About Me

Ty Chee - Photographer

I'm a portrait and commercial photographer based in Northern New Jersey, within sight of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan.

From studio headshots to environmental portraits, high-end product photography, and aerial drone photography, I will work with you to create images that meet your vision and needs.

Why Work with Me

My goal is to create images that effectively tell your narrative and that you can be pleased to showcase. 

Attention to detail is my superpower. Before we shoot, my goal is to know and understand your objectives and expectations for the project. Whether it's a headshot, environmental portrait, or commercial product image, every element of your photo shoot is carefully crafted to give you the best experience.

My Approach

For portrait sessions, I want my clients to feel at ease and enjoy themselves.

A perfect portrait session starts with a conversation. I take the time to learn about your tastes, comprehend the goal of the picture, and ensure that the finished product satisfies your objectives. Whether you need some inspiration or have a clear plan, I'm here to help you every step of the way.

To further improve your experience, I also have professional hair and makeup artists available.

For commercial and product photography, I'm committed to getting to know your business and your objectives.

Whether the photos are for print, social media, or other marketing channels, I will work directly with you to develop concepts that ensure the final result looks great and appeals to your clients.

For aerial drone photography, I can provide you with a unique viewpoint for your projects by providing high-quality stills and video as well as professional video editing.

As a certified part 107 drone pilot. I can guide you through your project with the certainly that everything will be conducted safely and within legal bounds.

My Journey

My journey in photography started early in life. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina where inspiration seemed quite limited. When I would visit my grandmother I would be fascinated by the pictures in copies of Life magazine and other publications that were always in her house. Those images sparked my imagination and set the dreamer in me in motion. I wanted to visit those places and capture images in a way that reflected the excitement I felt when I browsed the pages in those magazines.

My first camera was a little Kodak pocket 110 that my mom won in a contest and gifted to me. I still have that camera on display in my home office today. I also got to play with my dad’s Polaroid Land camera from time to time. Moving forward I took photography as an elective when I was studying architecture at Howard University. I dusted off my fathers old Petri Flex 35mm camera that he had brought home from Germany when he was in the military. With that camera I learned the basics of photography.

Being in Washington DC, the amount of subjects to photograph seemed endless compared to the small town I grew up in. I would spend hours walking around taking pictures of all the famous landmarks in our capitol city and taking photos of events on campus. I learned to develop and process black and white photos in the lab and discovered that I had an interest for the technical side of the art as well.

With my love for technical things, I shifted my educational path from architecture to electronics and computer technology. I started a career in IT that would span more than 3 decades. During that time I made the move to digital photography, a natural progression given my love for gadgets and tech. I taught myself how to use a very early version of Photoshop, and for the first time I really felt in control of the entire photography process. I could finally produce photos that looked the way I saw them in my head when I was behind the camera.

My passion for photography stayed with me all those years. I spent a lot of time taking pictures of my kids and also during my adventures on vacation, mountain biking and going to car shows documenting the progress of the cars my friends and I customized.

It wasn’t long before I started getting requests to take pictures at events for family and friends and even for some work events. I eventually made the transition from doing photography as a side job to a full time career. My interest in the creative space and technology expanded my interest to include both video production and arial photography using drones.

I feel lucky to be able to turn my passion into a career and to help people bring their visions to life.