Zatista.com.au The Artist Behind the Camera: Viet Ha Tran

The Artist Behind the Camera: Viet Ha Tran

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22Jan

Acclaimed fine-art photographer Viet Ha Tran lives in Madrid, Spain, where she is a member of the Royal Spanish Photographic Society. She is known best for her emotion-evoking photography featuring women, landscapes and nature. Her extensive travels around the world have led her to develop an internationally-inspired art style that is uniquely her own.

Exploring the Artist’s Background

The Soul of Vietnam backstage - Viet Ha Tran

Tran originally began her exploration of photography on the other side of the camera. In 2009, she began working as a model for a photographer friend, eventually going on to model for photographers from all over Spain. Her interest grew, and after taking a photography course, she began taking her first professional photographs in 2013.

From 2013 to 2020, she worked on hundreds of photo shoots, developing her personal artistic theme of portraits of women. Her style of portraiture is known for its ethereal quality, combining fashion with art for a photography style that resembles a painting. When the pandemic changed everything, her focus shifted towards her interest in sustainability and her artistic style shifted towards a greater focus on landscapes and nature.

The Process Behind the Art

A typical day for Tran starts in the morning. She shares: “I like creating new works in the morning when my mind is fresh and when the sunlight enters my window. It’s a wonderful feeling to enjoy a morning coffee, warm sunlight and start creating, my creativity just flows naturally!” She works in her art studio, creating her artwork either by painting or creating her photographic art in front of the computer.

Her photographic artwork is a mixture of photographs, painting textures and digital techniques. Her photographs are used as the raw materials to create works of art that are inspired by qualities she loves in paintings — such as the use of light by Old Masters like Rubens and Rembrandt, and the colors featured by Pre-Raphaelite painters.

Artistic Expression and Influence

When asked what drives her artistic expression, Tran shares the heavy influence of her travels to over 50 countries across the globe. Her strong interest in cultures of the world like India, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey influences her art. She often listens to their music while she creates, infusing her landscape photographs from each country with color and vibrancy.

Photography is one of Tran’s mediums of choice because of how it can evoke a specific feeling. “What draws me to photography specifically is that taking photos feels like painting your feelings visually. Photography has such a unique ability of immortalizing that one moment in time that will disappear forever, hence it possesses the rare beauty of eternity and infinity.”

Success and Evolution

When asked how she defines success, Tran explains that her definition of success as an artist has changed over time. In the beginning of her artistic journey, success for her was having her work published by art curators or journalists in newspapers or magazines. Over time, she’s grown to view success differently: “Nowadays, it means a great deal to me when art collectors write me kind and encouraging words such as “Thank you Viet Ha, it’s a very beautiful artwork, it really gives us a positive energy with bright and vibrant colors, in opposite of the darkness around the world.””

Tran’s preferred subject matter has been evolving as well. Her current focus is on landscapes with the hope of promoting sustainability and capturing the natural beauty of the world for future generations. She’s also turned more to painting, finding abstract paintings as a great way to express her emotions on canvas.