From UBC to fashion photography: Cassidy Chen finds her focus

This article is republished from The Ubyssey with permission. Read the original article. 

As I scrolled through photographer Cassidy Chen’s portfolio, I immediately found myself drawn to how she captures femininity. Even though she plays into a sense of softness—light colours, playful backdrops, flowing silhouettes—there’s something intense and intentional about how her models carry themselves. “It's their connection to my camera, my lens,” Chen said, describing her style as “emotive.” she takes the energy her model brings and runs with it.

Chen graduated from UBC in the spring of 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film studies and creative writing. Photography wasn’t necessarily a key facet of her program, but she gives some credit to her time here for having taught her about tangentially relevant areas like film history and audience perceptions of media.

Midway through her degree, she set off for France, where she landed one of her biggest photography opportunities to date: Paris Fashion Week. There, she collaborated with London-based designer Feng Chen Wang, whose clothing is known for tailored silhouettes and elements of Chinese culture. She captured a little bit of everything, from behind-the-scenes footage to product images. She also worked as a photographer at the London and Milan fashion weeks around the same time, shooting shows for names like Paul Costelloe and Pam Hogg. Since coming back to Canada, Chen has been working with Lululemon and other Vancouver brands.

In 2024, Chen was named on the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards NewGen List, which recognizes young people in creative industries who are worth keeping an eye on. Her most recent achievement, however, is a spot on the Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 List.

“I remember growing up and looking at the Forbes [30] Under 30 List, and being like, ‘Wow, these people are so inspirational, and they're all such go-getters,’” she told me. She recounted a 3 a.m. washroom trip that was interrupted by a sudden urge to check the list, only to find her name on it. “[It’s] crazy to wrap my head around.”

This year, there were 20 different categories, ranging from science to games to education. Chen appeared in the Art and Style category—she’s dabbled in plenty of areas within her medium, but fashion photography is her home turf. Chen grew up wearing princess dresses and playing with Barbies and American Girl dolls. She cultivated an early interest in fashion, specifically how clothes could be used to tell stories.

Her aunt and uncle are photographers, so when Chen was a kid, they would go on family vacations and snap shots along the way. Her passion only blossomed from there. In Grade Nine, Chen took a photography class, where she found one of her biggest supporters in her teacher, Mr. Sharma. “He saw that I was super passionate about it and really supported me through that process.” When the pandemic forced people online during her last year of high school, she took the opportunity to get outside and take photos with her friends—they’d head to a park in her hometown of Richmond and shoot from over six feet apart using a zoom lens. This was around the time she began posting her work more frequently on social media, and people were starting to take notice.

Even as a kid, Chen says she was somewhat of an entrepreneur. It’s what has allowed her to make a name for herself in a creative industry—one that’s extremely hard to break into, and even harder to succeed in. She used to sell her creations, like bracelets and other little crafts, to her family; this, albeit unintentionally, gave her the foundations of a business-oriented mindset. Photography had only really been a hobby until a couple of girls reached out to Chen after having seen photos she posted on Instagram, wondering if they could commission her to do a photoshoot with them. That’s when her dream started to feel more attainable: taking photos could become much more than just a side gig.

“My brain is more [geared] towards art direction, photography, and the creative side of things,” Chen said. However, she emphasized that trying to understand some of the logistical aspects of a career in the arts is essential; a major factor in her success is that she started working when she was quite young, so she’s had time to make mistakes, then learn from them. She’s not afraid to reach out to other people for guidance. “Chatting with people who maybe aren't necessarily photographers, but are in the business world—[I] see value in that as well.”

The creative world demands a lot of a person, and being an artist is often precarious. Chen realizes this, noting she’s grateful her family has supported her in choosing a rather unconventional life path. Her philosophy is to “be vulnerable and be uncomfortable, because that's how you're going [to] get further with your career.”

It’s worked so far. At 23, Chen is just getting started. “It's cool to be acknowledged for your work, especially as an artist…. It's the way that I view the world and the way that I see things, and to feel appreciated in that aspect [is] just incredible,” she said.

“It's never about the title—it's about the art itself,” Chen told me when I asked if there’s an award or honour that will make her feel like she’s truly “made it.” She pitches a few dreams for her future: working with Sandy Liang and Danielle Guizio, maybe shooting for Vogue someday. For her, the end goal of photography will always be to create beautiful things. “I don't know if there will ever be a time where I'll be like, ‘Wow, I made it’…. But I think those moments of being on set and just bouncing creative ideas with other artists back and forth—that is the most fulfilling part about my job.”