Fotograf Ken Pak

—Sunteți fotogenic?

—I never thought I was photogenic and never wanted to be photographed, however, I look pretty cute in the photos from my early childhood.

—Cum ați ajuns în industria fotografiei?

—It was a pretty natural transition for me becoming a wedding photographer as many of my friends were getting married when I started taking photos. Because of this, I never attended my friends' weddings as a groomsman or guest. Rather, I always photographed their weddings.

—Care sunt cele mai importante componente ale unei fotografii bune, după părerea dvs?

—Although most of photographers would talk about light, composition, creative approach, subject, emotional impact & etc. as vital components of a good photo, I think preparation for the day and understanding of the flow , environment and subject would help yielding a good photo. Although there are moments I take photos with anticipation, however, I love when I get good photos without anticipation.

—Vă place să călătoriți?

—Yes, I love traveling for the photo projects including weddings, fun activities, personal inspiration by the life of the other side of the world, and to see the family (I am from South Korea).

—Ce vă place cel mai mult la profesia dvs?

—Photography career can be highly rewarding. I feel truly blessed when I receive compliments and appreciation from the happy clients and people.

—Ce vă place cel mai puțin la profesia dvs?

—Dealing with difficult personalities and awkward characters can be most challenging to me. However, I would rather stay positive and supportive to those nature.

—Care va fi viitorul fotografiei?

—For the next 5 years, another convergence of the medium will be coming like stills will be culled from 8k video footage. After another 5 years, I am pretty sure that there will always be needs for wedding photography regardless of the medium convergence.

—Ce este special la genul de fotografie în care sunteți specializat?

—In technical term, I believe wedding photography can be practised as the collaborative work of wide range of photography types and styles. In human life, it is one of the greatest lifetime celebrations among families and friends, and I am so glad that I can capture many different levels of emotional impacts.

—Cum răspundeți criticilor?

—I would rather be modest and listen to the criticism if it is the matter of your growth and development process in your photography career and human relations. If you stay honest, humble and positive, there will be lesser criticism.

—Există tendințe în fotografia?

—Yes, there are trends in wedding photography just like fashion industry, however, I also see there is a range of diversity in wedding photography trends depending on traditions, lifestyle, regions & etc.

—Care ar trebui să fie criteriile după care un client să aleagă un fotograf?

—As a person photographing someone's lifetime event, trustworthy, fun and flexible nature in my personality come highly valuable and appreciative among my clients and people in the industry.

—Ce lucruri sunt complet nepermise când fotografiați?

—Unprofessional, snobbish & egoistic manner in professional & personal aspects.

—Ce detalii de obicei neobservate de alții pot fi observate de un fotograf?

—Artistic & creative approach. Also, freezing the moment, framing & composition.

—Ce influențează valoarea fotografiei? Care sunt elementele ei?

—Cherishing the memorable moments and people from generation to generation (or among generations). Also, capturing and archiving the history of person's life.

—Ce persoană poate fi simbolul secolului XXI după părerea dvs?

—Big brothers in media.

—Pe cine doriți să fotografiați?

—I would like to continue photographing weddings, however, it will be interesting to photograph traditionally unique weddings in remote area not affected by the western culture.

—Aveți tabuuri profesionale?

—I would not want to spoil those wedding photographer wannabes. It takes so much of professional practice, thinking, attitude, training, study and experience. Don't believe in yourself as a professional shooter by just buying a good camera and shooting a few of your friends weddings.

—Cu cine ați vrea să faceți fotografii?

—If I get a chance, I would love to shoot with those pulitzer winners who have not shot the weddings before. Also, shooting a wedding by side of any big names in the industry will be my great honor.

—Ce vă îngrijorează și de ce?

—Bridezilla and Groomzilla. Depending on the situations, people with difficult & demanding personalities to accommodate can be a real challenge. Also, theft and robbery (although I have not experienced before) during the sessions in uncontrolled areas. Being sick can be another big worrisome.

—Care este cel mai impresionant moment din viața dvs?

—Three of my most tearful moments showing my love to my parents. I cried so much at the airport when I saw my dad leaving the state after seeing my college graduation (He supported me for 7 years in US for my high school and college, and returned to Korea permanently). I cried so much when I hugged my parents during my wedding ceremony. I cried so much when my dad was being cremated after the funeral ceremony.

—Dacă ați fi fost un personaj de desen animat, de carte sau de film, cine v-ar fi plăcut să fiți?

—I would love to be Iron man, just to simply get the aerial shots. Also, seeing myself in the Iron man armor which is retrofitted with multiple super cameras will be amazing!

—Cine vă inspiră în viață și de ce?

—Jesus Christ who keeps me being a better person.

—Cum definiți succesul? Cum îl măsurați?

—In human perspective, if I have six good men who can carry my coffin at my own funeral, I consider that as a successful life. In business perspective, if I have no haters and no debt, that will be a successful life.

—V-ar plăcea să fiți mai degrabă plăcut sau respectat?

—I would rather be liked.

—Care este cea mai mare greșeală pe care ați făcut-o în profesia dvs?

—Encountering a media failure by using cheap media card.

—Când plecați în călătorie, ce luați cu dvs. și de ce?

—I will take my free & open spirit with me to enjoy the true traveling experience. If it is allowed, then I would love to travel with my wife and son. Of course, a small travel camera will definitely be accompanied with me.

—Există vreun lucru pe care vă doriți să nu-l fi cumpărat dintre aparatele pe care le aveți? De ce?

—Lytro Illum camera. I never use it. Is there anyone who is interested in this camera? ;)

—Cum vă pregătiți pentru a face fotografii mai bune?

