All Was Hidden Before I Started Seeing the World

“I want to see what he wanted to see.”

I started taking pictures when I was 20. Prior to that, I was a nobody with nothing in mind for future. While studying at an engineering school, I met a guy who took pictures everyday with his aesthetics. Seeing him who was just a year older than me, I realized how worthless my life had been with no accomplishments; I could not have hated myself more. The next day I took an old camera and started taking pictures of everything that came within my sight. I knew nothing about photography, but by taking pictures I believed I could see what he saw with his camera. It was an incredible experience. I could see the beauty of a tiny flower by the road, the sorrow of a city standing by to be destroyed, and the happiness on people’s faces. These were all hidden, or simply not obvious, to me before. Photography began to change my life in positive ways. The energy I received from people admiring my work made everything possible. I wished to pursue further, but I could not simply drop the four years I spent at the engineering school. Still, I dreamed, and always dreamed.

I did not take photographs as a professional photographer, but I kept shooting every chance I got. I have always had my camera strapped onto my shoulder ready to capture the unexpected moments that touched my heart. I did not profit from doing photography, however, I tried to find what I could do with my camera for our society and our world. I believed it was my duty to give back the gratitude and enthusiasm people shared with me through my work. For that, I started working as a volunteer photographer at Make-A-Wish Foundation Korea for special children who suffer from critical illnesses such as leukemia or cancer. I wanted them to have dreams and help them overcome challenge, and remind them there is more to life than what they knew. In the past five years, I have learned to communicate with children and to share my gift with them through my photographs. It is a truly amazing experience knowing that the skill I developed could be used for our society. I started imagining again just how great it would be to use my photographs to make people happy and make their lives delightful.

One day, I came across a photographer’s exhibition by the name of Yousuf Karsh. With Bach’s music in the background, I stopped in front of a picture that captured a cellist’s back. My mind was completely empty for a while. A few seconds passed and I found myself crying. I asked—why? Then I remembered a conversation I recently had with an art broker. He asked me, “June, do you know why people buy art? Most people think it is for investment but it is not. Rarely does a piece of art speak out to an individual, people are buying that.” I believe the picture spoke out to me, and I knew just the kind of art I wanted to make. I want to talk to people through my photographs and make them see what I see. I exactly knew what kind of journey I would have to take to achieve my goal. Finally, I came to a determined conclusion to give up my former study at the engineering school, and embark on a new journey to United States to study photography. During the years of study, I developed a set of my own philosophies as an artist. I have always strived to bring life to my photographs according to three keywords: Youth, Dream, and Fantasy. I hope my photographs to be a catalyst that invites you to my own world; I want you to remember what you have lost in your beautiful memories. I want you to have a dream just like the way my friend changed my life, and just like Karsh’s picture enlightened me to take my path. I want you to find what it means to see the world through photographs looking at my work.