of it.”

 

SS: What societal challenge were you looking to highlight through your submission?

ML: “[The] Doomer mindset I used to have  and a lot of people have as well  when it comes to reforming the system that we live in  [which] is almost completely dependent on cars, and can’t really get anywhere so further comfortably or easily without a car … and I [wanted] to highlight how  that decision to make America a car dependent place is not the most sound decision  and I wanted to make more people take public transport.”

 

KQED Media Challenge:

SS: How did you figure out about the KQED Youth Media Challenge? Were you always interested in submitting for this competition?

ML: “I first found out about it last semester when the photography teacher told us about it … after hearing that I wanted to submit to it, but it wasn’t really a necessary [assignment].”

 

SS: Have you submitted essays for KQED or other photo essay competitions in the past? If so, has your experience been in these competitions?

ML: “I have not. When I was actually preparing this photo essay, I was sort of fooling around. I did not have a winning attitude [when] I was submitting it. Maybe I don’t know.

 

Submission Process:

SS: What specific section did you submit to and why?

ML: “I submitted to the photo section and the first person view. The reason why is because I originally thought I was going to submit to [the] … American Creed [but] there was no section that called American Creed so I just chose the closest one, which [was] the First Person View,. I was going around taking pictures of what I saw.”

SS: How long did it take to compile your submission? Was the process strenuous?

“The process was not that strenuous. It was mostly just two days of going out and  riding the BART while I found … cool people or cool things. One day I took a friend along [and] my brother was visiting … so we went out on a little day trip.  I wasn’t really intentional with the photography. I was just looking for things that are cool.”

 

SS: How do you believe your submission stood out amongst others?

ML:  I worked some time on the layout. I spent 30 minutes picking out a set of fonts that work close together. I tried to make everything consistent … as for the captions i tried to give it more of a personal vibe to it because … it’s a personal topic … [with me] talking about my personal view on this topic. For the submission itself [I put an] alternate text, which is a textual description of the image and for accessibility reasons I included that.”

 

Advice:

SS:  If there’s any piece of advice you would give people interested in photography, what would it be?

ML: “Play around with things”

 

Reflection + Future Plans:

SS:  Have you ever encountered any creative obstacles or impasses throughout your time doing photography?

ML: “Since I don’t have actual photography equipment, I [have to make use of] a lot of stuff [and since] I don’t have a tripod at home. I end up having to balance the camera on … [household items]  in order to get some shots.”

SS: As a photographer, what do you believe you can improve on?

ML: The interpersonal aspect  [especially] when I’m talking to people and asking them if I can take pictures of them. I would like to have the courage to ask people for that consent and not be awkward about it. Most of the photos I took [are] pictures of people actually posing [where] I ask them for permission but in other cases …  I just didn’t try.”

SS:  Do you have any future plans in photography? If so, elaborate.

ML: “I’m thinking about getting some camera equipment later on after the school year and continuing my hobby or starting a side hustle once I get to college.”