Return of the Genius Photographer

The photos sent by Trevor Monthly were all Woojin’s. Every single one of them. And without a doubt, they were the ones taken under Jung Woong’s supervision.

As he alternated between looking at the photos and Woojin, Jung Woong, in disbelief, finally asked, “Well, come on in. When did you submit these?”

Woojin paused for a moment, thinking before answering casually, “What submission… Oh, are you talking about the Trevor Monthly magazine? If so, I did that while waiting at the airport.”

“At the airport?”

“Yes. I saw the magazine in the lounge, and it said submissions were open. Since I had taken some good photos in Australia, I thought they might get a good response.”

“Haa…”

Jung Woong let out a small sigh. It wasn’t exactly surprising that Woojin had submitted the photos. In this digital age, where images could be sent instantly, submitting photos wasn’t much of a challenge.

But watching Woojin made him think.

‘This kid always thinks one step ahead, doesn’t he?’

Woojin wasn’t just content with taking good photos. He knew exactly where his work would shine best. Most photographers focus solely on creating great work, often leaving the rest to agents or simply letting their portfolios sit idle.

But Woojin was different. His thoroughness wasn’t something you could teach. It wasn’t just knowledge; it was instinctive. Every step he took was sharp and precise, and that impressed people.

“By the way, how did you know about the submission?” Woojin asked, puzzled.

Realizing he hadn’t explained the situation yet, Jung Woong didn’t reply right away. Instead, he called Woojin over and showed him the email he had just been reading.

“Oh…”

Only after seeing the email did Woojin understand. The message from Trevor Monthly was seeking to confirm the affiliation of a photographer named “Kai” from Jung Woong Studio and expressing interest in featuring his photos in their magazine.

It seemed that upon seeing the photos, Jung Woong had immediately recognized them as Woojin’s work.

Woojin had expected good results, but he didn’t think the response would come this quickly.

“I was going to tell you about it, but I didn’t expect them to get back to me so soon.”

“They’ve been trying to contact us since yesterday. I was surprised when I saw the email,” Jung Woong replied. Then, tilting his head, he asked, “But what’s with the name ‘Kai’? I was stuck on that for a while.”

It seemed he was still puzzled by it. Understandable. After all, it wasn’t a name Woojin had ever used around the studio.

Woojin hesitated for a moment.

‘What should I say?’

“Kai” was the name Woojin had used in his past life. He had written it down without much thought, but he couldn’t exactly explain that to Jung Woong.

“I just thought it would be easier to use a different name when working abroad,” Woojin finally answered with a light smile. “It’s easier to pronounce than ‘Woojin,’ right?”

Though his explanation was hastily made up, it wasn’t entirely untrue. Hopefully, that would suffice.

But instead of accepting it outright, Jung Woong seemed intrigued by another aspect.

“Are you already thinking about working overseas?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.

After spending so much time with him, Woojin had learned to read Jung Woong’s expressions. That gleam in his eyes—it meant he was genuinely curious and excited.

Working overseas, huh…

To be honest, if the right opportunity came along, Woojin wouldn’t hesitate. He had plenty of experience working internationally and felt confident in his abilities.

“It’s not that I’m rushing into it, but I’m always open to the possibility,” Woojin replied calmly, with a touch of confidence.

“Haha!” Jung Woong burst out laughing.

“Good! A man should have that kind of confidence. I’ll be looking forward to seeing where you go.”

Clearly pleased with the response, Jung Woong continued laughing heartily. After a while, he stood up and shouted, “Well then, let’s get to work today!”

***

After receiving my tasks from Photographer Jung Woong, I headed to the studio and quickly turned on the computer. Unlike the one at home, this one booted up almost instantly.

This is why I love coming to the studio, I thought, amused.

Setting aside my admiration for the speed, I inserted the SD card I received from Jung Woong and started transferring the photos to the computer.

‘Alright, let’s get started.’

The task assigned by Jung Woong this time was a kind of culling.

Over the past few days, we had followed Natalie and taken thousands of photos. Naturally, only about ten of those would make it to the final cut for the spread. My job was to select the potential A-cut candidates from all these photos.

There were so many that just reviewing them would take time. Luckily, Jung Woong wasn’t the type to take an excessive number of shots, so we were only dealing with a few thousand. If he were one of those photographers who pressed the shutter non-stop, we could easily have been looking at over ten thousand photos in a day, meaning sorting through them would take at least an entire day.

Then again, considering the quality of each shot, this might actually be more difficult. Either way, it was undeniably going to be time-consuming.

But for me, it wasn’t all that hard.

I leaned back in my chair, stretched my arms like I was warming up for a workout, and then got straight to it.

With any task, there’s always a method. A way to do things more efficiently that only comes with experience. Like the aunt who can carry dozens of trays on her head after ten years of working in a restaurant, or the old man who can gauge the temperature of the frying oil just by looking at it after decades of cooking. Once you’ve mastered the technique, no task feels overwhelming.

This was no different.

How many times have I done this culling work in my past life?

If I tallied up all the times I’d done this, I could probably call myself a master like those experts on TV.

‘First things first: categories.’

