Jenae Lien
Jenae Lien is an artist based in Los Angeles. She grew up overseas in Indonesia and Japan, and carries a B.A in Theatre Arts from LMU. Street photography is what inspired her to pursue photography as a career. At the moment, Jenae is focused on collaborating with other creatives to produce art pieces.
A Sit Down with Jenae Lien
Jenae Lien is a California-based photographer with an eye for finding enduring moments within the world of street photography. Growing up in Indonesia and Japan, Jenae carries a strong passion for people, culture, and street art.
“It’s fun to go out there and see what you capture because street photography is so unpredictable,” Jenae said. “It really requires alot of present moment thinking; to be there with your camera and almost let yourself become part of that moment.”
Jenae and her husband Matthew Nordman work together as photographers, often bouncing ideas off one another, or feeding off each other’s energy. A common misconception might be that photographers will always find the right photo or moment when they go out and shoot. That is often not the case, but it is one of the aspects that makes street art so rewarding.
“Sometimes we go out and come back with nothing,” Jenae said. “That’s another part about street photography that we really enjoy. There’s a grind behind it, and there’s this understanding that sometimes the photo gods aren’t working with you. Sometimes I don’t feel it, but I look over at Matthew and he is in his zone. It’s almost like an, ‘accountabilibuddy’.”
When viewing Jenae’s portfolio you will witness a variety of different scenes each with their own characters and originality; a body of work meticulously crafted, but spontaneously explored. Jenae’s photos convey a sense of nostalgia, even if the viewer is unfamiliar with that place in time. The unfamiliarity of street photography is what makes capturing that perfect moment, person, or place memorable.
“The dull moments make you appreciate the next time you go out and you’re on fire, and everything is working and people are coming in and out of frame at the right time,” she said. “Those moments are kind of what we look for, but it’s balanced by moments where there’s nothing going on.”
On the technical side, Jenae prefers shooting with Leica cameras after realizing she had a Leica M6 stored in her closet.
“My father’s friend gave me a Leica M6, which is a film camera. I was in college at the time, and I was taking film photography classes so he saw my interest and gifted me this camera. I had no idea at the time what that camera was, so I actually kept it in my closet for years. I didn’t mention I had this camera until I became interested in photography through Instagram. Matthew couldn’t believe it was a Leica M6. He said it’s one of the best cameras in the world; one of the best glasses and lens,” Jenae said.
She has since developed a fondness for Leica, appreciating the brand for its history and quality. “We make it a point to go to the Leica store in Los Angeles because one of our goals is to be apart of their gallery space,” Jenae said. “They have a beautiful gallery located on the second floor.”
Jenae is constantly exploring new ways to photograph, expanding her horizons whenever possible. She feels that the timelessness of a black and white image is unmatched.
“I started shooting more black and white just to understand composition,” she said. “But if you can get a good colored photo then that’s amazing. If I had to pick one or the other I’d choose black and white because it’s more in my realm. I’m trying to understand color better, it’s more of a practice for me.”
Speaking with Jenae Lien you will immediately notice her passion for art and appreciation for the subtle details in our everyday lives. Her photos reflect her unique and earnest perspective on human culture, with images gleaming with personality. She has a natural ability to capture the human emotion that many photographers simply cannot see.
If Jenae Lien could photography anyone now or go back in time to shoot any era or person, who would it be?
“Trump would definitely be my go to. I’m not really a fan of his political views, but I feel like his status and how he’s shaken the world in the past couple of years is tremendous. Just to be in his presence would be something amazing.”
“If I could go back in time I’d choose the Great Depression era. I feel it would be so beautiful to capture. My grandma grew up in that time and her friends would go fishing in the river just to get enough protein in the day, and the way they would save on things. I really feel like that would be a cool time to capture to signify how much we’ve really grown and developed with technology and it wasn’t even more than 100 years ago. That would be beautiful to replicate and translate in photography.”
