Capturing the Movement: Interview with Amy Tierney

My childhood in Los Angeles bestowed me with a unique privilege. I lived in a city full of diversity, passion, and vibrance. It seemed like Los Angeles was alive in a way that most cities were not. As a kid, I could feel the very fabric of my home pulsating with the energy of aspiring artists. For many of us, Los Angeles was a world full of opportunity. 

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As I was browsing through Los Angeles-based photographer Amy Tierney’s website, I found myself particularly drawn to her “My L.A.” portrait series. “My L.A.” beautifully captures the qualities of Los Angeles that I love most. The series includes over thirty photographs of various people standing in their favorite Los Angeles spots. One subject is wearing a flowy green dress, balancing on a swing set by the Santa Monica Pier. Another is kayaking down the Los Angeles River. A third is sitting in a multicolored pool float on a rooftop, with palm trees and wooden telephone poles in the background. Each person is smiling, full of energy and character. They seem to be saying: “This is my city. Let me show you why I love it.” 

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Like all of Tierney’s work, this project has a clear intended message. It is an homage to the diversity and passion that I have found to be unique to Los Angeles. It expertly captures the joy and pride painted across each subject’s face. It is evident that each of Tierney’s photographs require deep thought and consideration. They aim to spread a message, to share a story, and to encourage all viewers to see the world in a new way. 

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Last week, I had the privilege to speak with Tierney about her body of work. She began her career as a celebrity event staff photographer for Lee Salem Photography and later opened her own business. Her work has appeared in notable publications such as Vanity Fair, LA Times, People, Rolling Stone, and NY Times Magazine. Apart from “My L.A.,” she has worked on various other projects to bring more attention to climate and female focused stories. In 2006, she collaborated with Step Up Women’s Network on “Photojournalism for Girls… The I Dream To Project,” a program that ran for five years and aimed to empower underserved young women. While speaking with Tierney, I was fascinated by her use of photography to inspire real and meaningful change. Her work is a testament to the immense power that exists in art. 

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T: What motivated you to pursue a career in photography?

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A: What motivated me to pursue a career in photography was the ability to be on the other side of the camera. My degree was in cinematography and writing. My first job coming out of college was for a cinema completion bond company, which does insurance for big feature films. That was all about strategizing and coordinating, but I knew I wanted to get behind the camera again. I started talking to friends of mine who had been involved in cinematography specifically at USC. I said: ‘I’m interested in this, so please always keep me in mind.’ That’s something I pass on to young people all of the time. Whatever sort of work you want to do, talk to people your age who are doing those same things and tell them you’re interested. Tell them you’re interested and you already know some skills, and they will keep you in mind. That was the case. I told a friend and work colleague of mine that I was interested in photography even though I was working at the film completion bond company. I also told her I had taken a lot of photography classes in college and some in high school. She kept me in mind and introduced me to a friend of hers who was working as a photographer. It so happened that there came a time when they needed another person in that photo studio. He said: ‘Are you still interested? I can have you come in and talk to my boss.’ For me, the inspiration was that I always loved images. When I was a kid, it was one of the main ways I could express myself—by drawing things and painting things and sometimes taking some photos. It wasn’t until high school when an art teacher taught photography that I got to learn. Then, the real transition to photography becoming a professional practice for me happened when I was introduced to photographer Lee Salem and his studio. It was here in Los Angeles and I met with him. His specialty was photographing events. He was photographing events all over the city—events for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Opera. He was also photographing events for what’s now known as the Paley Center, but used to be called the Museum of Television and Radio back in the day. There were all sorts of people that were actresses and actors, but also directors and producers going there. It gave me the opportunity to be around those people whom I wanted to work with, but also to learn how to work a camera. Photographing events and portraits for a variety of clients around Los Angeles find-tuned my skills. I had learned some in college, but until you’re working on the job every day, you don’t really learn what it takes to do it. And then, you have to deliver. 

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T: I know you mentioned that you worked in Los Angeles. I am originally from L.A., and I was really drawn to your “My L.A.” portrait series. Could you explain that series? What motivated you to get involved in that work? What do you hope people will think about when they see it? 