—I try to read/watch/visit photography related or partially related magazines, books, movies, videos (I love watching K pop music videos to learn techniques), art galleries/museums & etc. From these experiences, I love incorporating my new ideas and creative thinking in the actual shoots by hopefully getting faster spontaneous responsiveness to the moments. Also, I go to conferences and seminars, and get connected with a wide range of cool photographers from different parts of the world. Also, I shoot together with a few of my local photographers time to time for cross-inspiring and training purposes at the real weddings.

—Activitatea cărei persoane v-a influențat cel mai mult în calitate de fotograf?

—Hmmm... I would say photographers in WPJA Winners Collections, Fearless Photographers Award Collections and ISPWP Award Collections have influenced me the most. I am sorry to tell you that I love all the winners, not the single one, as I admire their work so much! Also, I give a full respect to those photographers who push themselves to the infinity over creative limits.

—Care este lucrul pe care vă doriți să-l fi știut când ați început să faceți fotografii?

—I really wish I knew a real good mentor when I started taking photos. I have had neither a mentor nor had worked for a studio during my photography career. Also, I did not have any good friend photographers until I met most of them during the past 1.5 years.

—Ce doriți să exprimați prin fotografiile dvs?

—They are fun, animated, compassionate, witty, unique, hardworking, modern, artistic, imaginative, quirky, and yet most importantly, story telling with my true spirit.

—Ce vă motivează să continuați să faceți fotografii?

—My family the most. Also, undiscovered world of photography intrigues me to challenge myself in the upcoming future. Accolades can be bonus.

—Părinții dvs. ar fi trebuit să mai mai stricți sau mai puțin stricți?

—Less strict. Matter of fact, my mom bought me my first point-n-shoot camera when I was the fifth grade. They are always supportive and respectful to my decision, but I had to be very responsible to my decision.

—Dacă v-ați putea întoarce în timp, ce ați face diferit?

—I would go to a renowned college of art to inspire myself with in-depth fine art. I studied Environmental Science instead. Also, I would continue playing badminton, so I could have competed in Olympics (one of my teammates from the same school team won a gold medal in Atlanta Olympic games).

—Ce credeți despre viața pe alte planete?

—I am going to ask God about it.

—Cine sunt eroii dvs?

—Whoever influences me to become a better person.

—Pentru cine nu aveți respect?

—People who commit sins without repent afterwards.

—Ce faceți în timpul liber?

—Planning something ahead that would or would not happen, but it is always fun to do it. I do normal things that the normal people would do during the spare time.

—Care este latura dvs. pe care publicul nu o vede niciodată?

—When I am doing post production work at home, I am normally in underwears as it happens to be very comfortable and free to myself.

—Când sunteți complet mulțumit de munca dvs?

—When I hear back from my clients with lots of compliments and appreciation after they get the final release. Also, accolades are bonus to my satisfaction, but I consider myself always being in learning curve.

—Credeți în rolurile tradiționale ale femeii și bărbatului?

—Yes, I am in terms of marriage and family, however, roles are always subject to change based on the modern lifestyle. As long as we love each other, traditional roles are not biggie in our lives.

—Vă faceți prieteni ușor?

—Yes, however, it can take significant amount of time to become their best friends. I would rather be their best friends than making them my best friends.

—Unde v-ar plăcea să trăiți?

—I would like to live in one Korea upon unification of North & South Korea. Other than US and Korea, I would also consider living any parts around the world needing any of my contribution.

—Care este cel mai stupid lucru pe care ați fost de acord să-l faceți?

—Sharing a studio space with a wedding dress/floral shop. I would never do a business with anyone in the same space.

—Există viață după căsătorie?

—Sure thing! Your lifetime companion and kids are enough to make a dramatic change in your life after marriage.

—Aveți o glumă preferată? Spuneți-o.

—My wife and my son give me all kinds of silly talk, and I always return with a joke. Too many to list.

—Vă plac câinii sau pisicile?

—We used to have a jack russell terrier and a mix dog for over 12 years. They both passed aways a few years ago, but they always stay remained in our hearts. We are planning to have one soon.

—Pe cine sau ce urâți?

—Business partners with betrayal, lies and unacceptable manner. I can't tolerate those people, and can't deal with them anymore as it happens to be the worst time in my life.

—Cel mai bun lucru în viață este:

—When my son was born.

—Cel mai neplăcut lucru în viață este:

—Dealing with business partners and friends who betrayed me.

—Este ceva în jur ce v-ar plăcea să schimbați?

—I would like to redesign my website, restart blogging, and keep up everything in timely manner.

—Ce v-ar plăcea să schimbați la dvs?

—I need to put something on when I am working at home.
Seriously, I need to reshape my body.

—Ce v-ar plăcea să schimbați în lume?

—Get rid of terrorists and dictators, and provide aids to those who are in desperate life situation.

—Ne puteți da câteva sugestii pentru fotografii începători?

—Learn, practise and gain lots of experience to become a true artist, not a person with a good show-off camera. Most importantly, try to understand what this day means to the wedded couple and people at the wedding, and your role there.

—Dacă extratereștrii ar veni pe Pământ și ați fi prima persoana care s-ar întâlni cu ei, ce le-ați spune?

—"Do you need a photographer to document your landing and presence? The session will be free, however, you need to sign a media release form." LOL

—Dacă ați fi solicitat să faceți un film, ce gen ar fi?

—I would like to photograph an epic love story, war and drama.

—Mâine mă voi duce să fac...

—Tomorrow, I will go to a wedding and photograph the most amazing day of someone's life.