“If I could bring someone back to photograph it would be Mother Teresa. I’d just want to follow her and ask her a million questions. She’s really inspired me to want to go to India and photograph.”
Jenae Lien is a California-based photographer with an eye for finding enduring moments within the world of street photography. Growing up in Indonesia and Japan, Jenae carries a strong passion for people, culture, and street art.
“It’s fun to go out there and see what you capture because street photography is so unpredictable,” Jenae said. “It really requires alot of present moment thinking; to be there with your camera and almost let yourself become part of that moment.”
Jenae and her husband Matthew Nordman work together as photographers, often bouncing ideas off one another, or feeding off each other’s energy. A common misconception might be that photographers will always find the right photo or moment when they go out and shoot. That is often not the case, but it is one of the aspects that makes street art so rewarding.
“Sometimes we go out and come back with nothing,” Jenae said. “That’s another part about street photography that we really enjoy. There’s a grind behind it, and there’s this understanding that sometimes the photo gods aren’t working with you. Sometimes I don’t feel it, but I look over at Matthew and he is in his zone. It’s almost like an, ‘accountabilibuddy’.”
When viewing Jenae’s portfolio you will witness a variety of different scenes each with their own characters and originality; a body of work meticulously crafted, but spontaneously explored. Jenae’s photos convey a sense of nostalgia, even if the viewer is unfamiliar with that place in time. The unfamiliarity of street photography is what makes capturing that perfect moment, person, or place memorable.
“The dull moments make you appreciate the next time you go out and you’re on fire, and everything is working and people are coming in and out of frame at the right time,” she said. “Those moments are kind of what we look for, but it’s balanced by moments where there’s nothing going on.”
On the technical side, Jenae prefers shooting with Leica cameras after realizing she had a Leica M6 stored in her closet.
“My father’s friend gave me a Leica M6, which is a film camera. I was in college at the time, and I was taking film photography classes so he saw my interest and gifted me this camera. I had no idea at the time what that camera was, so I actually kept it in my closet for years. I didn’t mention I had this camera until I became interested in photography through Instagram. Matthew couldn’t believe it was a Leica M6. He said it’s one of the best cameras in the world; one of the best glasses and lens,” Jenae said.
She has since developed a fondness for Leica, appreciating the brand for its history and quality. “We make it a point to go to the Leica store in Los Angeles because one of our goals is to be apart of their gallery space,” Jenae said. “They have a beautiful gallery located on the second floor.”
Jenae is constantly exploring new ways to photograph, expanding her horizons whenever possible. She feels that the timelessness of a black and white image is unmatched.
“I started shooting more black and white just to understand composition,” she said. “But if you can get a good colored photo then that’s amazing. If I had to pick one or the other I’d choose black and white because it’s more in my realm. I’m trying to understand color better, it’s more of a practice for me.”
Speaking with Jenae Lien you will immediately notice her passion for art and appreciation for the subtle details in our everyday lives. Her photos reflect her unique and earnest perspective on human culture, with images gleaming with personality. She has a natural ability to capture the human emotion that many photographers simply cannot see.
If Jenae Lien could photography anyone now or go back in time to shoot any era or person, who would it be?
“Trump would definitely be my go to. I’m not really a fan of his political views, but I feel like his status and how he’s shaken the world in the past couple of years is tremendous. Just to be in his presence would be something amazing.”
“If I could go back in time I’d choose the Great Depression era. I feel it would be so beautiful to capture. My grandma grew up in that time and her friends would go fishing in the river just to get enough protein in the day, and the way they would save on things. I really feel like that would be a cool time to capture to signify how much we’ve really grown and developed with technology and it wasn’t even more than 100 years ago. That would be beautiful to replicate and translate in photography.”
“If I could bring someone back to photograph it would be Mother Teresa. I’d just want to follow her and ask her a million questions. She’s really inspired me to want to go to India and photograph.”