Photography as Art and Life

Art has long been part of Joe Wabe’s life, but today he makes it pay, living and working as a photographer. He runs a studio here in Gwangju with a partner and works on other ventures freelance.

As a freelancer, Wabe sells his work through stock photo agencies that provide licensed work to companies for commercial purposes. His photos of happy people, for example, may be used to depict happiness in relation to an organization, or to promote sales of a certain product. More abstract is the idea of concept photography, in which his images can be used to stimulate memories of the public or to instill an idea in consumers’ minds.

With his partner, the pair provides photography services to the international community in Gwangju. Wedding photography is one area in which they specialize in. They also provide couples, baby and family portraits.

But what drives his passion, and why did he decide on photography?

“Photography is an evolution of my graphic artist career,” said Wabe. Having loved art for as long as he can remember, his first memories of art are of drawing cartoons of people. When he got his first computer, he transitioned to graphic design and studied that through Florida International University. Upon graduation, he focused his career in the same sphere. As photography worked its way into more and more of his commercial design assignments, Wabe began to see its importance and eventually left the design field seven years ago to work solely in the field. After moving to photography as a singular career endeavor, his images began to gain notice through social media, exhibitions and contributions to different publications, and Wabe says he jumped right into the photography business.

More recently, Wabe has created and positioned himself as editor-in-chief of Photographers In Korea, or P.I.K., an online magazine that brings together photographers from all over the Korean peninsula to work on photographic engagements such as photo walks and contests. It should also be noted that as of this issue, Joe Wabe is the photo editor for Gwangju News, replacing Simon Bond.

Wabe’s biggest dream is to publish a book, which showcases his own best work as well as the works of international photographers in Korea. Focusing on Gwangju, Wabe hopes for this dream to become a reality in the near future, and it is a project on which he is currently working.

Wabe and his partner’s studio work can be viewed at www.dalkoom.photography. His own personal blog, kimchitales.com, features photos organized by topic, with short excerpts about each subject. For more information on his latest project, Photographers In Korea, please visit www.photographersinkorea.com.