Neuman: How did you get started in photography?
Ou: When I was younger, my goal was to be in advertising. I started off as an art director at an advertising agency. At one point, I art directed a photo shoot. I became friends with the photographer and was like, “What? You get paid how much, to have this much fun and to do all this?” It was then the bug bit me. I started to learn photography by myself and then made a huge leap of faith, quit my job and enrolled at the Art Center College of Design when I was 25. I grew up rather internationally, as my family moved around quite a bit. My childhood saw me in places like Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, America and Europe, but I eventually fell in love with Los Angeles. And fast forward 15 years, I’m now living my dream in California.

Neuman: Could you please describe your camera gear that you use, including lighting systems and lenses, and which ones you use mostly for portrait photography?
Ou: I use Hasselblad and Mamiya digital systems with Kodak and PhaseOne Digital Backs. I still use my Canon 1DS Mark II for my DSLR setups. For my lighting setups, I use the Hensel Studiotechnik Porty System as I usually shoot on location. I love the dynamic look of wide angle lenses and use them very frequently.

Neuman: Which lens and what camera do you use for portrait photography most often?
Ou: I love the Canon 1DS Mark II with the 16-35mm 2.8L lens, my next favorite would be the Canon 50mm 1.2.

Neuman: Where did you learn lighting, and how do you decide which lighting gear and what angles and number of lights to use for portraits?
Ou: I learned all the basics and techniques at the Art Center College of Design. But immediately after graduating I threw all that out of the window. I re-learned everything by trial and error. I have also assisted several photographers and I can say that my lighting is definitely a hybrid of everyone’s style. I look at paintings and illustration for inspiration. The most important thing is to keep an open mind and keep playing and experimenting with your lighting.

Neuman: How do you decide how to compose your shot? For example, close up or farther away, and what angle to compose it at?
Ou: I used to shoot primarily with my 4x5, and I had to take time to compose every shot. There was no such thing as a snap shot on a large format camera, and that definitely trained my eye for composition. So moving over to digital, my mind and eyes know when I have the shot. It’s more of a feeling than a trained scientific fact.

Neuman: When shooting portraits, how often do you have to coach the model to strike a certain pose?
Ou: With different subjects you have to coach them in different ways. Some of the talents I work with have been posing for cameras for a long time, so they are more natural. With the younger celebrities, I definitely have to guide them a little bit more.

Neuman: What are some of your favorite portrait photo shoots?
Ou: My favorite shoots have been with 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown and Daddy Yankee. Being such big entertainers, I assumed that there would be a huge ego. But the shoot caught me by surprise; the celebrities were responsive and were genuinely interested in the photo shoot. That collaboration and connection produced stronger images.

Neuman: Finally, could you describe how you “capture” a person’s “essence” or “feel” by taking a portrait of them? Your work seems to bring out a certain personality and “look” that has a certain style. What considerations do you take in order to create a certain look or mood?
Ou: I’ve read that a portrait shows more about the photographer than it does the subject. And at times, I tend to agree. As a photographer, I direct and set up an image based on a rough guideline I have in my mind. During the shoot, you just “know” when you get that killer frame. It’s mainly how the photographer connects with the subject. Each photographer connects differently with their subjects, so we each produce our own images.