Artist Biography
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, I’m a collector of odd and surreal moments.
My interest in the unusual can be traced back to the late 1990s/early 2000s. Back then, I was an electronic dance music DJ and produced tracks, specializing in fusing disparate genres of obscure futuristic beats. Too many loud nights took their toll—ear damage forced a change. I bought a camera and started taking photos of otherworldly coastal scenes. That same ethos of the strange and surreal that fueled my music now fuels my street photography.
Although my first forays of taking photos of people in the city can be traced back to 2013, it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that I finally dedicated myself to capturing candid moments of everyday life.
Street photography has been my religion ever since. Still no word on what holidays we celebrate. Lots of walking meditation, though.
I’m also a founding member of the Candid City Street Photography Collective.
When I’m not taking pictures, I put my master's degree in education to work as a community college counselor.
Artist Statement
All my photographs are of purely candid moments that I chanced upon. Nothing is staged; only standard darkroom practices are used in my post-processing.
When I’m out on the street, my mindset combines looking for the out-of-the-ordinary with having a blank mindset. By clearing my mind and being fully attuned to my surroundings, I’m more open to the photographic potential of what I encounter. When I finally find a moment, my approach becomes purely about aesthetics, respecting the people I photograph, and being as unobtrusive as possible. At this point in the process, the actual meaning of the photo is an afterthought. Still, somehow, my personality manages to seep into these images.
On the face of it, these photographs are an ode to the charm of everyday life and remind us that the strangers around us have lives and histories as complicated and nuanced as our own. Yet, the photos go beyond documentation and somehow become representations of the ideas I’m contemplating and the issues I struggle with. The themes that emerge are the wondrousness and absurdity of our existence and humanity’s inability to see beyond our own selves as we struggle toward a more evolved and mature multicultural society.
Curriculum Vitae
Abbreviated
Press
2024 L’arte della fotografia di strada di Tony Van Le, Objects. Magazine, by Andrea Ebbi
2024 Street Photographer Tony Van Le Captures Beauty in Brevity, Colossal, by Jackie Andres
2023 Into the Unknown, One Photo Blog Post, Leica Fotografie Gallery (LFI)
Awards and Honors
2024 Surreality, Best Series Finalist, Exibart, Italy
2024 CatchLight x Fotofest: West Coast Review Sessions, Selected Photographer, San Francisco, CA
2024 Into the Unknown, Single Image Finalist, DSPF, Ireland
2023 The Chosen, Shortlist (Street) Booooooom Photo Awards
2022 Interdependence, Finalist, Urban Book Award, Urban Photo Awards (jury president, Susan Meiselas)
Affiliations
2023 Candid City Street Photography Collective (founding member)
Group Exhibitions (w/ personal gallery)
2023 The series, Surreality, Trieste Photo Days, Trieste, Italy
2023 The series, Surreality, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy
2023 Candid City, Foreign Lens Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Print Publications
2023 The series, Surreality, appears in the book, URBAN unveils the city and its secrets - vol. 9
2023 The series, Surreality, appears in All About Photo Magazine Issue #36: Street
2023 Candid City, limited-edition zine published by the Candid City Street Photography Collective
Online Publications
2023 Strings of Hope, Street Photography selection, Leica Fotografie International (LFI) Gallery
2023 Lingering Shadows of Disparity, Leica Master Shots, LFI Gallery
2023 Into the Unknown, Leica Master Shots, LFI Gallery