An Interview with Jimmy Yeh of CameraShyInLA
In addition to his role as Chief Doctor at a hospital, Mr. Yeh is passionate about capturing special moments in people's lives, having dedicated hundreds of hours to photography, photo editing, and offering general photography assistance to those around him. Join us as we explore his journey through photography, family life, and the meaningful moments that shape his work.
Q: Please share your children's ages, classrooms, and the years they attended/are attending Arborland.
Our daughter Allie is 5 and half years old and is currently in the primary program. She has been at Arborland since 2021.
Q: From your perspective and based on Allie's personality, what do you think her future career might look like?
I think she'll be leader of the free world or a lawyer or a fierce negotiator. Although right now she wants to be a singer.
Q: Are there any events or programs your family particularly enjoys participating in with Allie at Arborland?
We love everything, from seeing Allie and her classmates perform at the recitals and International Culture Day, to spending time in her class volunteering, to all of her after-school activities.
Q: Reflecting on Allie’s time at the school, what has been the most rewarding aspect for you as a parent?
It’s been rewarding watching her grow and develop friendships, along with the connections we’ve made with Allie’s classmates’ parents. She has such a wonderful, nice and supportive environment with her teachers (including Ms. Currey, Ms. Jardon and Ms. Sayra) and all of the staff, from everyone who greets her in the morning, to everyone who looks after her during the day, to all of her after-school teachers.
As Mr. Yeh celebrates family life, it’s clear that these cherished moments sparked his passion for photography. Discover how CameraShyInLA came to be below.
Q: What inspired you to become a photographer, can you describe your journey into becoming one?
Growing up, I always had a camera with me, and I liked to document what my friends and family were up to. Around 2005, I had friends who had gotten engaged and needed some photos quickly, so that was my first gig as a photographer. Afterwards, I took on whatever people asked for, whether it was portraits, social events, weddings, birthday parties, or headshots. As time has gone on, I’ve scaled back to primarily focus on portraiture, but I still do occasional events. I used to read every photography magazine I could get my hands on from Barnes and Noble, but nowadays I learn things primarily from YouTube and my photography friends.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a photographer?
Trying to find balance between the time needed to photograph and spending time with my family. I think a lot of photographers are now worried about the existential threat of generative artificial intelligence to their business.
Q: Can you share a memorable project or assignment you’ve worked on?
This is a long story, but it was sort of an intersection between medicine and photography. I was in training, I got paged to see a young woman in the emergency department with newly diagnosed acute leukemia. We treated her and she went into remission pretty quickly, but got seriously sick from the chemotherapy, to the point where she was completely unresponsive and her brain totally shut down. Little by little she regained function, but it was a really long course, and I remember at night hearing her screaming frequently. After several months, she got well enough to be able to leave the hospital. The night before she left, I rounded up some of my karaoke-loving friends who worked in the hospital, and I brought my guitar, and we gathered by her bedside to sing some songs for her. A couple weeks later her family invited me to celebrate her birthday at their house, and I photographed the event and gave photos to her parents as a gift.
Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting in photography?
You can learn a lot from YouTube. And it’s helpful to practice with someone who has more experience – it’s a really fast way to learn. People often ask me what camera to get, and for a beginner I don’t think it matters what you shoot with as much as how, so getting a lesson on the basics is a great investment in time.
Q: How has photography changed your perspective on life or the world around you?
I’ve been able to photograph events that I wouldn’t have otherwise been invited to, including fundraisers, galas, memorials, and connected with a variety of people in Southern California beyond my usual sphere of people, whether in the arts, business, or entertainment.
Q: Do you find any similarities between your profession as a doctor vs your profession as a photographer?
They’re pretty different. It’s been nice to have something artistic to do which is a departure from what I do at work. I also photograph a lot of the healthcare workers at my hospital, which has been a nice and different way to connect with the staff outside of the usual medical stuff what we do.
Q: Can you share more information about CameraShyInLA or is there anything you would love the audience to know that you have not already shared?
I could not do what I do in medicine and photography without the support of my family.
For stunning photos and to connect with Mr. Yeh, please visit his social media platforms for more details.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerashyinla/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camerashyinla Website: https://camerashyinla.smugmug.com/
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