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A: I wanted a personal project. I was being hired to photograph events and to photograph certain people. When you’re photographing events, you don’t really get the opportunity for people to tell you their story or show you what about Los Angeles for them is so attractive and dynamic and exciting for them specifically. You just get very small moments at a specific event. I wanted a little more extended time with people and the chance to light the photographs in a way that would show color really well and allow a reduced load of lights on set. You can photograph things and have to bring in a lot of lights to do the job, or you can bring in just one or two lights and still get dynamic results. That was one of the challenges for myself: What can I do to bring in just one light source, in this case just one strobe light, and whatever the ambient light was? That’s what inspired me to do it. I’m glad that you asked about it because I’ve actually been thinking about starting up the series again. I haven’t been actively doing it for a while. Now that COVID is kind of behind us, I was thinking about starting to take some of those portraits again. I am sure that people are excited to be in some of the spaces that they love in Los Angeles that they haven’t been able to be in for the last couple of years. 

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T: I was also really interested in your climate-focused stories. Can you tell me a little bit about that project and your inspiration for it? 

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A: This world is under some immense pressure to drop its reliance on fossil fuels. We have to be good stewards of the earth. That was something that was passed down to me even as a kid. Growing up, there was a forest directly behind where my parents lived in the state of Wisconsin. That’s where they still live. As a kid, in fifth or sixth grade, I had a course called Outdoor Education. It literally taught us everything about the flora and fauna in that area. Now, with these projects, I want to bring as much messaging and stories around the fact that we, as a species, really need to help one another. It’s a very challenging time. I think that the more messaging we can do, the more we can get people to stop thinking ‘Oh, it’ll be fine.’ It won’t be fine unless we actively take steps to change things. 

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One of the organizations that I partnered with for a few years before the pandemic is the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is located across the United States. In Rhode Island, you could become a member if you are interested in preserving and protecting the ocean and beaches. They have a couple of different initiatives. The one I worked on is called Ocean Friendly Restaurants. In that case, I did some photography, but I also did some video interviews of restaurant owners. Surfrider would come in before me and show the restaurant owners certain things they could do to be more ocean friendly. They would ask the owners where their trash went. They would actually educate the owners and suggest resources of where, for example, they could purchase paper straws versus plastic straws. There were also suggestions on how to more effectively light their restaurants. You can use LEDs that are more beneficial and won’t draw as much electricity. I also did a campaign called Long Live the Beach. I photographed a bunch of female surfers. I photographed a personal project that I continually work on called Sea-ing Double. That project is a way to show what is already there at the ocean and think about how things might be a little different if we weren’t making an effort as the human race to save those places. I just want to work with people—be they advocates or politicians or local community members—who are doing things to help the climate. I want to help.  

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T: Wow, that is cool. I love learning about how artists work and what stories they want to pursue. I had never really considered art in high school, but I have started considering double concentrating in the History of Art and Architecture. I just love art so much. It’s so cool to me. 

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A: Wow, that’s a great comment actually. It’s making me think about how I’m currently teaching a photojournalism and design course. In terms of history, we’re studying what any artist does to shine light on what is happening presently for them. It makes a mark. It reminds people of what they can do to help. 

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T: I was wondering if you could also expand on “Photojournalism for Girls… The I Dream To Project.” What do you want young girls to get out of the program? 

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A: The project was partnered with Step Up Women’s Network. Step Up Women’s Network networks professional women. They hold events so women of all stripes who are doing all sorts of things get to be resourceful for one another. When any one of us talks to one another and gets to know one another, we’re supporting each other. I wanted to bring this skill to young women. To know that whatever sort of connection you want to make or whatever sort of work you actually want to do, the first skill is to be confident enough to step up to someone. You can say even the simplest thing: ‘I like your shirt. I see it has the Los Angeles City Soccer Team on it. I’m interested in doing advertising work for a soccer team.’ Just have that conversation. I wanted to give young girls the confidence they needed to have whatever conversation they wanted to have. I do it through photography because photography, for me, was the ice breaker. I’ve told this to all of my students. I was the girl who, even if I was sitting at the front of the classroom, was still quiet. I would maybe give the answers because I liked being engaged and learning things, but I was incredibly shy talking to people I didn’t know. The camera and taking pictures was my tool to get me to be able to talk to people. You have to approach people. As a professional photographer, it can be valuable to take the time to step up to someone and say: ‘Hi, I’m here. I would love to take a photograph of you.’ If you have the confidence to do that, it opens up all sorts of conversations and messaging. In exchange, people will give you their time and their image.   

