Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Kim.
Joe, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I began taking photos during photography class at a local community college. I took it as an art elective but for some reason I decided to drop the class after the first day. A year passed and I ended up retaking the same class, Photo 101. The whole class had to use a 35mm film camera, which I didn’t have, so I went on Craigslist and found a Canon Rebel 2000 and the kit lens for $25. For our first project, we were given the freedom to photograph anything we wanted so I chose a nearby train track. The second part of the project involve developing the black and white film negatives. I got my negatives from Costco and in class we were able to use the dark room to develop our favorite photo. I chose a photo of an antiquated gate next to the train track. I put the photo paper in the developer chemical and I saw my image to come to live. This was the moment I fell in love with the whole process and since then I have continued my journey in photography. Funnily enough, I thought that original photo was so good that it should be framed and hung somewhere important.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a wedding photographer and I create images that capture the heart and soul of the moment for my clients. I hope my clients can look back during their wiser years and reflect on their fond memories that I was able to capture for them.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I didn’t really have financial challenges as an artist because I worked a full-time job and did photography on the side. My advice would be to find a source of financing your life until your photography career can take off enough to carry you. Also, if there are any lenses or lights that are unaffordable, perhaps borrow it from school or a friend.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I post most of my photos regularly on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joekimstudio(@joekimstudio).
People can support my work by following me and sharing my images.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joekimstudio.com
- Phone: 714-474-1984
- Email: joekimstudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joekimstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joekimstudio/
Image Credit:
All Images taken by JoeKim Studio
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