Looking at the world through star-colored lenses

by javabeans

Note: What they’re talking about in this article is a step up from the ubiquitous “sel-ca” photos, or “self-taken” photographs, that we see online everywhere. A lot of the photos in question do feature the celebs themselves, but this is referring more to the trend of stars becoming amateur photographers, publishing books and putting their work out for display.

“What’s the reason for the celebrity photographer trend?”

Actors aren’t merely models who always stand in front of the camera. Sometimes they stand behind the camera and see the world through the eyes of photographers. Some publish photo collections like Park Ji-yoon (Secret Garden), Bae Doo-na (Doo-na’s Tokyo Fun), Lee Byung-jin. Others operate photo studios themselves, like Jo Min-ki (Seoul Cheongdamdong St. Zio) and Bbaek Ga (Seoul Shinsadong BY100).

A number of others are photography fans boasting a bit of skill, such as Bae Yong-joon, Boa, So Ji-sub, Song Il-kook, Uhm Tae-woong, and Jung Jong-chul. Let’s take a look at the reason for the trend of celebrities getting behind the camera lens.

(You mean, other than vanity?)

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Singer-actress and photoessayist Park Ji-yoon

Photos are the cure-all for stress

Popularity is also a burden, and the tough, competitive nature of the entertainment industry inevitably leads to high stress. The best thing for relieving that stress is to indulge in hobby activities. In the past, exercise and travel were popular, but lately more and more celebrities are falling into the lure of photography. The reason for the rise of photography as the top hobby must be attributed to the wide proliferation of digital cameras. With high-powered digital cameras becoming cheaper and more available, their popularity has risen and the numbers of photos have exploded.

A photo by actor So Ji-sub, titled “Rest”

Photo taken by actor-director Yoo Ji-tae

They aim to express themselves openly

The main means stars use to show their photos are through their personal homepages and internet blogs. A good example that enjoyed extreme popularity was last year’s photoessay series published on a portal site that was called “So Ji-sub: The World Through His Eyes.” Mini-homepages at one point replaced stars’ official websites in popularity. The reason such stars display their own work is because of a desire to express themselves in a way that’s particular to celebrities. Considering that music and acting are art forms, the desire for one to express one’s inner thoughts must be strong. Of course, one must also have constant exposure to remain one’s status. There are also many instances when a star wants to show an artistic sense that hasn’t been expressed in their work thus far.

Actress Moon Geun-young’s “Family”

Actress Shin Ae, photographed by actor Jo Min-ki

All it takes for star photos to become popular is a push of the shutter

Once a photo is revealed to have been taken by a celebrity, that fact alone is enough to make it a hot topic. Now it’s not just whose photo has been taken that’s important, but who took the photo. Recently, Jo Min-ki caused a stir when a photo he took of Shin Ae was printed in a magazine. In June, when singer Shinji put out a solo debut album, her fellow singer [from pop group Koyotae] Bbaek Ga shot her album jacket photo and gained popularity amongst fans. In this way, photographs shot by entertainers are a top marketing tactic as well. The public receives works put out by entertainers beyond their songs and dramas eagerly. Recently, Bae Yong-joon announced his intention to publish a photo collection showcasing the beauty of Korea, causing some fans to do their own inquiring and researching into the sites of interest. Thus celeb-taken photographs are becoming a significant channel of communication between fans and stars.

Bae Doo-na

Via Sports Seoul

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