Tony Van Le

Curriculum Vitae

Mentorships & Professional Training

  • Nikos Economopoulos (Magnum photographer) — ongoing mentorship; two cycles: 8-month (2024–2025) and 6-month (2025–present)
  • Forrest Walker — 6-month one-on-one mentorship (2022)
  • Magnum Photobook Seminar (2022)
  • Portfolio Review, Brian Lloyd Duckett (2021)
  • Two-month one-on-one mentorship, Steve Simon (2020)
  • Online Critique, Ibarionex Perello (2020)
  • How to Develop a Photobook — Self Publish, Be Happy (2020)
  • Portfolio Review, Aaron Berger — Street Photo San Francisco (2019)

Awards and Honors

  • Falling Out of the Sky — Finalist, Brussels Street Photography Festival, Brussels, Belgium (2025)
  • Bulldog, Bench, Bird — Semi-Finalist, Pure Street Photography Grant (2025)
  • Skater, Bus, and Puddle — Honorable Mention (Street Photography), World Master of Photography Awards (2025)
  • Urbanism — Finalist (Top 3), Urban Book Award, Urban Photo Awards (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 (2024)
  • The Chosen — Shortlist (Street), Booooooom Photo Awards (2023)
  • Surrealization — Series (Street Culture) Honorable Mention, Paris International Street Photo Awards, France (2023)
  • Falling Out of the Sky — Singles Finalist, Livorno Photo Meeting, Italy (2023)
  • Into the Unknown — Finalist, KAAF Photo Contest (2023)
  • Selected Photographer (Projects + Portfolio Section), Urban Photo Awards (2023)
  • Surreality — Series Finalist, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy (2023)
  • Into the Unknown — Singles Finalist, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy (2023)
  • Interdependence — Finalist, Urban Book Award, Urban Photo Awards (jury president: Susan Meiselas) (2022)
  • The Great Experiment — Semi-Finalist, Urban Book Award, Urban Photo Awards (jury president: Alex Webb) (2020)

Exhibitions

  • Surreality, Trieste Photo Days — personal gallery within group show, Trieste, Italy (2023)
  • Surreality, Pisa Street Photo International Festival — personal gallery within group show, Italy (2023)
  • Candid City, Foreign Lens Gallery — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2023)
  • Consumable Absurdity, Gallery-O-Rama — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2024)
  • Wedding Menu and Falling Out of the Sky, Brussels Street Photography Festival — two works exhibited, Belgium (2025)
  • Falling Out of the Sky, Street Badass Photography Festival — one work exhibited, London, England (2025)
  • The Future of Our Future, Tarot: The Art of Prognostication, Gallery-O-Rama — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2023)
  • Into the Unknown, Trieste Photo Days — group exhibition, Trieste, Italy (2023)
  • Into the Unknown, Pisa Street Photo International Festival — group exhibition, Italy (2023)
  • Politics: Not for Polite Conversation, Gallery-O-Rama — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2023)
  • Tableaux: Scenes and Stories, 1920-O-Rama — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2023)
  • Defining Images, Photoworks SF — group exhibition, San Francisco, CA (2023)

Publications and Features

Press & Online Features

  • Photographer Snaps Coincidental Moments In Public And Here Are His 27 Best Shots, Bored Panda (2025)
  • Featured Artist: Tony Le, Fraction Magazine, Issue #176 (2024)
  • Fourth Exibart Street Contest — Discover the Finalists: Tony Le, Exibart Street Photography Magazine (2024)
  • L’arte della fotografia di strada di Tony Van Le, Objects. Magazine (Andrea Ebbi) (2024)
  • Street Photographer Tony Van Le Captures Beauty in Brevity, Colossal (Jackie Andres) (2024)
  • “Strings of Hope,” LFI Gallery — Street Photography selection (2023)
  • “Lingering Shadows of Disparity,” All About Photo Magazine — Honorable Mention, Issue #36: Street (2023)
  • “Lingering Shadows of Disparity,” LFI Gallery — Leica Master Shots (2023)
  • “Into the Unknown,” LFI Gallery — Leica Master Shots (2023)
  • “Into the Unknown,” Leica Fotografie International (LFI) — one-photo blog post (2023)

Print Publications

  • URBAN unveils the city and its secrets — Vol. 10: “Into the Unknown” (2024)
  • Candid City — limited-edition zine, Candid City Street Photography Collective (2024)
  • URBAN unveils the city and its secrets — Vol. 9: “Surreality” (2023)
  • All About Photo Magazine — Issue #36: Street — “Surreality” series feature (2023)
  • Candid City — limited-edition zine, Candid City Street Photography Collective (2023)
  • Urban Imagery — limited-edition zine, Urban Imagery Street Photography Collective (2023)
  • Annual Review — limited-edition book, Street Snappers Collective (2021)
  • Docu Book Vol. 31 — Best of Documentary and Street Photography, Docu Magazine (2023)

Affiliations

  • Candid City Street Photography Collective — Founding Member (2023–2024)

Education

  • M.A., Education (Counseling), San José State University, San José, CA (2011)
  • B.S., Business (Management), San José State University, San José, CA (2001)

Long-Term Project

  • Convergence (San Francisco, New York City, London)