November 2018 Local Spotlight: Loi Tan Vo

November 2018 is our first local spotlight. We want to show you normal people here in Utah who follow their dreams. We hope these posts inspire you to do the same.

Loi Tan Vo took the photo below. He is talented Utah photographer. His specialties are astrophotography, landscapes, and couples. He tries to encapsulate a fleeting moment in time into something that you can keep forever. He loves to get outside to take photographs all over Utah. If you see him out shooting, his face is lit up like a child on Christmas morning. To see more of his work go to his Instagram page @loivophoto.

**Image quality has been reduced for the website. Please click on the image to download the full quality.

"This photo is about 20 photos stitched together in a panorama. With every photo taken for this shot, I was so excited to see the back of the camera. I had a smile on my face the whole time." - Loi Vo

The Start:

Loi Vo enjoys the entire process from shooting to editing. After every session, he would be "mind blown" by his improvements and what he created. He followed the common but underutilized advice to turn your passion into a business and began professional photography 3 years ago. He likes the creative freedom and the ability to give a one-of-a-kind image to someone that they will cherish for years to come. Encapsulating the moment can be powerful for both the photographer and the client.

About Loi:

His family moved from Vietnam when he was very young with only the the clothes on their backs. They didn't know English. Growing up, his life had some stark contrasts to his peers. He felt his upbringing made him grateful and humble. He met his Jen, his wife (shown in the photo on the right), in the sixth grade. He thought she was beautiful and perfect, but she didn't know he existed until three years later. Now they have two kids Boston and Beckett. Boston was born when Loi was first beginning to explore photography more seriously, so Loi decided to photograph every milestone for his son leaving him with priceless photos and fueling his passion. When Loi isn't taking photos or listening to metal music, he is with his family. He is "selfless, loving and compassionate," says Jen, and it seems obvious to me that she's very right. They are the center of his world. He loves taking them on adventures in his truck, fixed up with cozy truck-camping accommodations (including some added design changes for Jen's height).

Some advice for aspiring photographers:

While it sounds simple, the best advice to become a better photographer is to take photos. A lot of people give up or take breaks when they feel discouraged, but the best thing is to keep going out and shooting. Everyone will learn at different paces, but every shoot will add new skills to your toolkit.

Loi is fantastic. We are so thankful for his friendship and the amazing photos he's taken for us over the last year. Because of him, we have these amazingly gorgeous photos that we are complimented on constantly. More importantly, they capture memories that make me so happy whenever I see them.