Bea Oyster

Bea Oyster grew up in Honolulu, where sisterhood and bright skies helped shape her eye for storytelling. At 21, she shot her first photo project for TIME, sparking a career driven by curiosity, connection, and bold conversations. Most recently, she served as associate visuals editor at Teen Vogue, where she wore many hats—digging through the archives, dabbling in photoshop, and photographing KATSEYE.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
Most recently as the Associate Visuals Editor at Teen Vogue, I connected visual creatives and writers, and brought ideas to life as an art director, researcher, producer, editor, and photographer. I’m a visual storyteller.

From her project, O‘ahu Surfer Girls

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
My two sisters and Honolulu, where I grew up– the people, the warmth, the bright colors, the clear blue skies! There’s no better golden hour than in Hawai’i. 

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
I’ve learned most things from doing. At Smith College, I developed my visual analytical skills through writing journalistic articles, giving presentations, and producing academic research papers.

In meetings or pitches, you have one moment to catch and maintain everyone’s attention, deliver your ideas, and advocate for your artistic choices. I focus on developing and communicating visuals and building a world collaboratively with everyone, not just with my visual peers.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
Photographing our KATSEYE cover in Malibu, alongside a superstar team! I started pitching a KATSEYE shoot after watching their debut in Dream Academy two years ago.

The shoot tapped into everything I love, and it was incredibly rewarding to be involved in the creative process and build this world. As it was our early summer cover, I created our moodboards to draw inspiration from that feeling when you just get out of school for summer break, my upbringing in Honolulu, early 2000s Roxy and Billabong ads, and the joy and punchy-ness of early 2000s Teen Vogue editorials–I’m talking 2003-2007. I researched each member’s lore and thoughtfully created solo vignettes, giving each one their “moment.” For example, Dani’s hula hoop scene highlighted her Latin dance roots and ballroom background.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
No two days look the same. Some days I’m at my desk commissioning photographers for an assignment around the world, creating briefs, digging through our incredible archives, building visual stories for teenvogue.com, or dabbling in Photoshop designing illustrations. Other days, I’m in the middle of Central Park photographing Corey Fogelmanis for a new feature. Or, I’m on set, running around our office with a giant backdrop and making sure everyone has what they need.

Every week, I make an effort to grab coffee with new creatives at all levels—from current students to established photographers. The readers and talented collaborators are the heartbeat of this work, and I make it a priority to invest in these relationships.

If there was a starter pack for your job, what would be in it?
Cue that photo of Jenna Rink from ‘13 Going on 30’ sitting at her desk at Poise, looking through a pile of pictures. Pretty accurate – although we’re all digital.

Scene from 13 Going on 30 (2004)

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out in your career?
Most people don’t see all of the work, time, and effort that led you to where you are.

I started @snapsbybea when I was 15 years old with no end goal in mind. Reflecting on my early career, I feel extraordinary gratitude for my hometown, every sitter who entrusted me to make their portraits, and everyone who supported my early work. That period was full of experimentation and discovering what sticks.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
My first professional assignment was a TIME commission that I landed in my junior year of college. They discovered my work through my profile on Diversify Photo ‘Up Next’. The editor loved the way I photographed young people through my project, O’ahu Surfer Girls. I remember applying to platforms like Diversify and pitching my work to both local and national outlets, to no avail. Patience and persistence is key.

Bea's first professional photography assignment, TIME magazine, 2021

The TIME assignment showed me what a productive and supportive photographer-photo editor partnership looks like and sparked my greater curiosity in photo editing at a publication. It couldn’t have been a better first collaboration.

My advice:

1. Create projects you want to see in the world and be hired for—don’t wait for opportunities, invest in yourself.

2. Be intentional with who you message and thoughtful in your cold emails (quality over quantity).

3. Let people help you! Apply to talent databases, internships, and mentorship programs.

4. Share your work online and have a working email (no contact pages).

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
If you strive for an unconventional, creative career, it will require unconventional effort, collaboration, conversations, and portfolios. 

Coming from a freelance photo background and my intern experiences at Smith, visual editing was the best next step. With every role, my creative process remains much the same: building lasting trust with collaborators—whether sitters for a portrait or editors.

Even though my most recent official title was Visuals Editor, I enjoyed wearing many hats and collaborating with writers and editors across every section and platform. In February, I pitched, photographed, and wrote a feature on the TikTok It couple, Izzy and Emma, aka TurtleWithHat, for Valentine’s Day.

There is so much more to learn, creatives to collaborate with, and interesting conversations to be had—how boring would it be not to be curious!

Izzy and Emma, aka TurtleWithHat, Teen Vogue, 2025

What skills from your creative work have you found helpful – and vice versa?
Always make new friends and don’t be afraid to send the first message. I wouldn’t be where I am without my incredible mentors and friends.

Be intentional about your work, social media presence, and how you reach out to and treat everyone—it goes a long way. If you are thoughtful in your work and messaging, others will notice and embrace it. Don’t worry about the noise.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
If you aim to freelance as a photographer or illustrator, let editors help you by creating an easy-to-find, public account and regularly share work you want to be hired for.

Last year, I’ve met some incredibly talented students I wanted to keep on my radar, but they weren’t yet sharing their work publicly. Our industry moves quickly; if you want this career, you must be ready when opportunities present themselves.

There is so much undiscovered talent out there, and finding it on Instagram or in real life (yes, it does happen!) fuels me.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
Being observant, unafraid to ask questions, and ready to strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere! I’ve found stories everywhere—from my TikTok “For You” page, to walking around my college campus, to weekly trips to my local beach.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Continue developing new skills as there’s always more to learn.

When I made it to the final rounds of The Wall Street Journal internship but didn’t get hired, I immediately went back to the drawing board. I noticed their latest hires were creating photo illustrations in addition to editing, so I deliberately developed that skill over the next year at my NBC News internship. When I reapplied to the Journal, the team recognized my efforts to diversify my portfolio, and during my internship, I pitched a photo illustration that landed in print.

Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Where do you go to feel connected as a creative?
As we say in Hawai‘i, “talking story” with as many people as possible—whether at portfolio reviews, book signings, happy hours I find on Instagram, gallery openings, museums like the International Centre of Photography, student shows, Baxter St. Camera Club (a wonderful gallery and community in the city!), A4’s Town Halls, or other industry events.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Be curious and collaborate with your peers.

When you get on-set experience, learn how to do everything, and understand what makes each role good versus excellent—photographer, art director, producer, digitech, makeup artist, production assistant. Emulate those that are excellent.

Since I was 15, I have been very hands-on: building collaborative teams, creative directing, and photographing my own shoots. This decade of experience has made a difference in my career and current role.

Potential collaborators and stories are everywhere. At Smith, Bea documented life there, including photographing students in their go-to hangout spot belting Lady Gaga's "Telephone." She originally scouted the friend group at the campus cafe.

Most of the fundamentals—the ability to adapt quickly, collaborate with different people and teams, and receive and share feedback—don’t change much at each level.

Great work is great work, no matter the client or where it’s been published.