Professionals like Jiayi Liang see truth and potential. These factors are perhaps the most motivating in all our lives. There is simply “what is” and “what we want it to be.” This can apply to yourself, others, the world, nearly anything in your life. Being able to relate this to others with a single image is a powerful skill, one which Ms. Liang continues to display her mastery of. There’s far more talent and psychology to creating the ideal image than there is fancy lenses and filters (regardless of what social media might want you to believe).
From fashion products to naturally grand vistas to collaboration with the other arts, Jiayi has utilized her ability to the benefit of an eclectic array of clients. She epitomizes modern day success as a professional photographer and videographer. Always balancing the commercial quality of a project with the artistic side of it in order to achieve balance, Ms. Liang can be found in the torrent that is New York Fashion Week (which she covers for VRAI Magazine) or in the vast open spaces of the American countryside. Like any artist, her career is grounded in the ability to find the emotional quality of any subject.
When you think of eyewear, it’s likely as a utilitarian concept. When Suki Eyewear and Mott & Bayard Eyewear both approached Liang to create video and photo content for their companies, it was with the intention that she manifest the inverse of mere practicality in the manner that she is known for. The desire was to bring a relaxed gracefulness tinted with a tone of romance which would communicate a deep emotional relationship to potential customers.
Jiayi’s creations were released on the website, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media of these companies as well as featured on billboards in cities like New York and others. These major metropolitan locations are vastly different than the locations Ms. Liang visited as a photographer/videographer for the travel company Caveler, INC. which combined travel and social interaction. With destinations to over thirty states in America, Jiayi chronicled customers interacting with experts who led them on itineraries that provided the highest-end travel experiences.
The experience was personally impactful for Ms. Liang who relates, “I met great people during traveling, met dangerous times, met great times. I felt it was the best experience so far in my life. During the journey, it broadened my mind and expanded my knowledge of people and things, it impacted my photography and videography style and inspired me a lot.” In fact, she was so inspired that upon the completion of her tenure with Caveler, Jiayi began embarking on trips focused on landscape/documentary photography.
This resulted in a series of her own photography exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. Confirming that her love of travel feeds her creative soul, these journeys have led to Ms. Liang’s reception of awards from the Farener travel film contest and the inclusion of a series of her photos in the American Worldwide Chinese Photographic Art Exhibition photo book.
When the American Composers Orchestra contacted her to photograph a number of their most prestigious events, Jiayi considered it an opportunity to reconnect with her roots. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Musicology from China’s premier music school The Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Jiayi pivoted to photography. Firmly believing in the community of artists, she was excited to use her camera to “record” music for this esteemed organization.
Hearkening back to the idea of “what is” and “what we want it to be”, the common element of Jiayi Liang’s work is the thread of connection that allows us all to see what ties us together with others. This concept is fueling a future project for Ms. Liang who states, “I’ve been wanting to shoot a series about how people lived during the pandemic. I hope to make a continuous series about this sometime in the future. I can interview, take photos, and videos of different people. I think it would be deeply interesting and meaningful for so many people.”
Writer: Arlen Gann