Into the mind of Jae Jeon

by Ethan Jiang

“If you take one thousand bad pictures, one of them will be okay.” - Jae Jeon.

The photo-capturing process of a photographer goes beyond the simple, ‘Okay, step into frame… Perfect!’ After the shot, a battle with the clock ensues: photos retouched and concepts and goals defined. Despite this complicated process, photographer Jae Jeon still pursues his passion while pursuing his degree.

Jae Jeon was born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in San Diego, California. He is a self-taught photographer who started his journey a year and a half ago, just before beginning his first year at NYU Tandon School of Engineering studying Mechanical Engineering.

Tell me a bit about yourself and what got you into photography. Is it something you plan to pursue as a potential career, or is it more of a hobby?

The way I got into photography is kind of a funny story. I actually broke my arm and couldn’t ride my bike. My dad had a twenty-year-old camera that I picked up. I just started using it when I realized I could use it with my thumb. Later on, my family went to Hawaii, and I was bummed that I couldn’t swim, so I went around using the camera and fell in love with photography. I’m doing it more of as a hobby right now, but if I could, I’d love to do it professionally.

What inspires your creativity?

A lot of things do inspire my creativity, but… mostly it’s what I see online. [You] can say what you want about that. It’s like going to the gym and just seeing all of that online and in person and wanting to try that myself, making my own spin-off of that.

Are there any subjects or themes that you stick to? What’s your style?

I don’t have any subjects that I specifically stick to. But my favorite subjects are people and beautiful settings, particularly landscapes and cityscapes. I usually like to shoot vibrantly and give a cinematic aura with the shadows and a dreamy feeling through playing with the light and exposure, creating a sort of glow within my shots.

What goes on in your head when you’re capturing your shots?

To be honest, I don’t have a procedure. I know many photographers are sticklers to the rules, but I’m self-taught, so my thought process is more of “That’s pretty, I want a shot of that.” However, I now also think, “I can do this to make that look nicer.” It’s all mostly just what I’m feeling and what I’m seeing at the moment.

What has the change of moving from the West Coast to the Big Apple been like? Has that affected the opportunities available to you? Has that changed your style?

It did change my perspective. San Diego is where I’m from, and there’s so much beautiful nature there. However, New York has its own beauty throughout the city. There’s a… darker vibe to it, not in a bad way, but just like edgier. I don’t particularly go out to look for shots of nature anymore now that I’ve experienced the big city. So, there are a lot of photographers in NYC, and it’s a massive tourist destination. Even San Diego, which has many tourists, pales compared to the Big Apple. There are many famous monuments such as the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge, and so much more.

What happens after you capture the shot? Do you take it to a program such as Photoshop to retouch it, or…?

The first thing I do after taking the photo is check it in my camera. If I like it, I keep it; if not, I try again. Then I take it to Adobe Lightroom, where I can mess with the exposure, contrast, and grade all the colors. If I need major retouching, I will use Photoshop, which I [use] with caution, as I don’t want to take away too much from the original picture itself.

“My camera is just an extension of my eyes and memories. When I edit pictures, I just try to remember what I saw in the moment and bring that to life in the picture. Photography is the easiest way to share what I’ve seen.” - Jae Jeon

Tell me about your favorite shot. What was it? Where was it? Why is it your favorite?

The panorama shot of Seoul’s downtown reflected across the Hangang River. I like the shot because I was born in Korea and haven’t returned in a long time. I remember just sitting there and being in awe at what I saw. That was also my first time playing with a pano shot. It’s just really beautiful and has a sentimental value to me. It’s not necessarily the most difficult or beautiful shot, but it’s still my favorite. It took thirty to forty minutes to color grade the sunset. I went through every orange possible just to perfect the sunset.

What is a project you really want to work on?

Something I’ve never been able to access but always wanted to try is studio photography. I’ve never worked with studio lighting, only natural lighting. Studio photography requires every tool. Natural lighting, on the other hand, moves the subject around to work with the sunlight. So it’s just something that I want to try.

What plans, if any, do you have to blend your passion for photography with your academics?

Engineering is all about the journey and the final product. Photography is essential to expose each step of the process and the final product. If I can’t market the product, then it’s essentially useless. To be able to say I’m a photographer, I have a certain appeal to engineering firms as I’m able to market the product as well.

Where do you see yourself going or want to go as a photographer? At NYU and after NYU?

At NYU, I’d love to be able to start doing photoshoots for people. If you DM, we can settle a time and a price, all the details. I’d also like to provide content for clubs or organizations like WSN. That’s where I can see myself at NYU. After NYU, I can see myself pursuing it on the side for some extra income, but I’d really like to become a travel photographer. I want to show the world the way I see it through my eyes and my lens. I’d also just love to travel the world and experience all the diverse cultures around the world. My journey started in Hawaii, and I want to take it worldwide.

“People say you only live once, but I say you only die once cause you live every day. That’s why I bring my camera around with me, to capture every life that I live and see.” – Jae Jeon