Tyler Chan
The subject matter of this project is myself. All these photos are based on my life. In this series, I wanted to represent the different feelings I've observed in my daily life, especially during a school year. Many portraits are taken of myself as I wanted to really show my genuine expressions. I feel solo, like nobody in my town looks the way I look. Sometimes I feel like I’m going through it alone. I want to show the routines a teenager like me follows - going to school, working a job, visiting my grandparents on the weekends. The same worries I carry with me all the time. With the same schedule daily, I begin to question myself on how I use my time. I have other things to tend to outside of homework. I need to start eating healthier. I need to go visit my grandmother at the retirement home. I have to perform well on my report card. Even though you don’t want to get out of bed in the early morning, even if your legs hurt, you always have to get up and brush your teeth. We all have a routine to follow.
Tyler Chan is a photographer from Montclair, New Jersey. He began photographing his surroundings at age fifteen in classrooms, focusing on truthful stories of suburban teenagers in high school. His work consists of candid portraiture and documentary style. Currently, Tyler works on creating books, designing album covers, and shooting food photography for restaurants in Miami and New Jersey. His photography training began at the International Center of Photography with the Teen Academy Imagemakers program. He will attend Willem de Kooning Academie in Rotterdam, Netherlands beginning Summer 2021.