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T: During my time at the Brown Art Review, I have only ever spoken with architects. Architecture is a very unique field because you really need to have a lot of resources and a lot of experience to get involved. But photography is so much more accessible to people. How do you think that non-professional artists can use photography to spread a message or share their stores?

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A: I like to remind even non-professionals that the word “photograph” means two things. “Photo” and “graph.” It means: a map of light. If someone is taking a photograph, they should think about what that word actually means. Think about how light is sharing that story. Is the light map that you’re making fun and friendly and bright because there’s a lot of light on it? Or, is it half in shadow and half in light? What does that say about the photograph you’re taking and sharing on your social media channels? Or, if it’s completely in shadow and we can only see a spotlight behind somebody’s head. What sort of photograph are you taking? What sort of emotions and moods and messages are you really sharing? The skill built into a photograph is light. Every photograph is made of light. It’s important to really know and think about what light is, how it affects the photograph, and how it affects the viewer. 

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T: I always like to ask artists about their favorite moment in their careers. Do you have a most rewarding moment or your favorite story that you would like to share?

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A: I can tell one of the stories that I often tell because it brings together two things that I love. One of the most dynamic parts of my career was when I was assigned to photograph backstage at the NAACP Image Awards. I had been photographing events backstage for several years at that point. It was the early 2000s. But what was great about being there was the fact that Step Up Women’s Network, who I had heard about, was there. I knew that they existed. I had seen some photographs from other events they had had. And I saw on the byline that most of the photographers who had gone were guys. I thought, well, who are the assignment editors? Won’t they put a woman out to photograph for Step Up Women’s Network? So Step Up Women’s Network was backstage doing what all of the people backstage were doing—talking about their organization and brand. When someone came offstage with their award, they would go around the room and talk to those people. So at that event I got to do what I like to do. I went around and photographed people who like to be photographed. Actors and actresses like to be photographed. They’re familiar with the exchange. It’s a very satisfying exchange for photographers. Actors like to be photographed. I like to photograph. Then, the other satisfying thing was when I said: ‘Step Up Women’s Network! You’re here? I’ve been wanting to get to meet you.’ And they said: ‘Well, we’re happy to talk. Not only that, but we have had a photography program going and we’re interested in doing new things. Are you interested in talking to us?’ I couldn’t have been more thrilled. It set off what was many many years of a very fruitful and wonderful relationship.  

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T: What advice would you give to undergraduate students hoping to pursue a career in photography? Are there any important skills or experiences that are relevant at the undergraduate degree? 

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A: One of the things I did for several years was volunteer locally for my local photo guild: ASMP [American Society of Media Photographers]. Then, I worked nationally as one of their National Board Directors. Currently, I am volunteering on the host committee for The Las Fotos Project’s “The Foto Awards.” There’s so many different things an undergrad can do. If you’re going to run your own business, teach yourself how to bring a team together to do marketing. That is key. You, as a lone photographer, never have enough time to do as much marketing as you need to do. Editing. Really make certain that you know how to use the most current applications being used at an online magazine or advertising agency or brand. If you’re going to be their in-house photographer, also make sure that you know how to edit for an effective story. You can go out and take photographs, but you also need to know how to put those photographs together really well to tell a larger story about an organization or brand. 

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If you’re thinking about working as a commercial photographer, you should definitely make the time to work for 3 different, 5 different commercial photographers doing the specific kind of photography you think you want to do. You can get that perspective on what it takes to practically do the job. When you’re on the job, there’s other pressures because you have a full crew there with you. You have your digital tech there. You may have an assistant director there with you. You have producers on the site. You have a lot of different people there. If you’re just starting, you can put your own teams together. That’s great and you should, but you should also go on a couple of different shoots so you can really see how different people do it. Then you can say: ‘Ok, yeah, I like what they’re doing and how they’re doing it’ or ‘That doesn’t really fit with how I would do things.’ Then, you can fine-tune your approach to working.