Bold Cuts: Simon Kim
Simon Kim is a photographer and videographer living and working in Brisbane, Australia.
Feeling on the verge of burning out after one too many freelance jobs, he turned to film as a way to slow himself down and learn the art of photography all over again.
Simon’s work is generally focused around a subject and his relationship with them, constructing distinct portraits punctuated by natural light and shadow wielded like a painter’s brush strokes.
In his own words…
“There were a number of elements that spoke to my gravitation towards film, but the key moment was about a year ago. I needed something that could slow me down. I had just come out of a few freelance jobs that had sent me in an absolute whirlwind of ups and downs, in the sense that I didn’t have time to be more self-aware of my own craft. All I had seemed to be doing was making videos and taking photos, in which there is no fault – we all need to hustle and pay bills.
However, I’d felt I lost touch with photography’s true form. Flipping through pages of old family photo albums, my grandfather kindly offered me his own film camera from the 80’s. After chewing through multiple test rolls, learning from each one, I realised how little I actually knew about taking a photograph.
It’s not automatic. It’s a mechanical, sentimental process giving each frame a reason to gaze, hold and reminisce about. I was excited. I felt like I had found this art form once again. As I started to bring film into more commercial/portraiture environments, my perception and approach to the living world began to shift from just taking photos to building them.
I’m not too sure if I have a process. If I do, it changes every day. However, the thing that dictates my reason is my subject.
Whether our relationship is spontaneous or familiar, being able to form who they are, rather than what they look like is quite exciting.”
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