From Nature to Narrative: How Cam Liu Frames the World Around Him
Photo: Cam Liu
How did you get into photography?
It all began with filmmaking. I'm not sure how or why, but I’ve always been into filmmaking since I was a kid. I used to use the family point-and-shoot to film myself doing random things, dancing, etc. When YouTube came around, I created multiple channels where I posted all these random 'vlogs' of my life. Eventually, filmmaking transitioned into visual art (painting and drawing), which I pursued during the remainder of primary school. However, once I got to high school, I suddenly stopped doing all the visual arts because it was a massive change in environment and routine. After adjusting to the new chapter in my life, I got back into filmmaking again and picked up the family camera. I started making funny skits and films, which over time, naturally led me to get into photography, since they’re quite related. The rest is history!
Do you have a favourite photo/video shoot or one that stands out the most to you?
I’ve done a variety of shoots over the years, so there have been some interesting ones, haha. I used to shoot a few music videos, they were pretty fun because they were really creative, and it would always be a bit of a meme. There would be all these rappers in random locations with graffiti walls involved.
But I recently did a music video with Isaac (from Swords and Cotton), which was heavily story-based and had an underlying message about anxiety and mental health, which was VERY different from the music videos I used to work on.
In terms of photoshoots… I’m not sure! I’ve done such a variety in the past years, it's hard to pick. One of my personal favourites is a series of photographs I shot of my friend, Angus, holding a portable lamp. I loved how those photos turned out. We were driving along the beach at blue hour, and I remembered that I had that lamp in the back of my car. I reckon my career will be built on that lamp, haha.
Have you done any photoshoots that have gone wrong?
Hmmm. I think I’ve been pretty lucky because I’ve missed those opportunities for disaster to happen. I know that when people are starting (with photography), there will be times when they’re first starting paid work, and clients will try to rip them off or get work for free in exchange for 'exposure'. Thankfully, I haven’t had any experiences like that. I have had people TRY to ask me to shoot things for little to no money, or their communication's terrible, or they didn’t treat me nicely, but I’ve never actually gone through with a shoot for them. So no major incidents, thankfully.
How did you start getting into paid work?
Mainly through connections like family and friends, which is definitely the best way to get into doing paid work. One of the first paid shoots I did was for my sister’s-friends-sibling's birthday. So I did things like birthday shoots or shoots for mutual friends. I simply asked around and took every opportunity I could get, which eventually got my name out.
With COVID-19, how did 2020 affect your photography and filmmaking?
In 2020, I feel like I fell off the wagon a bit with all of that stuff. Being a tough year for everyone, I found it hard to stay on top of things. Completing Year 12 also added a lot of pressure, so I definitely faced times where I wasn’t sure of what I was doing and lost confidence in my style and what I was creating, just because there was so much going on in the world and so much to worry about. So I didn’t get the chance to reach my potential or the intention of what I was making; I was a bit scattered and all over the place.
Has social media affected your work in any way, positive or negative?
Instagram has benefited me in terms of getting work and getting my name out. I’ve had a lot of clients find me or reach out to me through Instagram because it’s sort of my portfolio. Most of my close friends I have now, I found/met through Instagram, which is crazy to think about. I didn’t necessarily go to school with them, and some don’t even live in Adelaide. So yeah, Instagram has been massive for those connections, whether it’s friends or clients, paid or just to collaborate. Instagram also helps me find inspiration from other creators.
Some negatives about social media. Separate from photo and video, but the mental health aspects of people comparing their lives or their work to other people, which I think a lot of people deal with. Also, something I’m trying to work on at the moment is to create things for myself, not FOR Instagram. Just creating what I want, not creating what will get me the most engagement or followers or whatever. I feel like a lot of people create just for the platform, which negatively impacts the creator’s work because it’s not for themselves.
What motivates you to keep doing photography?
What motivates me is that I’m super passionate about photo and video, I just love creating and love all the possibilities with it. It's also a way for me to document my life - it’s funny, I kind of have a fear of not being able to remember my life, so being able to take photos and videos is a way to have those memories concreted, and I can look back on them. Otherwise, if I didn’t have photography or videography, I feel like I would forget so much of my life, and I wouldn’t be able to look back at everything I did. So it’s just that constant desire to document my life and express myself, that’s what keeps me going.
Where do you source your inspiration from, or who inspires you?
A lot of my inspiration I find from Instagram and Youtube, but also from what I experience in real life and the world around me. I get inspiration from looking at landscapes or paying attention to the world whether it’s like a patch of light, a certain scene, etc. I get a lot of inspiration from living. Also sources like books, movies, even just other formats of art. There’s inspiration anywhere you look because the world is full of creation and art.
What are your favourite thing/s to photograph, or what are you passionate about shooting?
The work I love shooting the most is the outdoor adventure and lifestyle kinda stuff. There’s just something about the outdoors and nature that attracts me. I also love portraits, especially if they're of family or friends, as well as building scenes. I also just love documenting adventures that I go on because I’m not only photographing them because it looks cool, but I’m also living them, so the photos are a representation of what I love doing the most (adventuring and travelling).
Just going back to portraits, why do you like them, and what power do they have?
For me, it’s just the ability to capture a person at a certain time. For example, if I photograph a friend, they’re obviously gonna look different in about 10-20 years. And how they look, their facial expression, what they’re wearing, etc can say so much about that moment in time which I think is really cool. Also if it’s someone important to me, that photo will hold so much value.
Portraits of Zane, Angus and Jack captured by Cam Liu
If you could photograph anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Ooh hmm. I would love to photograph Chris McCandless. There’s a movie about him called Into the Wild, but basically, he was this young guy in America whose parents had a messy and dodgy marriage, and he grew to be against society and all the materialism and stuff. So he left home and went on this adventure and lived on the road and in the wild, and the story about him sounds intense. But I think it would be cool to photograph him out in his element, in the wild and just really capture his emotion, his journey and the legacy he left behind.
Finally, do you have advice for young photographers trying to create similar work to yours?
My advice would be to just go do it. Go and create and practice, but do it for yourself, not for others or Instagram. I heard this quote from Samuel Elkins the other day, and it’s “you have to learn to love photography in its simplest form, and love it as it is before even thinking about making money from it”. So my advice would be to focus on creating as often as you can, and don’t be scared to experiment. Not everything you make will be amazing. Some days you're bound to take some shit photos, but at least you created, and are working that creative muscle. Don’t let anyone or anything hold you back from creating.
