Photography Alumna Heather Sten featured in Dot Magazine
Photography and Imaging alumna Heather Sten at home in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn in NYC
Since moving to NYC in 2014, a few months after graduating from ArtCenter, freelance photographer and alumna Heather Sten (BFA 13 Photography and Imaging) has photographed a diverse group of celebrities, filmmakers, musicians, actors, artists and executives including Spike Lee (wrapped in an American flag), Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish, Stormy Daniels, Neko Case and Glenn Close for outlets such as the The New York Times, Time, Vice, Out and Google, and for fashion clients such as Steven Alan.
Sten’s mom, who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam and raised Sten as a single parent, wanted her to be a doctor. Taking photos since she was 14, Sten instead decided to go in a creative direction, diving into photography at ArtCenter. Inspired by instructors Mary Trunk and Jona Frank, whose work ranges from portrait photos to films, Sten created a visual diary about her grandma, who had Alzheimer's. It became her series Con Chau. An internship with fashion and advertising photography duo Juco (Julia Galdo and Cody Cloud) motivated her to pursue freelancing.