See all of Lisa’s photography on Imagekind.

there's something wrong with my head...

Lisa KC produces some of the most beautifully eclectic photography. Drawing everywhere from self portraits, nature, travel and even fruit.

redemption

Where were you born, where do you live now, any other background info?

I was born in Seoul, South Korea, but my family and I moved several times during my childhood. We ended up in Virginia where I attended high school and college, but I currently live in southern Spain with my husband. When I was younger, I often drew pictures of made-up people and characters — just sketches, really. I enjoyed drawing immensely, but I kept my images to myself and never took a formal art or photography class. During my college years, I became more interested in photography, but only in the very basic sense. I had a very simple point-and-shoot digital camera, and at that point, I didn’t know anything about manual camera settings or photo editing techniques. I joined the photo-sharing site Flickr in 2007 just to share my photos with family and friends, but soon after, I discovered so much amazing and mind-blowing photography just by browsing through Flickr; I wanted to learn more about the craft of photography, and was determined to teach myself as much as I possibly could. I purchased my first DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel XTi, and taught myself how to use it through trial and error and taking numerous photographs.

Living Room Levitation

I also wanted to hone my photo editing skills, so I downloaded GIMP, a free photo editing program, and scoured the internet for tutorials and tips; anything I could get my hands on. I think one of the biggest turning points for me was when I decided to start my own 365 days project; one photo a day, everyday, for one full year. Not only was it a way for me to utilize my camera each day, but it helped keep the creative juices flowing, so to speak. I drew inspiration from everything; from a simple garment to my very own emotions, whether hopeful or extremely sad. I believe that it was during this year of photo-taking that I came up with some of my best work.

Toxic

How would you describe your work?

My work varies. I’ve experimented with flower and water macro images, self-portraiture, landscape/architecture, and I’ve taken portraits of friends and family. I’ll even use stock photos to create an image, but nowadays that’s not as frequent. However, I think my real passion is to make images that border on surreal — dark, yet whimsical images that hint at some kind of narrative, but are still open to interpretation. I’m currently experimenting with off-camera lighting with the help of strobes, so I’m excited to add this element to the making of my images.

baptism

What processes and techniques do you use to create your work?

No matter what, whether I plan to do a lot of post-processing or not, I always strive to get the image right in-camera to the absolute best of my ability; this means paying attention to my composition, lighting, white balance, etc. I utilize all these factors to make the best image I can — if I’ve done it right, then the post processing stage will be much, much easier. Many of my images are composites — two or more images layered together, and I’ve often used textures in my work to create a certain mood or quality. I always have a general, loose idea of how I want the image to look, but during the editing stage, I try to just let it evolve naturally, on intuition really. I have no set, step-by-step guide.

the white sheet

Are you a full time artist?

Technically and career-wise, no. But in my heart, yes!

En Pointe

Any notable accomplishments?

Some of my photos have been published in online digital magazines, such as Carpaccio Magazine and Crack Mag, but my most recent achievement is a small feature on my 365 series in the March/April 2010 issue of American Photo magazine. It is a huge honor to me, and I’m extremely humbled.

individuality is dead

Where can we find more info and keep up with your work?

You can find me at my Flickr webpage. I love to keep in contact with other Flickr artists, so feel free to send me a message or add me as a contact!

does the center hold?

What artists inspire you?

There’s so many artists that inspire me, I couldn’t possibly list them all! But here are a few of my recent favorites.

Jeffrey Vanhoutte, Christophe Gilbert, Jon Jacobsen, Marco Diaz

the first spill

See all of Lisa’s photography on Imagekind.