Michelle Seung-Mi Kim

Good day! My name is Michelle. My Korean name is Seung-Mi (the "eu" of "Seung" is pronounced like the "ou" in "would"). Put the two names together and you get Seung Michelle.

Moving on...

I grew up in front of the camera. My photo-hobbyist mother loved taking pictures of me and I loved having my picture taken. I eventually transferred my ability to be in the center of attention to pursue the entertainment industry and got a bit of television-time. I had always had a natural inclination to entertain and be under the spotlight...you would never find me behind the scenes.

My dreams, goals and much of what I grew up to know about myself began to take a shift when I atypically picked up a newspaper and came across this image taken by Pulitzer Prize winner Renee C. Byer. Chills permeated through my body. My heart simultaneously smiled and ached. After reading the supplementary article I found out it was part of a photo essay. I had never seen a photo essay before nor had I ever heard of photojournalism. My gut had decided for me that I was supposed to be a photographer so I could capture moments like that.

As I started my first year at UC Irvine as a Literary Journalism major, I put my mini-revelation on the back burner.

I eventually purchased my first DSLR and began to awkwardly and uncomfortably expose myself as an amateur photographer. I took my camera everywhere and took pictures of everything. I faced more discouragement than auspiciousness, more insecurities than confidence...but I was determined to get better.

I have been shooting professionally for the past year now and have been blessed with so many neat opportunities. Whether I'm capturing moments and producing images at a wedding, for non-profits, on the street, or in the studio I am exercising a God-infused creativity and craft. It's incredible the joy that I receive from actively pursuing a gift that doesn't require me to be at the center of it.

I am still developing my style and I thank you for partaking in the beginning stages of this process. I disclaim that you will see many changes (good and bad but hopefully more good) in the next coming months and years as I grow as a person and a photographer. I don't consider myself an artist because I am not creating anything new or beautiful out of nothing. I essentially take what is available and attempt to visually maximize it's content.

Maybe I will end up doing all these things, maybe not...but I'm not worried about it because God always exceeds my greatest hopes, dreams and expectations.

Look what he did to a girl who never thought would spend a day behind a camera...

BBQ & Festivities…Hollywood Style

November 10, 2009 Visual Journalism

Holly and I went to our friend Jukka’s BBQ about a month ago. I had no idea what to expect and come to find out, even if I did have expectations, they would have been blown my mind outta the water. We had met him through the Broken Hearts Ministry and he has become a dear friend to us both. He invited us to a BBQ that his former rehab center was throwing and I must say, it was one of the best barbecues I had ever attended. I seriously cannot believe how much fun I had. The festivities took place in a Hollywood neighborhood corner, hidden so that we had to rely on our ears to follow the blasting music trail. There were an assortment of people present and it was such a beautiful thing to be amidst so much diversity and exuberance. Dancing, singing, laughing, eating, mingling…multiplied by 7.