Born in State College, Pennsylvania, Aaron Jay Young is a portrait photographer who finds inspiration in humans and life. For several years he shot stills on RuPaul’s Drag Race and its All-Stars counterpart. Since then, Aaron has spent much of his time in the studio capturing the unique beauty we all possess. Queen is the culmination of over four years of work and marks his photography book debut. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his Italian greyhound/chihuahua mix Wilbur.

Artist Statement

“My work is my passion. It is a culmination of all my life experiences - the pain, the trauma, the work I’ve done to find forgiveness, love, and compassion - not just for myself but for others. The process allows me to see other people, their pain, their joy, their vulnerability, and capture it authentically. It is with my camera that I take this journey; through self-portraits and through portraiture of others.

It’s a very intimate experience; when a subject is in front of me, whether it’s for 30 seconds, or much longer. There is an undeniable connection that is established. We exchange a sense of trust. All other distractions fall away and it is my sole purpose to see them and to capture those moments of truth.”