A 2007 Parsons Graduate explores the field of advertisement photography.
Advertisements and commercial photographs are politely hurled towards us on subways, in websites/blogs, and online television, so it is easy to assume that creating these images is simple. But any skilled photographer (and designer) knows that there is more to photography than shooting landscapes, still life, and people. It is a complicated business which requires organization, expertise in technique, and efficient problem solving in a setting where skillful directing is vital.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Chung, a recent graduate of 2007, who summarized the past four years at Parsons in less than ten minutes. Having just left school with a BFA in photography, he remembers quite well the positives and negatives about the programs, but as far as his future is concerned, he found Parsons to be a great place to experiment with various subjects. Since then, he has already participated in Surface Magazine’s 10th Annual Avant Guardian project which supports up and coming photographers (surface.com); and his work is featured in the November issue of City Magazine.
Having focused on still life early in his Parsons education, Jamie Chung soon realized that the best way to learn the nitty-gritty of a business is to work under a profession, which in his case means the impressive, established photographer Shinichi Maruyama. Photography, just like any other major industry, is very competitive where the established ones rule, and the newcomer is left to find a way to get his or her foot in the door. Almost immediately, Jamie explained to me the difference between freelancing in this industry and having a full-time job.
Full-time work allows Jamie to see the current project from beginning to end, from the sketches to the shoot and final product. He is able to establish a relationship with his fellow workers, learn how to run a business and what it requires, and how to solve the problems that arise. And as a bonus, he can use the studio space and equipment for his own projects. Jamie, who is freelancing and working full-time, has found that in freelancing various companies had distinctive ways of working. It is less personal considering the only time he interacts with the company was on the day of the shoot; and he always had to look for another job as a freelancer in the past.
Currently, Jamie Chung is working as an assistant photographer at Biwa Inc., a company that shares Jamie’s aesthetic. He continues to grow in expertise through experimentation and a lot of tinkering with ordinary objects to make them subjects of an extraordinary photograph. As a result, the objects within the final photograph often look more precious than those creating the still life.
When I looked through Jamie’s website, I couldn’t help but appreciate his still life photography that is so wild and conceptual; especially when I am greeted by a sunglass wearing skull that has blood shooting of its mouth. If that doesn’t grab you interest, then flip through his online portfolio pages of various everyday objects.
One of the things I love about Jamie’s work is that he depicts movement in such a way that liquids we would consider to be messy, are captured mid-air to look crisp and organized. Objects we normally see as dirty are clean; fungi looks like jewelry and even fire looks controlled. Jamie Chung broadened my view of still life from the traditional fruit basked notion to one that is modern, which I have not seen executed with such lively versatility while still maintaining the aesthetic in every single photograph. He has already become one of my favorite photographers and I cannot wait to see his work in Times Square someday, which is one of his goals that I am sure he will reach.
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