Angelina Yu, a.k.a.Aina, is a photographer currently based in Sydney while studying at the University of Sydney. Originally from the Philippines, she began her photography journey at the age of 14, creating self-portraits at home and photographing her siblings. In 2025, she expanded her practice into film photography.
While photography is currently a passion project, Aina hopes to grow it into something much bigger. Her greatest source of inspiration is her family and the idea of home. Much of her work features members of her family, particularly her brothers, who have become both a constant presence in her images and her enduring muses.
1. What are you currently working on, and what feels most exciting about it right now?
I’m currently working on a collection of college/university students & their rooms. What excites me the most is meeting new people and the stories behind each photograph I take. I just started this project in March and have currently taken about 17 rooms. Each person that I have met was either completely new to me or have only known them by mutual friends. Each photograph I have taken takes me about the whole day or whole afternoon and it’s because we share life stories, talk about similarities, passions, hobbies, and the future. Its interesting to hear different backgrounds and see how their personalities reflect their rooms.
2. What has inspired your current project the most?
I stumbled upon two photographers, Julian Germain & Hana Shimodate. Julian Germain is a photographer who photographed different classrooms across 19 countries through the span of 10 years. The photos consisted of the classrooms & students staring directly at the camera. I thought that his projects confronts the viewer to think about the of the youth & the future they hold, how the old world shapes the new, and how different lives are lived globally.
Hana Shimodate is a a photographer who photographs girl rooms, aiming to photograph 100 women & their rooms around the world. I thought of this as a very cute and fun way to capture a moment some may not think are so important. It reveals the depth and differences each person has.
3. What surprised you most about the people you’ve photographed so far?
I think we’re all similar in a sense that our life has just started but the uncertainty makes it scary, and the pressure to be doing something “great” rushes us. Many young people are conscious about age, some think 23 is old already, and some think 17 or 18 is embarrassingly young. I think that had to be the topic I noticed most when learning about each person. We take age too seriously.
4. What makes someone feel like they are a part of this series?
The experience of being photographed and sharing their stories. I think the conversation we have is the biggest part of this project, and getting to know one another a bit more deeply, and the struggles and joy we all share as students.
5. What usually happens first—the photograph, or the conversation, or do they naturally happen together?
I would say they both happen together, but usually, I like to spark up a conversation first to loosen the tension of being photographed. Sometimes, I talk too much, and don’t make use of the daylight, but that’s the fun in it.
6. What has the process of making this project looked like behind the scenes?
It’s not too complicated. It just came up from an idea and inspirations of photographers and then I started taking photographs of my friends. Then eventually their friends are reaching out to me or I’m reaching out to them. It really came together through word of mouth, and especially social media.
7. How do you create a space where people feel comfortable sharing something so personal?
At first, it may be pretty awkward, especially if I’m meeting the person for the first time, but I have found it to be helpful to explain the project, my goals, and who I am as a person. I know it may be intimidating to have a random person come into your room with such a big camera staring at you, and so being able to show them my work flow, and talking about my project in depth helps a lot more.
Since I’m caring such a heavy camera, especially an old film camera (Bronica zenza s2a), people get shocked when I pull it out. I usually let them hold it, see what im seeing, and let them wind it to get the experience of a photographer. It helps them to see my point of view.
8. How has the first draft idea shaped your final decision? Any challenges?
My first draft was just an idea of how I can lay these photographs out since my ultimate goal is to create a photobook when i decide my project is done. Additionally, I ask each person to write down their details such as their name and age, where theyre from, and what degree theyre currently in. My first draft, i knew I wanted to also record videos & ask everyone the same question but I couldn’t decide what to ask. So the first few people I photographed, i asked them spontaneous questions I thought about at the moment. It was never the same. Then eventually, I realized i wanted it to be a question that reveals a bit more of who they are. And so I ask them what their life motto is.
9. Have you started noticing any common threads across the people you’ve photographed? If yes, what are they? If no, what keeps each person feeling completely unique?
I would say each person is quite different. I’m able to see momentos of their past life and how it has shaped the person they have become. How some things have changed yet many are still kept in remembrance of who they once were. Or how some have completely started fresh and what they accumulated in their rooms speak about the new life they are living.
10. What state of mind are you in now, and how is it shaping where this project goes next?
I’ve really been feeling like a yes-man this year. I’ve been more open to trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone. With this project it forces me to become this extrovert that I never really was and it feels awesome to see this person I’m becoming.
