Not every season of life feels significant while you’re in it. Sometimes it’s only later that you realise how much has changed. How quickly a chapter passed. How small someone once was. How a season that felt ordinary at the time became one of the most meaningful to look back on. Those are the moments I’m drawn to preserving.
creating imagery that holds connection, atmosphere and intimacy.
My work is grounded in the belief that photographs become more meaningful with time. What feels ordinary today often becomes the very thing we find ourselves returning to years later.
I’ve always been drawn to people and the quiet ways they care for one another. The small gestures. The familiar ease between family members. The way someone reaches for another person without thinking.
It’s what draws me to family sessions, but also to couples, elopements and intimate weddings. Those moments of connection often become the ones we return to most.
My role is never to force a moment.
It’s to create space for people to settle in,
feel comfortable and be fully present
with one another.
I’m often told that I bring a calm energy to a session, which still surprises me a little because it’s not always how I’d describe myself away from the camera.
But with a camera in hand, something shifts. Photography has always felt like a way of paying attention, of noticing the things that are easy to overlook while you’re living them. I feel completely at ease. It’s where I’m most present, most grounded, and most myself. That sense of calm shapes the way I work and the experience I want to create for the people in front of my lens.
I know being photographed can feel vulnerable. It can bring up self-consciousness, uncertainty, or the feeling that you need to get it right. I approach each session gently, allowing stories to unfold naturally and guiding only where needed. My role is to create a space where people can settle in, feel comfortable and be themselves.
Living and working on the Mornington Peninsula has shaped so much of the way I see.
I’m drawn to the coastline, to open air, soft light and the sense of exhale that comes from being near the water. That connection to place often finds its way into my work too, whether we’re photographing your family at home, wandering along the beach, or finding a quiet location that feels right for your story.
Originally from Seoul, I’ve also lived in London and Trier, Germany. Living in different places has given me a deep appreciation for people, culture and the many ways we connect.
Outside of photography, I’m someone who laughs at the oddest things and then keeps laughing about them days later. I used to play the oboe, sing, and play piano, and while those parts of my life are quieter now, I think they still shape the way I notice rhythm, emotion and atmosphere in the world around me.
At the heart of it all, this work is about preservation. It’s about creating imagery that allows you to return to a season of life and feel something of it again. The closeness, the atmosphere, the way life looked before it changed.
If that’s the kind of experience you’re looking for, I’d love to photograph your story.
Love Jo x
