About Hyun De Grande
Tell me a bit about yourself [Hobbies, Interests, age, job]?
My name is Hyun De Grande, and I’m 32 years. I was born in Seoul, but I currently live in Brussels. I work as a cinematographer.
Do you consider yourself an amateur or professional photographer?
Amateur. I don't get paid for it, and I only do it in my spare time.
Do you tend to shoot alone or with someone?
I always shoot alone, because it's very difficult for me to concentrate on my photography game when there are other people around. When joined by others, I'm much less observant of my surroundings. And I also need the freedom to be able to spend long periods of times at a single spot, to be able to get a shot I'm happy about. It can take 5 mins, but it could also take a small hour, depending on how lucky you are and how badly you want a particular shot. So when you have other people waiting for you, it kind off compromises that aspect.
Your City
Are there issues in your city that you try and highlight through your photography?
Not really. I just shoot whatever fascinates me at any given moment.
What's the best or your favourite location to shoot in your area?
I don't have a favourite location, anywhere in any city. The fun part of street photography for me is that every location can give you an interesting shot, as long as you have the right elements in their right places.
Who’s your favourite photographer from your area?
I honestly don't know.
Your Photography
Am I right in thinking your passion for photography came as a result of your passion for cinematography?
Not exactly. I studied both film and photography at the same time when I was in high school. I ended up choosing cinematography as my job, but photography is still a passion of mine I'm trying to maintain.
How would you describe your photographic style?
I would say it's a mixture of cinematic and geometric, with a minimal approach.
Is there a photographer that your work is inspired from?
Trent Parke is an Australian photographer who has published a number of photography books; won numerous national and international awards including four World Press Photo awards
There is a multitude of people I'm inspired by! Not only famous photographers but also a lot of people I see on Instagram for example. But the likes of Fan Ho, Trent Parke, Alex Webb, Daido Moriyama, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Greg Girard, Roy Decarava, and Saul Leiter are certainly among my favourites.
Do you prefer black and white or colour for street photography?
I love both, but personally: most of my photography work is in colour.
In terms of street photography, do you ever get nervous about photographing people you don't know, if so how do you overcome this?
Actually, no. But I usually don't go up close to people, so that certainly helps! In any case, I try to work as subtle as possible by avoiding eye contact with my subject(s) and by pretending I'm photographing something else. Like a building behind them for example. It also helps to keep the camera to your eye for a few more seconds after your subject left the frame, so you're selling the fact that you're not taking their picture. My subjects are often curiously looking behind them to check what I could be photographing, which is funny.
What one tip would you give to someone picking up a camera for the first time?
Just have fun, experiment with some different styles, and give yourself some time, I guess.
What is your greatest photography achievement?
I don't have any, haha. But I am very happy that I've found time again to actively enjoy this art form. Because for a long time I kind off neglected it. So, that's a personal achievement!
The Process
What equipment do you use [Camera, Tripod, lens etc]?
My camera at the moment is a Fuji X100s, with a fixed 23mm T2 lens. I enjoy the small form factor because I notice I take it with me more often just because of that. Which is off course the most important thing. I also generally prefer lenses with a wider field of view, so this is perfect!
Can you talk us through what you look for in your photos [in terms of composition, colours, tone, shadows, highlights]?
I mainly look for clear shapes or lines, whether it be through architecture or defined shadows. But I also look for cinematic lighting situations, mostly at night though. And then I usually wait for a subject to enter the setting. In general, I also prefer my images to be easily readable.
Can you talk us through your editing style [What applications do you use, do you use inbuilt filters or edit each individual image differently]?
All my images are edited in Lightroom, and I don't use presets. I really enjoy editing each image from scratch because that way you organically discover which direction you should go with it.
Cinematography
How did you get into cinematography as I feel like its a hard industry to push into?
Cinematography Reel 2019
I started out shooting as many projects as possible from people I knew at high school to gain experience and to build a resume. Mainly short films. My intention was to put my name out there as fast as possible. In between, I took some jobs as a lighting or camera assistant to earn some money, until I was getting my first job offers as a cameraman or cinematographer.
In terms of the shorts and music videos you've made, they look immensely professional. What sorts of budgets did you get for these projects?
Haha, thank you! :). Hard to put a number on this, because a) I'm usually not aware of the total budget of a production, and b) these budgets vary a lot depending on each project.
Have you had critical acclaim for your cinematography work?
Muil Trailer- A short film in which Richard has the unusual fantasy of getting sexually aroused by the idea of being devoured by an animal.
The only official acclaim I received was a "best cinematography" prize for a short film I did in 2017, called "Maw" (or "Muil" in the original language). But honestly, as long as the project itself is doing good, I'm happy.
How do you choose what projects to be a part of?
It has to be a project which is creatively appealing to me, in one way or another. And, more importantly, I want to be emotionally involved by the script. Besides that, it's also vital for me to have a good connection, and share a similar vision with the director.
What's your favourite video you’ve created and why?
Hmm, I'm proud of several projects I've done... Hard to choose just one.
What's the most difficult project you have had to film?
Not sure if it was the most difficult one, because every project has its hurdles. But one of the most interesting challenges was the short film Female Unknown. The intention was to shoot the whole 20minute-film in one single take, with a small portion of it being in a swimming pool at water level. It took us a lot of planning and rehearsing, but it was really fun to do!
Who do you look up to as a cinematographer?
To name a few among many: Christopher Doyle, Vitorio Storaro, Roger Deakins, Vilmos Zsigmond, Sven Nykvist, Rodrigo Prieto, Benoit Debie, Tonino Delli Colli and Robby Müller.
It’s your chance to give someone a shoutout here [choose wisely], who's the most talented person you've worked with?
Can't say. Too many to list here.
The Future
What do you hope to accomplish with your photography?
I hope I can continue doing this for a long time. And I would lie if I didn't say that I would love to have some of my work get exhibited somewhere, sometime. That would be beyond amazing!
How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?
Mainly by doing it as much as possible. There's a noticeable difference to me between shots I took last year, compared to shots I took recently. The big difference is I've been photographing a lot more since then. But I also find it interesting to study the masters and to look at other people's work in general, because that puts your own work into perspective and it teaches you about other styles and approaches. So I guess it's a combination of all these things.
What motivates you to keep taking photos?
I just enjoy doing it, and it gives me peace of mind! It truly alters my mood when I'm out taking pictures. Same thing with editing. I can spend hours, even days doing nothing but editing. It's the whole process that gratifies me.
What would you say is key in gaining Instagram followers?
I have no idea. I guess staying true to yourself, and only putting out content you enjoy putting out there. And try to engage with people.
What do you enjoy about Instagram?
Certainly discovering other people's work from around the globe, and connecting with them. That's pure joy for me. Every time I see great work from other people, it motivates me to start shooting or continue editing again myself. It's actually one big catalyst!
What one thing would you improve about the social media platform?
When I was in Canada a few months ago they had a local update, which would hide the number of likes on any post. Only the creator could see how much likes his/her post received, nobody else. I found that interesting because it felt less like a popularity contest and it took your focus back on the images itself.
Read More about Instagram's proposed changes to the platform here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-49026935
Thanks to Hyun for talking with me. You can check out more of his work at https://www.instagram.com/hyundegrande/. All images and videos are, unless stated, the property of Hyun.