[b]SCHOOL

About Charlie Mai

When I was growing up, I could not possibly have imagined the passions that interest me today weren’t the same ones I had back in the day.

I am a son of refugees, who individually fled their homeland of Vietnam in the mid-1970s to escape the scourge of communism. With only the clothes on their back and hopes of a better life for themselves, they came upon this great land known as the United States. Any red-blooded American knows the concept of “The American Dream” – for them, it was a better alternative to a possibly dreary fate. It is from those humble beginnings I’ve developed a sense of humility and a deep appreciation for the simple things in life.

How’d I get into photography? Well, every photographer has that one moment in their life that inspired them to get into it. Mine took place back in 2003 at my friend Nikki’s wedding. You know how when you haven’t seen people in years and then you suddenly get together and have such a great time that you don’t want it to end? Well, in those moments when people were taking out their cameras (I didn’t even own a camera at that time) and snapping away, a spark went off in my head. It was not long after that day that I acquired my first camera, albeit a Nikon Coolpix 4300 point-and-shoot, but the seed had been planted and a journey had begun…

There’s something truly indescribable to me about being behind the lens and sharing what I see of the world thru my photographs – whether it be joy, laughter or any other emotions that come about. Being entrusted by those in front of my lens to document what for them is a moment in their lives… there is no greater honor for me as a photographer. I love what I do, and I approach it with the utmost sincerity and responsibility.

While the memories of the places, events and even stages of our lives fade little by little with the passage of time, photographs provide that perfect link to the past, allowing us to preserve each moment in its purest form… and to re-visit them wherever, whenever.