Page 47 - PHOTODOT 2017년 9월호 VOL.46 Sept

Bamboo Gray 01.archival inkjet print. 100x100cm.2016

picking it up by tweezers. In fact, I did not photograph the bamboo,
but the light that met the bamboo. I took them with the shutter speed
of faster than 1/125. It may blur if you shoot it slower than 1/60 since
the bamboos usually sway unless the wind completely stops because
of their heights are 30 ~ 40 meters in general. On the other hand,
different from previous bamboo series, I tried to make the brighter
background on the work of <Bamboo Gray>. So, the photographing
was carried out at the opposite position from the previous Bamboo
series. Looking at the bright outer world from the dark forest, the
background was expressed in light gray. The background has gotten
brighter with the exposure set to overexpose. So, the effect of not
showing a clear outer line of bamboo and getting the light from the
back crossing over softly became possible. The aperture was mainly set
around F5.6. When the iris is tightened, the focus fills the subject and
becomes clear, so that the three-dimensional feeling is lost or space is
compressed and the distance feeling is lost. It is subtlety or ambiguity
that plays an important role in art photography, and these are mainly
intentionally applied to out-focus areas.
As the series of <Bamboo> is black and silent in the dark, and for interpretation or to imagine. So does my work. I think that the
white and light in the brightness, so the aura of the bamboo is feeling can be changed individually according to the viewer.
mysterious. What did you want to state through such bamboo <Water Color>, <Bamboo Gray>, and <Bamboo Square> are all
photographs that have been restrained by all these shapes and in square format, are there any specific intentions?
colors? The key to my work is the formality of formatting, which is a very
The most important part of the early work of the bamboo was important factor. The picture is a world of squares. The most commonly
expressing its 'line'. I want to express its honest 'straight line' that used are the rectangular format, which is characteristic of universally
bamboo has. Even bamboo leaves have been almost completely embracing and wrapping the contents inside. On the other hand,
removed in the work of<Bamboo Square> and <Bamboo panofama>. squares do not allow gaps in screen composition because the format
The background is all black and dark so that the 'line' is well exposed. itself is strict and cold. The square format seems to occupy a larger
On the other hand, the later works of <Bamboo Gray> is exposed to part in my work, probably because of the personal preference of a
a lot of bamboo leaves and its background is bright enough even to more restrained and tighter landscape than the comfortable one. I
be transparent. Early works of bamboo were stiff, rigid, and tense, used a Hasselblad 6x6cm camera and a large 4x5inch Linhope camera
expressing the integrity or spirit of bamboo. On the other hand, for shooting the bamboos.
<Bamboo Gray> is comfortable or bright to provide people with rest. I am curious about the background of your new work, <Mother-
My mind used to become calm and healed when I sit in a bamboo of-Pearl>.
forest and listen to the sound of bamboo, hear the rain falling on My personal preference is that I tend to prefer traditional and time
the bush, or listen to the wind caressing the bamboo leaves. I hope compressed things rather than modern spaces and objects. I also like
that the viewers can also receive such energy from bamboo works. If antique furniture and appliances rather than modern ones. So, the
documentary photographs are close to novels, my work as the pure Ganghwa-do workshop, which I bought a few years ago, is a traditional
photography is closer to poetry. Poetry leads the readers to leave room hanok (Korean style house) that is over 100 years old. It was not too

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