Notes from the Underground: A Talk with Photographer Sandy Ha

Photographers are typically at the forefront of culture, using their personal styles to create something unique and impactful. Sandy Ha, an Athens-based photographer, exemplifies this with her distinctive flair that has made her a notable figure in the hyperpop scene, a genre that celebrates individuality. From shooting Ericdoa to collaborating with the meme clothing brand 'wait im goated,' Ha has steadily built her reputation in this niche but ever-growing community. I sat down with Ha to discuss her personal style, hyperpop, and the importance of forming genuine relationships to foster growth as an artist.

[The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.]

Costen: Hello, Sandy, previously known as Starlight Sandy. Could you introduce yourself to those who may not be familiar with your game?

Ha: Okay. Well, hi. I'm Sandy Ha. I'm currently based in Athens. I was formerly Starlight Sandy because I made that username in middle school. But, a little bit about what I do: I mostly shoot my own creative concepts, and I also shoot shows, so like concerts with other music artists, and then I collab with a lot of musicians, so like cover art. I've also recently been getting into music videos and visualizers.

So, Sandy, how would you describe your style regarding your videography and photography? Where did your style begin?

So, my style has changed a lot. Honestly, I've more recently found my start in the past two years. I'm sure that going to more concerts and meeting new people has influenced my work. But my style, like in high school, was very catering to the people around me, and it was still fun, but it wasn't my thing. A lot of senior portraits and just using a lot of presets. But, now I try to use my own editing. I don't use filters or anything, or I try not to, but I do a more grungy style. I incorporate a lot of personal feelings or feelings that my friends have gone through.

So, with the Internet making inspiration readily available now, having your own personal style is more important than ever. But how do you take inspiration from other things you see and other work that's been done while also making something that's entirely authentically you?

I do think because, technically, everything's already been done before, it can be hard to stay genuine and original to yourself. If I take inspiration from someone, like their usage of props or something, I'll for sure credit them, but when they made their concept, they did it in their own way in terms of their situation and their creative thinking. So, I took that and applied it to 'What am I feeling right now? What am I going through? What are my friends going through in terms of the model in the picture? What kind of mood do they give off?' So, even if I use other people's work for inspiration, I apply it to my situation.

How would you describe your style in terms of clothing? Is it in line with the art you make?

I think, broadly speaking, it is in line with the art I make. I do want to get more into this certain fashion style that I like, but I just donate a lot of my clothes because it's just old stuff. I just dress comfortably. I don't dress super preppy, and a lot of my work is kind of darker or some of it's more moody. So, I guess it kind of makes sense.

And you said there's a style you want to get into; which style is that?

It's like Acubi style. A lot of archive fashion pieces. A lot of pieces that I can mix around and I can like keep wearing and it's not going to be too outdated. So, like, interestingly shaped tank tops, precisely cut jeans, specifically cut jeans, and a lot of layering and neutral colors. I mean, obviously a lot of Acubi fashion is fast fashion. But, I want pieces that I can wear for a long time and mix around with even if my style changes.

So many of the collaborations you do are in the hyperpop scene. Can you describe the hyperpop to the unfamiliar?

Well, first of all hyperpop I think first started blowing up in like 2019 to 2020; I would say the peak is like 2020, mainly because everyone was in quarantine, and all these artists were just making music, and we were just stuck at home. Hyperpop is a genre of music that's very unique and it incorporates a lot of like techno, distortion, a lot of bass and some popular artists. Now, they don't make hyperpop as much, but in quarantine, some of my favorite hyperpop artists were Glaive, Brakence, and Eric DOA, but they've branched out from hyperpop now.

Can you tell us about the current scene? 2019 wasn't really that long time a time ago, but everything just moves very quickly.

The scene does move really fast. It can range. A lot of people in that environment have started from hyperpop, like starting in 2020, like alternative indie. But now a lot of genres that are in it are underground rap, NY-style rap, Atlanta-style rap, and angst pop. So, not like mainstream pop, but more distorted or like anti-pop. It's like pop but more distorted and more alternative than just like, you know, Taylor Swift. Rap x pop, and then there's also indie and bedroom pop. I would say those people are still considered part of the scene. And then even some people that make, like, chill music, like bossa nova music It's pretty much everyone that just doesn't make mainstream pop now, which is pretty cool.

So, with that definition, would you lump in 2016 cloud rap music drain gang and sad boys?

So, I didn't know of drain gang until probably 2020, but I know they were super popular back then. Like that was the start and I do think there's a lot of that in the scene now. Especially like Acid Souljah and Luke Blovad, they've got back into that 2000s aesthetic. So very club, very SoundCloud, trap-like cloud rap. There's a lot of that in the scene.

