Yoshino

Photo Podcast Special Projects

About

Portraits

I’ll never forget the day I decided to become a photographer. I was 20 years old, a sophomore at CSULB, living in a party house in Huntington Beach, California. After a long night of excessive drinking, I found myself standing in the kitchen with my roommate, Matt. I stared at the sink, piled high with dirty dishes covered in vomit.

I don’t remember puking. Maybe it was that obnoxious guy from the night before...

“You know what I could do to make money?” I said glancing at Matt, making sure he was paying attention. He nodded for me to continue while eating cereal directly from the box.

“I could move to Hollywood and take people’s headshots! Actors always need new photos. Don’t they?”

“Yeah! That’s a great idea!” He exclaimed with cereal spewing out of his mouth.

“Okay, so this is how I’ll start…” I began, but to be honest, I had no idea what I was talking about. In fact, I had no real intention of starting a headshot business. All I knew was I had a passion and I needed to pursue it.

After that day, I began recruiting friends and strangers on campus. I quickly found myself obsessed with the documentation and observation of others. Photography gave my life meaning in ways other creative ventures hadn’t.

Over the years, my playful college experiment has evolved into a lifelong pursuit. It’s my form of poetry, a gateway to understanding myself and the human condition. Through the lens, I capture not just images but emotions, stories, and memories. I now see art beyond the superficial and pretentious. It’s no longer an idea residing in abstraction. Art has become my religion—it’s my god, guiding my every thought and action.

I love the Spanish word “fugaz,” which means fleeting. It was introduced to me through a woman I was seeing while living in Mexico. It's the ephemeral nature of these interactions that make these moments special. They are “momentos fugaces,” fleeting moments that are forever immortalized through an image. Each one of these photos contains a wonderful energy. They speak of connection and an appreciation of a time now passed. I will always remember the essence of the days I spent with these people. My wish is that you may see a part of yourself in these images and come to realize that, inherently, we are all the same.

Aaron Paul

Evan Peters

Lil Peep

Ethel Cain

James Franco

Raymond Lee

Hollis Heichemer

Jesse Draxler

Elliot Sellers

Justin Daashuur Hopkins

King Woman

Joseph Morgan

Mitch Horowitz

Sean Pablo

Kit Dale

Aaron Westerberg

Kate Zambrano

Sean Cheetham

Christine Yuan

Lihui Ke

James and Cosmo Mountford

Erin Murray

Mary Grisey

Vivian Chan

Lorenzo Edwards

Damian Dragon

Lorenzo Edwards

Ben Jones

Travis Mills

Wiz Khalifa

Lovers in Brasil

Colu

Sofia