Becky Yee

Early life

Born in New York, New York, on July 4, 1969, Yee is a third generation Chinese American. She has 1 older sister and 1 step brother, Noel Yee juggler, performer. Her family moved all over the New York area in her primary years and was a big influence on her photography as an adult. "When you move often, you learn to build relationships quickly and also learn how to move on from them, which is very similar to a shoot/set environment." says Yee. Her parents divorced and her father gained custody of the children when Yee was 12. Shortly thereafter he was in a life-threatening car accident and became a paraplegic. This strong and tall man would always see life differently and from a different viewpoint. He encouraged his children to be involved in martial arts of which his oldest daughter took advantage of, but Yee was more interested in ballet, but she ultimately got involved in Japanese Martial Arts and is a 4th degree blackbelt in Kendo and has been practicing and competing for over 20 years, winning tournaments in Tokyo as well as the East Coast Woman's Kendo Championship. She also developed her love of photography at an early age after steeling her sister's Mikey Mouse Camera. In high school, her father bought her a SLR camera and started to experiment and learn the ins and outs of photography.

Early Career/Japan

Yee went did her undergraduate degree in SUNY Buffalo and received her degree in Communications in 1991. After college she worked went to work for J. Walter Thompson as a production manager working on the team to launch Prozac. Upon leaving there, she went to work at Wilhelmina Models in handling the kids model search, as well as doing PR and Meeting Planning at... all giving her invaluable experience in planning and coordinating events which would prove invaluable as a photographer and in new project, Around Digital Media. Because of her love of Kendo and Japanese Culture, she went to Cornell University in 1996 and enrolled in their FALCon program (Full Year Asian Language Concentration) which is a 12-month immersion in Japanese, and received her certificate in 1997. The last quarter she moved to Japan and studied abroad at Hokkaido University in Sapporo and didn't come back to the US for 9 years. It was during this time that Yee decided to pursue her passion for photography. Acclaimed fashion photographer, Yoshihito Sasaguchi took her under his wing as his photo assistant and taught her about photography. He saw that she had an eye for it, but that she didn't know the ins and outs of photography so Yee credits him with teaching her to be the photographer she is today.

She has developed a style of photography that captures the Japanese concept of ura (backside) and omote (front side), and shows through her work the duplicitous private and public side to her subjects. As writer Jean Snow describes her exhibit at the Nakaochiai Gallery "Back to the Streets,” "Yee redirects attention to the shotengai by juxtaposing these fading communities with the youth culture and fashion found in the city’s major centers. The extreme difference between Ura and Omote, or the surface and what lies beneath, is what continues to influence much of her work. The mainstream of much of Japanese society contrasts with what she calls, “the city’s crazy underworld of culture and landscape.”". Additionally in 2005, Yee was selected for the prestigious 2005 Photo District News (PDN) Photo Annual for Corporate Design-Photo Products for the brand Prohibit's men's fashion catalog.

Becky Yee Photography

Upon moving back to New York in 2008, Yee has been busy with exhibitions and also reestablishing herself as a versatile photographer in her editorial, commercial and curated work. Her work was displayed at the 2008 Media Facades Festival in Berlin, Germany. She has worked with corporate clients such as designer Anna Sui to being featured in a Sony campaign for their new camera, the Alpha NEX7. One of the first exhibitions she released was "More Than A Woman" which was written up in the Village Voice as well as Art Forum. This was a controversial exhibition that chronicles a man in Tokyo, who proclaims to be the world's largest collector of "Dutch Wives" (Datchu-waifu) with over 70 anatomically correct, life-sized sex dolls. Yee continues to develop projects and exhibitions that utilize photography, video, music and other media to create unique images that show the provocative and vulnerable side of her subjects and topics.

Around Digital Media

Around Digital Media is a new venture from Yee, that focuses on commercial clients providing them a comprehensive collection of content to launch a new project. Working with a diverse creative team, the team comes up with visuals for all of their marketing and promotional needs. The concept is to shoot exclusive as well as shared content; video, photos, behind the scenes, interviews, graphics, advertising spots, and then create a 1-month, 3 month and/or 6 month roll out strategy to use these assets to maximize their marketing dollars.

Corporate Clients

Anna Sui, Isetan, Tumi Inc., Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, Piper Heidsieck Champagne, Sony, Sony Music, BMG Music, Victor Records, Wieden + Kennedy (Nike ID), J Walter Thompson, Hakuhodo, Dentsu, NHK, NAM, No Concept but Good Sense, Diesel (brand), Brooklyn Surfer, Prohibit, Over the 12, Westwood Outfitters.

2010-Current

2001-2009

Books/Publications/Periodicals

Periodicals

GQ Japan, GQ Germany, GQ Thailand, GQ Korea, Esquire Japan, Marie Claire Korea, Nylon, Nylon Japan, MTV Iggy, Menstyle.com, Condenast.com, Nerve.com, Elle.com, NME, Rolling Stone, YRB Magazine, PIG, Switch, Oceans, Neutral, H, Relax, Barfout, Eyescream, Pinky, Fiercieve, Seventeen, InStyle, Glamour Espagna, Marie Claire, Sydney Morning Herald Magazine, Zipper, 180, Croissant, etc.

Awards

Education