September 9, 2020

Meet Stephanie Vu

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Vu.

Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I think a common struggle that many people deal with is, “will my parents approve?”, “will I make enough money that will make them happy?”, “will I be successful?” Being a creative is still something I think my parents grapple with but I hope that as I keep pursuing my passion, giving something my entire focus, that they will see to be truly successful in life is to be happy doing what you love. The more time I spent bettering my craft, I learned that you CAN make a career out of a passion.

However, I think I only TRULY realized this going the more conventional route – I’m Stephanie Vu, a commercial photographer, and here is a little bit of my story. As I was going into college, I naively thought photography was just a hobby, not a career, nor would my parents really respect that as a title so I chose marketing as my major thinking it was the closest thing to being creative that would also allow me to find a commendable job. While in college, the photography bug never left me, as I was taking classes, doing various internships, and working as a server I would take whatever time I had left to build my portfolio. I would reach out to modeling agencies, meet makeup artists and stylists through friends and put together shoots. When I made money as a photographer on the side, that’s when the seed started being planted that maybe, one day, I could make something of this but was still fearful.

After I graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2018, I began my marketing, 9 to 5 career, and surprisingly enough entered into the foodie scene, not fashion as I thought I was. I landed a job at a restaurant and food brand marketing/production agency creating content for brands like Tapatio and Pop Chips. After a year there, I moved onto a new role as a digital marketing coordinator at a public relations agency that worked with some top LA restaurants at the time. I loved helping build brands and seeing them grow but agency life was time-consuming and stressful. I was so drained, I stopped shooting for almost a year, and felt creatively depleted because I was creating for other brands and not for myself. Photography was always at the back of my mind and October of 2019 is when I took the leap!

I began my freelancing career, never looked back, and have not regretted it one bit! I enjoyed working with restaurants but my real passion was fashion and beauty, now I could really pursue those brands I’ve always dreamed of working with. It was definitely scary at first but as the months passed, I slowly learned better ways to optimize. I couldn’t have done it without surrounding myself with other entrepreneurs and self-employed creatives that graciously handed me referrals, jobs, and endless advice. If you are on the fence about freelancing, you can always count on me as a contact, my DM and email are always open! Let’s all support and uplift one another (:

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! Photography is fun but at the end of day, you have to wear all the hats as an accountant, marketer, and assistant. Finding time to shoot campaigns, find new clients, refresh your portfolio, do your finances, while client interfacing constantly has me blurring the lines between the weekdays and weekends but as they say, “when you love what you do, it’s really rewarding!” What I struggle with is adjusting to this new lifestyle of not having a boss and the fear of not having work so I end up taking on more than I can chew, but what the freelancing has taught me is saying no doesn’t mean you lose work. It means you have more time to work on things like marketing yourself, testing new lighting setups, and learning new skills that will get you closer to the bigger projects and brands you want to work with. It’s all about balance, as with most things, and you can’t be better if you don’t find time for yourself, your mental health, and expanding your knowledge.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Stephanie Vu Photography – what should we know?
What I want to be known for is helping brands grow through captivating visuals, with a focus on beauty, fashion, wellness, and skincare brands. I love working with big and little companies to find their voice and capture an audience through my content. Along the way, I figured out to tailor my services to fit their needs offering photography for websites, social media, product, lifestyle, and short-form/long-form videos. My main focus has always been photography but exploring a new medium in video has been extremely fun and another service I want to provide for my clients. I’m a self-taught photographer, videographer, editor, retoucher, always sharpening and expanding my skills.

What sets me apart from others is my focus on product and lifestyle photography and videography that makes me a one-stop-shop for brands. I can shoot and retouch photos with models in studio and on location, come up with interesting lighting setups to make your physical products look great for the consumer, and shoot and edit videos.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Yes, of course! I want to thank my boyfriend who has been the biggest supporter and teacher, as I dived into my freelancing career he saw the start of it. Having a more intensive business background and mindest he has taught me a lot!

To my fellow photographers and creative friends who always answered my technical questions. To the clients who have also become my friends that have given me jobs and business advice through the years. I couldn’t have done it without you all!

What I want to say to other freelancers is never stop asking questions, making friends, being nice to everyone, putting yourself out there, and treat everyone how you want to be treated. Keep learning and passing on knowledge. I would say about 90% of my jobs come from referrals, you’ll never know who you will meet or what will happen!

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.