Photo Shoot for the 20th South Korean Presidential Election

In 2022, I was commissioned by KBS to photograph presidential candidates for their national election broadcast. The biggest challenge wasn’t the lighting or composition — it was time. With candidates’ schedules packed down to the minute, I had mere moments to complete the shoot, with no room for error. KBS requested high-contrast imagery, which required multiplel light sources positioned with extreme precision. Since I needed to capture each subject from the front and sides, both seated and standing, every lighting position had to be mapped in advance to accommodate quick transitions.

Fortunately, KBS provided a spacious venue, and my team and I had time to test the lighting and rehearse the movement plan. But several sessions were canceled or delayed just moments before the scheduled time, due to breaking political events. At one point, we fully set up and dismantled the setup multiple times without a single frame captured.

Most of the candidates were seasoned politicians, well-versed in dealing with the media, and accustomed to being photographed. But even so, the maximum time we had with each was only about 15 minutes. There was no chance for small talk, no warm-up shots — only a rush of precisely calculated movements and setups. Real-time monitoring was nearly impossible. My only option was to follow the lighting and framing plan with discipline and speed.

Of all the scheduled shoots, only two candidates were successfully photographed. Later, we tried one last method: setting up equipment outside a live debate studio to catch a candidate as they exited. It turned into a nightmare. We ended up chasing the candidate with only handheld lights. In the panic, I didn’t notice the ISO setting had shifted. We salvaged the results in post-production, but I was furious.

Still, I value neutrality. I leave my preferences, opinions, even my political stance behind the camera. In those moments, I don’t exist — only the subject does. Interestingly, one of the images I shot for this project was reused in the next election cycle. That same candidate won. I was quietly thrilled.