Kenny Jeon

Artist Statement

I started photography to try and change my perspective and see the world in a new light. I felt that there was so much beauty in the world, and I wanted to use photography as a medium to learn how to first notice it, so that I could truely appreciate it. I personally always felt drawn to street photography, I loved that it didn't present itself as a box that you had to try and struggle to fit in, but more of a canvas that gives you an idea of where to start, and lets your creativity shape what the end result will become. My creative process starts with simply exploring, picking a location and walking around, letting the moment dictate what pictures I take. I enjoy this because this gives an honest representation of the world that I see, with nothing being set up beforehand, all being very candid. Most of my photos involve people as my main subject, as they are a powerful tool that drives the narrative of my photos. Looking at the subject and seeing their expressions, their actions or even their character brings adds so much color and can make the same landscape unique with every photo. I also like to play around with more abstract photography using reflections and shadows, finding interesting aspects in the seemingly mundane. My photography is focused on satisfying my own personal desire to see more beauty in the world. It is my attempt at taking the regular day to day and framing it in away so that it seems interesting. I take influence from renowned and prestigious photographers such as Tatsuo Suzuki, Saul Leiter and Ernest Haas. I love how Tatsuo Suzuki captures his subjects, his photos containing and exhibiting so much of the subjects personality. he courageously takes photos in an up close, personal manner, and I admire the bravery, as well as the results. While Tatsuo Suzuki shoots primarily in black and white, the other two photographers mentioned as influences, Saul Leiter and Ernest Haas, are known to be pioneers of color photography, and also known for their clever utilization of reflections in their photos. I take a lot of inspiration from those two and incorporate a lot of reflections in my own photos as well, providing an more abstract touch. I try to take elements of the photographers I admire, and incorporate them into my own style and vision, so that I can come up with something unique to me, not an imitation of someone else's.

Biography

Kenny Jeon was born February 5th 2001 in Calgary, Canada. He has a degree in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary. Kenny is a member of the Alcove Photo Club and a founding member of a new photography collective, the Mapo Collective. The collective was formed this year by passionate photographers who wanted to contribute to bringing more attention to photography as an artistic medium in Calgary, as well as help to develop a more tightknit community of photographers in their local city. Kenny was also a photographer for the 2024 Calgary Expo, shooting event photography as well as portraits. Kenny is very active in his local community, taking part in many events hosted by the Alcove Photo Club, and the Rando Photo Walks group, both aimed at gathering photographers in the city, and bringing them together in order to create a more tight knit community. Kenny is also an aspiring singer songwriter, having multiple songs available on streaming platforms.

Caught In Rain_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels
Family Stroll_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels
Ins and Outs of the Cafe_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels
Dinner_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels
Briefly,Light_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2002 pixels
Focused on You_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels
Brief Downpour_2024_Digital photograph_3000x2000 pixels