So you've been able to shoot many artists within this scene, forming real relationships with different artists creating community. What are the beginning steps of forming these connections?

I feel like this is going to sound so corny, but just genuinely be yourself, because if you go and make friends and you're not yourself, that's just going to feel so horrible. Also, if you are putting up a front, it's probably eventually going to show at some point and then that's going to be a problem for not only yourself, but the friends you make. It sounds so corny, but it's true, like one be yourself, and then two, in the scene, networking is really just making friends. How I started was just following artists that I like, interacting with their work, complementing their work, and then just introducing myself and saying where I'm currently based or the area that I'm in. Honestly, a lot of it is just offering free work at first to collaborate. So, like, 'Hey, I'm Sandy, an Atlanta based, Athens based photographer. I'd love to shoot your show or like I'd love to collaborate with you.' Just making those connections. So just making friends, introducing yourself and asking them to work together in terms of photography like whatever art you're doing.

How has fostering these relationships influenced the art you make?

I feel like making all these types of friends in the scene have helped me find my style, not because they're necessarily tell me what to do or anything, but just because they are so welcoming and understanding of my art. I'm able to try and branch out and try new things. I wouldn't say they have like directly influenced my art. I would say working with them and just going on trips with them, I'm able to branch out and do things I haven't done before.

Let's talk about 'wait im goated.' What was it like working with 'wait im goated?' How did that come to be?

Okay, so honestly, I can't remember exactly how I found them, but they are really prevalent in the scene. Just because they make funny clothing and stuff relating to like, music production and stuff like that. But I remember that they had sent pieces to one of my friends, Dorian and I just [direct messaged] the account one day and I was like, 'I'd love to collab' and they were really nice. They were just like, 'Let's do it.' They're super down to earth and chill. I wasn't sure if it was exactly going to happen. But yeah, I just asked them and they're really popular in the music scene and also pop picture and like meme culture.

So you have your own visual style that you have to adhere to, but when you're working with the brand, they also have their own vision. Was there a balance you had to juggle, with your vision and theirs?

Yeah, so, the person behind 'wait im goated' is Star Child Guard. They just go by Star, but Star already really liked my style to begin with, which helps a lot because if you're working with a brand there should be some sort of like balance there already, just so you're not completely catering to them and they still like your work just as you are. So, with Star, he did like my work to begin with, and so I kind of just set my work as I normally would, and then he kind of made some adjustments or asked like, 'Oh, could we try like cooler tones?' or like, 'What about if we did this?' So, it was kind of just a mix of me giving him work just how I normally would do it.

So, all musical genres have their own unique scenes. How does this genre hyper pop treat self-expression or clothing or mentality in general?

I would say in general the underground is very welcoming towards expression. There's some people that just don't dress crazy and like, that's completely fine. There’re some people that shave their heads and wear makeup, like very nontraditional things. So, I feel like overall, the artists in the scene don't care. Do whatever you want that makes you feel comfortable if you think this feels good to you or like if it helps you be more creative, do it. I will say some of the fans or like the audience can be a little judgmental sometimes, but I mean, that's just anywhere.

One thing I do really admire about hyperpop is that there's some other genres in there. Everybody seems to have their own unique look, but you can still kind of discern what genre they belong to, which I feel is something that's pretty unique to the genre.

Yeah, I feel like you can tell. I feel like people made jokes like 'Oh, he definitely listens to Glaive' or like 'He definitely listens to Yung Lean,' which is that alternative, kind of grungy style. But at the same time, even within that, there's people that dress like 2000s or some people that dress like in modern streetwear, but still everyone has their own unique styles.

What would you like to say to inspire the youth?

Most of my friends that are artists make music or even do photography. It's like a whole process; everyone kind of starts from the bottom up. I know a lot of people don't have resources to everything, but like, in terms of money, you can find a really cheap point-and-shoot [camera]. Or you can thrift a camera. It doesn't have to be like a super fancy DSLR or even your phone. And, in terms of time, I know like I'm very privileged; I go to work and school and my parents helped me, but also my schedule does get really packed. Just like prioritizing: if you want to do something creative, make time for it, even if it means waking up like two hours early before class to go take pictures outside or staying up an extra hour to go meet with a friend after work or something. Making time to pursue what you actually want to do because those little things, those little interactions really add up and I think that's helped me a lot with the nights that I've stayed up editing or the nights that I've emailed managers asking to shoot their shows and stuff like that.

Thank you very much, Sandy for speaking with me.

Of course. Thank you for having me.

Notes from the Underground: A Talk with Photographer Sandy Ha

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