Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Kim
Hi Andy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I first picked up a camera back when I was in middle school, around 2007, joining the Yearbook team. I was fascinated by the whole concept of “Behind the Scenes” team or the people that made something happen or possible.
I continued joining creative teams in my high school years from 2011 – 2015 with the School Newspaper, Yearbook Team, and Senate. High school is also where I started photographing my friends just for fun. High school wasn’t my greatest years, as I always saw myself as a loser who was cyberbullied and bullied throughout my high school years. One day, a friend messaged me that the photos I took of them, they never saw themselves in that manner, and started being more confident about themselves. This hit me like a truck, knowing that I can do something like that for someone else, a spark in me ignited. That’s when I decided to take photography more seriously and professionally.
When I entered college in 2016, Instagram started becoming more of a creative business app, where you can reach out to other artists and collaborate with them, and that’s what I did. I reached out to IG Models, big or small followers, and just hoped for responses. I was fortunate enough to get a lot of responses and work with them, who I actually still am in contact and work with today. I did this until about 2020, where I learned so much about the modeling / photography industry,
Around 2021, I reached a stalemate in my photography progress. I knew at the time, I wasn’t making any new things. I wasn’t learning, there wasn’t challenges, I had reached the end of the road. I had to find something new. Then I watched the Anime, Demon Slayer, and I immediately wanted to start cosplaying. Thus began my new road into the world of Cosplay Photography.
Cosplay Photography skyrocketed my creativity and passion again. With endless characters all with different aesthetics and vibes, I was able to tackle so many different kinds of shoots, techniques, editing aesthetics, and projects from so many passionate and talented artists in the community. This is also where I found the best friends a loser from high school couldn’t even dream of. I finally found my community of friends I could always go back to for support without any doubts.
I knew going into the cosplay community wasn’t going to be easy, as there were already plenty of photographers in the community. So I asked myself, “how do I get my name out there and stand out?” Well, I just did what I normally do. And I was fortunate enough to be called trustworthy and caring by many.
I will say my greatest find or achievement through my photography over the years, is ending up where I am now, surrounded by fellow artists and creators I can proudly call friends. And if I could do it, then I know, anyone else can. Just don’t give up and be the better person for those around you.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There were definitely many challenges and obstacles along the way. The biggest challenges I would say were money and balancing life. Being a photographer is an expensive hobby already, but when you add cosplay into it, you’re also spending on cosplays, props, convention badges, etc. Not only that, but I had to use my money sparingly. There were so many times during my cosplay photography years where I wish I had better equipment or more of specific equipment. But I couldn’t just willy-nilly buy them.
Balancing family, my job, other personal stuff, and photography in general had its ups and downs as well.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been a professional photographer since 2016. I don’t think I specialize in a specific aspect of photography, because when I started, I wanted to be a very versatile photographer capable of shooting any concept.
What I am most proud of currently is how my name is known in the cosplay community. I am known to be very versatile, trustworthy in shooting anywhere and anyone.
What sets me apart from others, from my point of view, is I don’t have one specific edit style or aesthetic. I can edit many different aesthetics, depending on the client’s preferences. I learned this very quickly in the cosplay community, where almost everyone has preferences to how they want their photos edited. I am also known currently for photographing / creating recreations of a game or an anime scene. Where I take a photo of a cosplayer and turn the scenario as if it was the live-action version.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love using YouTube for Photography, Photoshop, and Lightroom tutorials. Or to just jam to game or movie soundtracks while I’m editing.
I also like to use Discord to chat with my fellow photographers or artists just for company when I’m working at home.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/androthekim0131/
