Photographer Vicky Lam has a pretty sweet job creating eye candy for clients
By: Briar Chaput
Photographer Vicky Lam's work can easily be identified by its carefully crafted, detail-oriented, and graphic style. From large corporate advertising campaigns to colourful creative projects, Vicky creates images that have an impact on a national audience, all from her Toronto studio.
Early on, Vicky considered photography "a cool way to travel the world and meet new people." But, once she began creating images in the studio, the meditative nature of the work, as well as the control she had over her environment and subjects, helped her discover her love for a more illustrative form of photography.
As a commercial photographer, Vicky must produce work that satisfies not only her but, more importantly, her clients. When speaking about the challenges that come with this type of work, Vicky says that the clients are usually great to work with once the project's concept is settled on. Most "demands" are only small things, such as a client wanting an excessive number of props in a shot or additional shots that weren't initially agreed on. If any larger issues arise, Vicky takes comfort in the fact that she can reach out to the team at Westside Studio, her home base, to discuss ways to solve the issue - one of the perks of working in a shared studio space. In Vicky's words, "commercial photography is a lot of problem solving, but it's worth it to see my efforts out in the real world in a tangible form that I can share."
One of her most recent and largest accomplishments was creating images for a Google product launch. Vicky's photos were featured in a public campaign that included images taking over Toronto's Yonge-Bloor subway station and the stories-high digital screens at Yonge- Dundas Square. Contributing to a billboard was one of Vicky's goals when starting out, and accomplishing that goal means that her work is truly out there for the world to see.
When asked about what advice she would give to new and emerging photographers, Vicky says, "hang on! There will be moments where work is slow, where you might feel isolated (especially working in a studio), but keep going. Get outside, meet new people, explore artists and different types of art from your own, be persistent, and be patient. The work will come."
Vicky especially loves art gallery experiences and illustration work, and it shows. For inspiration, she often looks to artists outside photography, such as large-scale installation artist Olafur Eliasson. This Icelandic-Danish artist creates work that
suspends audience attention by using simple elements to produce spatial experiences for all the senses.
Looking ahead, Vicky is experimenting with stop-motion animation and is excited to keep giving everyday objects a new and exciting life, crafted in her Toronto studio, before being ready for the world to see.
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