Toby Zeng was born in Beijing, China in 1998. At the age of 14, he moved to a boarding school located in California in a small town called Ojai. His passion for photography started to blossom during his sophomore year when he began taking photos with his iPhone. In 2016, Toby started taking photos with a professional camera to shoot projects rather than take random photos. This drastically improved his photography practice. His work has been featured in Noice magazine, Minimal zine, and through various other Instagram submission based accounts. He also runs an Instagram platform based on car photography which is called Minimal Car Magazine.
Minimal Body
“Minimal Body” is a study of the human form using color, shape, composition, and light. Rather than focusing on the entire body, Toby chooses to pay attention to the small details that often go unnoticed. Using the camera and the frame, Toby recontextualizes the human body and captures individual components. By doing this, his photos surprise the viewers by presenting a different way to observe the beauty of the body. Toby’s goal is to highlight and preserve the small and unobtrusive sight of the human body.
To view more of Toby’s work please visit his instagram.