Based in Philadelphia, PA
215-315-3196 || hannah@hannahyoon.com
Philadelphia freelance photographer. Philadelphia photographer
215-315-3196 || hannah@hannahyoon.com
Philadelphia freelance photographer. Philadelphia photographer
May 2018 - June 2018 || Seoul, South Korea
Shot on the Yashica Mat 124 G
A desire to connect with South Korea, the place where my parents came from and where my ancestors lay to rest, led me to travel there in 2018. I never got a chance to connect with my grandparents, so I was curious about their current and past experiences. As I walked around Seoul, I noticed a lot of elderly people dressed in fashionable clothes, particularly men dressed in suits, fancy hats and nice shoes. This is why I started to photograph them in the first place.
A desire to connect with South Korea, the place where my parents came from and where my ancestors lay to rest, led me to travel there in 2018. I never got a chance to connect with my grandparents, so I was curious about their current and past experiences. As I walked around Seoul, I noticed a lot of elderly people dressed in fashionable clothes, particularly men dressed in suits, fancy hats and nice shoes. This is why I started to photograph them in the first place.
Normally people in Korea don't want their photo taken, but when I mentioned people's outfits, they were excited to share how much something cost or where they got their suit from. Some said it was important for them to dress well as a way to feel dignified. One man said to me "My skin is aging, my breath smells, and I can't control that I'm getting old, but I can still control what I wear and how I present myself to society." I got a sense that aging isn't viewed as something to be proud of, but people can still be proud of what they're wearing. Most elderly people in Korea experienced a lot of trauma, and this is one way for them to show the world they've survived it and they're doing well.
I worked on this project for about 3-4 weeks from May 2018 to June 2018. I shot the portraits with a Yashica Mat 124G - it was my first time using a medium format film camera. My biggest barrier was the cost of shooting medium format film. I'd only make 3-4 frames of each person I met, and in hindsight I wish I used at least 1-2 rolls per person. Before I went to Seoul I tested out a few rolls on my friends and family with expired film. I was getting used to seeing things backwards, so it would take me a few attempts to compose the frames. But having this camera was an icebreaker and created conversation with the elderly people, since some of them recognized it as an older camera. I also liked that there wasn't a barrier between my face and the people I was meeting. There was already a language barrier to deal with, so having the camera below my face made me feel a bit more connected. I think after the first few people I photographed, I became more comfortable with the camera.
When pitching this story, it was disheartening because, although the images were well received by different editors, the story never found a place to be published. Also, I wanted to explore what the elderly population experienced in daily life, but some editors wanted to see suffering, struggling grandmas and grandpas. I personally did not want to photograph this community from a suffering narrative, but rather wanted to show the ways members of the elderly community preserve their dignity. This is a generation that endured Japanese colonization, the Korean war and economic struggle under a dictatorship, and witnessed technological and economic growth. My hope was to preserve their stories and images before this generation passes away.
When pitching this story, it was disheartening because, although the images were well received by different editors, the story never found a place to be published. Also, I wanted to explore what the elderly population experienced in daily life, but some editors wanted to see suffering, struggling grandmas and grandpas. I personally did not want to photograph this community from a suffering narrative, but rather wanted to show the ways members of the elderly community preserve their dignity. This is a generation that endured Japanese colonization, the Korean war and economic struggle under a dictatorship, and witnessed technological and economic growth. My hope was to preserve their stories and images before this generation passes away.