Before sorting through the photos, I created multiple subfolders. First by date, then by location. Then, I began dividing the photos accordingly, like breaking a large photo album into smaller, more manageable ones.

The thousands of photos were now separated into smaller groups of hundreds. From there, I began the initial step of deleting low-quality shots.

While it’s hard to immediately pick the correct answer in a multiple-choice question, finding the wrong ones is easy.

Any photo that seemed even slightly off was promptly removed.

In no time, the number of photos dwindled down.

Now, only the final stage remained.

‘Imagine… if I were Photographer Jung Woong, which photos would I want to keep?’

After all, these works were his. The criteria for selecting the best photos had to align with his style and preferences. I recalled the moments when he was shooting.

When had the atmosphere on set been the best?

When had the sunlight hit just right?

And when had he seemed particularly pleased while reviewing his shots?

As I mentally retraced the days, I went through the photos, immersing myself as if I were Jung Woong himself. The thousands of photos were reduced to hundreds, then to dozens. And all of this happened rather quickly.

By the time I was left with just a handful of A-cut candidates in each folder, less than four hours had passed since I started.

‘Phew, finished in no time,’ I thought, satisfied with the speed and precision of my work.

Just as I was basking in the accomplishment—

Riiiing!

My phone suddenly rang.

The number was unfamiliar, and I hesitated for a moment before answering.

–Photographer Nam Woojin! This is the receptionist from the first floor speaking!

The cheerful voice on the other end introduced herself as the receptionist from the studio’s first-floor desk. We’d gotten quite familiar with each other since we exchanged greetings every morning when I came to work.

But why was she calling all of a sudden?

“Is something the matter?” I asked, curious.

–Do you know Monthly Photography?

“Uh, are you talking about the magazine?”

–Yes, that’s the one! Someone from there has requested an interview with you. Would you be available for that?

Her message caught me off guard. It was an unexpected offer.

***

‘Will I finally get to meet him?’

Upon receiving word from Jung Woong’s studio asking him to wait, Wonsik let out a cheer of excitement.

Going through the studio was definitely the right move.

Ever since seeing Woojin’s photos at the exhibition, Wonsik had been digging deeper into him, almost like he was captivated. Initially, it was to understand his connection to Jung Woong, but the more he investigated, the more his focus shifted to Nam Woojin himself.

To put it in a popular expression, Woojin was a “scoop-worthy” subject.

What Wonsik discovered about Nam Woojin was a track record that was incredibly unique. He participated in the Seoul Photography Contest, which even seasoned professionals freely entered, and won the grand prize as a mere high school student, becoming the youngest recipient in history. He collaborated with the renowned fashion magazine VOTUS and even had his name associated with the exhibition of photography giant Jung Woong.

Though his list of accomplishments wasn’t extensive, each one was significant enough to make waves in the industry.

Wonsik, who had personally researched all of this, was left in awe. If he had just heard it from someone else, he wouldn’t have believed it. Woojin’s story was exactly the kind of shocking news that could stir up interest in people.

In fact, it was surprising that someone with this profile hadn’t already been widely featured in the media. With such an impressive career, it was odd that rumors about him hadn’t spread like wildfire throughout the industry.

But for Wonsik, this was a jackpot.

To be the first to interview such a major rising star? Just the thought of it thrilled him.

Meanwhile, Woojin was deep in thought.

‘An interview with a monthly magazine…’

It was a bit sudden, but it was also one of the things I’d been anticipating.

It was the perfect opportunity to put “myself” on the map.

There are already many photographers in Korea, and in a few years, that number will only grow. As technology advances, the prices of digital cameras are steadily dropping, making it easier for people to enter the photography world. As a result, the number of photographers is rising daily.

Even now, competition is fierce, but in a few years, when smartphones become more advanced, the situation will be even more precarious for professionals. Right now, phones can’t quite match the quality of cameras, but give it a few years, and phones with capabilities comparable to compact digital cameras priced around 100,000 won will be commonplace.

People today can’t imagine it, but soon, everyone will carry a device in their pocket that rivals a compact camera.

In such a world, anyone who wants to be a photographer can be one, which means the positions of current photographers will become even more unstable.

Seeing where the industry is headed, I can’t help but feel a sense of urgency. That’s why I need to drastically increase my competitiveness as a photographer before that time comes.

And nothing boosts that competitiveness like fame.

It’s about building the brand of “me.”

Just like the value of a rare gem doesn’t fade with time, no matter how many photographers flood the market, I need to establish a domain that no one can encroach upon. To do that, I have to make myself known to the world.

Although word of mouth may already be spreading within the industry, the key is to make my name known not just among industry insiders but also to the general public. That’s the direction I’ve been pursuing.

And this interview fits perfectly with that goal.

I’d planned to build up more of a portfolio before actively promoting myself, but now that the opportunity has come earlier, there’s no reason to turn it down.

Especially since Monthly Photography is a renowned magazine that everyone in the industry knows.

I welcome it with open arms.

Having made up my mind, I contacted the receptionist and accepted the interview request, receiving confirmation that they’d be in touch soon.

‘Now, let’s prepare before the interview.’

This was a chance to promote myself, and I was determined to make the most of it.