Photographer Rex Yu has always favored the timeless over the trendy, and his dynamics-inspired portfolio has “vintage” written all over it. 

The magic of photography lies in the millisecond between the clicks of a shutter. The candid twitch of a model's hand or a sought after flashing of emotion in the model’s eyes can make the difference between another pretty picture and the photograph that forges a connection to the viewer. Fine arts photographer, Rex Yu, has reminded us of this once again with his delightfully melancholy collection, Colored Emotions. Favoring the timeless over the trendy this series draws not from a specific era, but from a specific scenario — a woman neglected by her husband, left at home with her face on for no one to behold.

Examining Yu’s work is like taking a drag off someone else’s cigarette. There is an intimacy there, a shared moment of calm amidst the chaos. In Colored Emotion, the viewer meets a woman in limbo, sharing with her a few seconds of recognition. The collection progresses chronologically, following its subject over a few hours as she deals with her abandonment. With each photograph, her anxiety grows, folding into apathy as the night comes. A few glasses of wine and a phone call later and she is angry, raging at the man who has discarded her once again. She glances at the camera defiantly as if to say, “What? Something you want to say?”. She knows she has been stood up. For a moment she stews in her hurt, wandering the house and swapping outfits just for something to do like a bored teenager on a rainy day. The night is wasting away and her husband is still not home. Finally, her shoes and her inhibitions abandoned, she lets go.

Her cigarette burning out on a coffee table, she dances by herself to the music of an old radio. There is joy in her movements, fleeting but potent. It is a small moment of victory in the losing battle that has become her life. Colored Emotions tells a story that is neither long nor extraordinary, but it is breathtaking all the same. The viewer is given a small window in which they can glance at another life. A task difficult to achieve by the capturing party, but a task Yu embraces as his passion for photography. It is difficult not to look at the decor, the ambiance, the pastel wash, without feeling some level of awe and envy. A beautiful woman stands amongst beautiful things, and her misery is made even more potent by the backdrop. As she goes about her night, covering up and baring herself at random, the viewer is taken from the kitchen to the living room to the foyer, each room more beautiful than the next. Somehow though, despite the loud wallpaper and opulent props, the focus never strays from the woman; her whirlwind of emotions demands to be seen.

Rex Yu has been candid about his desire to connect people through his works. Passion as his driving force, Yu says he “never wants to look back at my work and feel like I was just doing it to put out content. I want to create with intention.” As a creator, he strives to connect his audience and his fellows with his art. Admitting that his motives were not entirely selfless, “There’s a level of trust you build quickly with those who understand your works and your ideas that is so intoxicating.” Inspired by emotion and driven to create a momentary escape to those in search of one, “I want the viewers to see me and my ideas in my work and become moved. Granted that’s a bit egotistical,” smirks the photographer as he continues, “but I think the expression of the soul’s need to create should be celebrated and my purpose is to inspire others to do the same.”

“There’s a level of trust you build quickly with those who understand your works and your ideas that is so intoxicating.”

Not just for his many viewers, Yu desires to create art that moves him as well: “If you do not resonate with your work, who will right?” In an industry-linked so closely with digital platforms to showcase the ingenuity, he views social media as a tool, “like a hammer. I think social media is great to connect with like-minded people that are inspiring to you and that you look up to. I think we live in an age of infinite possibilities now and it’s one of the greatest times to be alive and to be able to instantly connect, collaborate, and inspire so quickly with each other. The content and inspiration people are putting out is overwhelming, to say the least. Some of it is very ‘formulaic’ which can be the downside of it. Just like a pop song, people tend to gravitate to things that work, which creates a lack of originality. However, taking inspiration and making it your own and providing your voice is what’s important,” says Yu.

He further moves to advise potential protégés to “not do it for the money. Do it because you are innately compelled to.” Now that his beautifully shattered socialite has been delivered to the world in this evocative series, what is next for Yu? “I’m interested in shooting more male models and larger projects involving Asian and African American models. I have some interesting concepts I want to explore.” His famous last words? “Be kinder and more empathetic to one another. We all have our issues, but do not forget that everyone also has theirs.”