Fashion photographer Shin Hyun-a knows all there is to know about shooting fashion spreads.
Featured in O, the Oprah Magazine, this freelancer has shot for the fashion bigwigs Chinese Bazaar, GQ Korea, and Arena Korea, the hip fashion rags Ego Miami and Ego Los Angeles, and the hip-hop street magazine Luire Japan and Avenuel.
So, what has she learned from all this?
"If you see fish, they have a big budget," said Shin, 37, handing down her humorous and honest words of wisdom in an interview with The Korea Herald.
Shin is referring to the catering for a shoot. According to her, all one has to do is look at the food to get a sense of the budget.
When Shin went into the Hearst building for her shoot with O magazine, they were serving smoked salmon and lots of fish.
"I could see tons of money going into this shoot," Shin said. Unfortunately, Shin did not get to capitalise on this massive budget because she was there as a model, not as a photographer.
"If you think freelancing for one year will bring you bread, you're mistaken."
"I have a friend," she explained. "She's vice president at the Ford Model Agency in New York. Then, one day, she asked me, 'Have you ever heard of the Oprah Magazine?'"
"They wanted to hire me as a model," Shin said.
According to Shin, O magazine likes to use real professionals as models. And she fit the bill.
Not surprising, considering this New York-based photographer managed to nab her first job right after she graduated, and has kept busy since.
But Shin has no illusions about the life of a freelancer.
"If you think freelancing for one year will bring you bread, you're mistaken," she said. "You need three years and a strong will."
Shin has been at it for three and a half years and is going for gold now.
"I want to see myself shooting for Bazaar," the ambitious photographer said. "I love the styling. Vogue is usually considered hip. Somehow, for me, Bazaar has a younger feel."
Shin did not always dream of getting a Bazaar spread.
"In high school, I was very into fashion," she said. "I wanted to be a designer."
Things rarely work out as planned. When this Seoul native turned 29, she enrolled in the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Graduating magna cum laude, Shin kicked off her career by boarding a plane for Korea and landing herself a shoot with the luxury magazine Avenuel.
"They were very young and they were very open to new commerce," she said.
After shooting for Avenuel, she continued to score jobs with the men's magazines Arena Korea and GQ Korea, and also with Chinese Bazaar.
Her husband of 11 years, Eric M. Swanson, general manager of the five-star Millennium Seoul Hilton hotel, helped her a lot.
Shin took the opportunity to show him her gratitude when she took on the Millennium Seoul Hilton ad campaign. Featuring three leading actresses, Yoon Hae-young, Shim Hye-jin and former Miss Korea Son Tae-young, Shin's work was recognised by The Korea Herald as one of the Best Creative Industry Ads for 2007.
"That was a very comfortable shoot," she said.
But her Chinese Bazaar job was one of her most memorable photo shoots.
"When I did the shoot for Chinese Bazaar in New York, I rented a studio in Chelsea," she recalled. "It was the end of May, but it was a winter shoot.
"Then, all of a sudden, it started to rain," Shin said. "After an hour, the ceiling of the studio started leaking."
Shin managed to get 20 buckets together and spread them out on the floor. But, to no avail.
The residents, worried about the leak, called the police. The police, in turn, told her to stop the shoot.
"I said, 'No, I can't.' There were three shots left," she said. "We argued for 10 minutes."
Shin stood her ground and won out. They finished the shoot in three hours and the results were fabulous.
Clearly, nothing stands between her and the perfect shot. And, with more and more Asians getting into the fashion industry, from designers to models to creative directors, Shin may just make her mark as one of the industry's top photographers. (By JEAN OH/ The Korea Herald/ ANN)
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