Conversations with Randy Vu

Hi Randy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Everything was just a happy accident. It started with offering a photoshoot to a friend as a gift, and from then on I just kept trying new ideas, new people, and new places. It was never intended to be taken seriously, I just enjoyed making my friends look good, and seeing them happy made me happy. To put it simply, it was a series of events that happened one after another, and I just never said no to any of it.

I always wanted to explore new areas, whether it was the craft, the ideas, or even the places; I now had a medium to express myself with. Before I knew it, I absolutely fell in love with Photography, and as I became more emotionally and mentally mature, so did my intentions with photography. As I poured more time and effort into my craft, I wanted to truly express my emotional side more with the goal to tell powerful stories.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not, not even by a long shot. Some of the struggles that I encountered along the way were simply a result of my environment. In my local community when I first began, my peers made everything a competition, when all I wanted to do was take a photo and go “whoa.” As time progressed and learning various techniques and professional etiquette, I began noticing that photography as a whole would not be properly valued in the area that I grew up in. It was once I decided to fully commit to my craft and trying to be as genuine with my intentions as possible, did things turn around. People can tell when you’re not ~truly~ passionate, but when all you have is simply love for it, it’ll show.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been practicing photography and Videography for about five years now. What I feel like I’m most known for is my fashion photography work, however, in the present, a lot of my focus and concentration has slightly shifted towards videography and I have no complaints there. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I try my best to capture people of color and aiming for better representation. What sets me apart from others is whenever I do a cultural project, my biggest priority is to be as historically and culturally accurate as possible. Culture is truly one of the greatest blessings to mankind and with diversity, it is important to be truly represented as who YOU are.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory revolves around my mom! One night, she stopped by Walmart on the way home from work and surprised me with a Power Rangers toy (Go go Power Rangers!!) before heading into her room to ask my dad a question.

Contact Info:

• Email: therandyvu@gmail.com
• Website: therandyvu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therandyvu/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRandyVu