Step into the award-winning photographer's lush world as she shares her artistic inspiration, favorite Optics effects, and more.
Lillian Liu is a Canadian photographer and visual artist who uses Boris FX Optics to enhance her fantasy portraiture with cinematic lighting elements and rich colors. Her client list includes Adobe, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. Her work has been exhibited in galleries such as the Surrey Art Gallery, Haven Gallery, and Place des Arts, among others. She is also the recipient of numerous accolades, including a WPPI Grand Award, the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, and a FAPA award. Follow her on Instagram.
How did you first get into photography?
I had the misconception that photography would be easier than painting, and I was sad I didn't have time to develop my painting skills traditionally! That’s when I picked up a camera. From there, I started a trajectory of nature and macro images, and then into portraiture.
Your photos are highly cinematic, with an affinity towards the fantastical and royalty. Where do you draw creative inspiration from?
I draw a lot of inspiration from film and game stills, old paintings, digital artists, and historical references! Colour palette is especially vital for me, as it holds a lot of story and thought. I often find myself observing colour and toning in media when I consume other works. I remember coming home from the cinema and immediately trying to digitize a palette from memory to use as future inspiration, and being a kid with my nose always in a book.
When coming up with concepts, which comes first? Model? Designer? Backgrounds and locations?
For me, the designer usually comes first! I then find faces to match whatever pieces I have available, and then the rest follows suit. I don’t particularly have a formula I stick with.
If the budget were limitless, what would your ultimate shoot look like?
My ultimate shoot would be at a beautiful historical location, with animals and a good amount of custom couture to bring original characters to life! Ideally, I'd create a series of characters from my imagination, each with their own unique sets/costumes. On top of that, I would collect lighting like it was a candy store, and mess around with as many setups as I could manage.
What type of photo editing/manipulation tasks do you look to a plugin like Optics to help with? Do you use Optics only in Photoshop? Lightroom? Standalone?
I use Optics in Photoshop. I love the program for final light, colour tweaks, and light hacks! The control it gives me is spectacular as I cycle through varying ideas. I like it for the options it gives me to brainstorm through, as well as for digital effects not produced in-camera. It’s the perfect icing — and cherry on top — for strong existing image backbones.
Which Optics effects do you like most — and why?
My favourite effects are the lens flares! They give enough control to not look superimposed, and are a wonderful way to give an image further depth. I also like how deeply customizable they are. I also love the prism filters and ripple elements that help me create pieces that look more like fantastical game renderings.
Before learning Optics, how did you create effects like glows and lens flares? Have you used other photo plugins?
Before Optics, I used layers and different curves layers to create glows and flares, or I painted directly on top of an image! At times, I used physical items like lens filters, too. I also tried another plugin as well (ONIRIC). Sometimes, glow can be physical, like a bright hair light or actual backlighting, to help create a mystical atmosphere.
If you could have only one Optics effect, which would it be — and why?
I would choose the EZ Mask because it cuts my masking time by more than half!
What are your top 3 reasons why photographers like yourself should use Optics?
I love the library of creativity where you can brainstorm ideas in a non-damaging way, and also how you can try a lot of new things that you didn’t necessarily think of! I also like how everything is fully customizable so you can tweak premade elements to fit any situation. The degree of control you have at the adjustment level is what is very attractive about Optics.
What’s your best pro tip to artists new to Optics?
Take your time to understand the interface and to just play and experiment. The UI can have a lot of information and be daunting, but once you understand the flow of the program, you’ll soon be able to realize what functions are your favourite and work much faster to take advantage of what Optics does best…and that is to cut down on your editing time.
What’s your favorite project or image you’ve ever worked on — and why?
I have a lot of favourites, but a special memory is one of my first photoshoots ever, featuring a school friend as a model (taken during lunch break). The photos weren't technically proficient at the time, but the feeling, intention, and excitement behind them were very pure and very positive. I think we sometimes lose this feeling as perfectionists, and we should find it in ourselves to remember!
