Reader Photo: Dwell in the space

When 22-year-old Kevin Mao picks up his camera, his eyes almost immediately see graphically and in shapes. His pictures are undoubtedly stylized and thought out with deep influences in architecture.

Mao got into photography when he got an iPhone and began to discover other photographers on Instagram three years ago. The app has opened a source of newfound friendships and experiences which basically nailed the essence of social media.

This image of his friend Jaclyn was made during an InstaMeet - a meet-up of like-minded visual creatives getting together to make pictures to post on their respective Instagram feeds, during a jaunt to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. The group was invited by the museum and Niche, a social media agency, to capture and explore the spaces during closed hours.

Mao visualized this photo and created this expansive perspective that feels pensive, obscure, uncertain, with a slight dose of longing. His placement of his subject is done so that she becomes a prop that leads you into the rest of the composition. It’s hard not to dwell in the space of this photograph. The pastel tones create another layer that gives a delicate, almost tactile experience.

As Mao hones his stills as an interactive designer, his hobby of photography continues to play an active role in training his visual creativity. This photograph was made using an iphone 5s.

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Each week, we’re featuring photos of Southern California and California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or tag your photos with #socalmoments or #californiamoments on Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Twitter or visit latimes.com/socalmoments for more on this photo series.