JONATHAN CHERRY: What did you have for breakfast today?

TONY LUONG: Oatmeal and a cup of coffee.

JC: Are there any emerging photographers inspiring your practice at the moment?

TL: Always! At the moment though - it’s Emiliano Granado, Jane Tam, Stefan Ruiz and some others. And of course, the masters are always inspiring - Eggleston, Friedlander, Shore, etc.

JC: What are your Christmas plans?

TL: Go to Connecticut to see my family, make some new work, go to New York with my girlfriend and get ready for the New Year!

JC: In your opinion what makes a successful portrait?

TL: I think a successful portrait begs the viewer to ask questions and answer questions but it never lets them tell a full story. Though, I think this comes through when all the pieces to a photograph fall into place first.

JC: How highly do you value the actual experience of photographing?

TL: Very highly, I’m always trying to show that experience in my work. I think at times, I over-think my use of the frame and it’s a bit frustrating and then at other times, it just feels right but I’ve been getting better at letting go. There’s a video of Alec Soth talking about looking through the ground glass while you’re making a portrait and the process of examination, that experience he talks about really hit home for me.

JC: What is Two Roofs all about?

TL: Two Roofs is a project I’ve been working on for the last two years. I come from a family of five, both my siblings and parents escaped the Vietnam war in 85’, I was born shortly after making me a first generation citizen. The work is an observation from that position, I was raised in such a mesh of cultural traditions that I wasn’t sure what was what until I got older. I was also pushed in specific directions in terms of ideal activities and roles I should strive for. My parents would buy certain things or celebrate specific holidays just so I wouldn’t feel left out when kids at school would talk about what they did during their weekends or holidays. That said, my parents recently built a house in Vietnam as a vacation-home, so through still life and soon portraiture, the work views the life both in Vietnam and the states and what my parents choose to bring back and forth as signs of status and class through the diverse cultures.

JC: Any exciting plans for the rest of 2010 photographically?

TL: A few actually, hoping to start up on some small projects geared towards getting more editorial/commercial jobs, making some new work for Two Roofs and hopefully securing some jobs for next year.

JC: Any words of wisdom to recent photography graduates?

TL: Hustle, work hard, get inspired only to come back and work harder.

JC: Any other thoughts?

TL: It looks like a nice day out. I think I’ll go for a bike ride now!