Through the Lens: Sophie Hur
Capturing the essence of New York through a lens, we’re thrilled to present our exclusive interview with the talented photographer Sophie Hur, and delved into her artistic vision, creative process, and the stories behind her stunning imagery that beautifully encapsulate the spirit of the city
Danica Evani
Thanks a bunch for having this time with us! If you don’t mind, we have already done some snooping around online and learned quite a bit about you, but now we're excited to dive even deeper!
Care to give us a sneak peek into who you are and what you're up to these days and what you're up to these days?
Hello, I am Sophie, I Am from Brisbane, Australia. I've been in New York for almost 8 years now. At the moment I Am a director and a photographer, working predominantly in fashion and branded content. I also love working with musicians with artwork and creative direction.
The long term goal is to be able to direct narrative films so I'm in the process of writing some scripts for the first time, so that's what I'm doing at the moment!
How exciting! We are cheering for you and eagerly anticipating the launch of your upcoming projects, But here's a little something for those who might not know, when you initially made the move to New York you actually attended an acting school. Fast forward to now, you’ve transitioned into the world of photography. What's the story behind this exciting shift in your creative path?
I originally moved to New York to study acting and before that, I had been doing acting for as long as I can remember. That was always the dream. I think that I started my decision to start focusing on photography when I fell in love with being in control of the image rather than being in the image. I found great joy in getting my first film roll back and it gave me so much excitement. In addition to that, in order to stay here I had to get a visa, an artist visa.. When you get an artist visa, you can only pursue one thing for 3 years.
I had to make the decision: am I doing acting or am I gonna really try and hustle and do photography? I would've done both if I could have at the time. And I just took a leap of faith, and thought, ok, I'm gonna go with my gut and I just went for photography. I didn't know anyone, I barely knew how to use a camera. I have a very tactile approach, not as “technical” as some other photographers.
I don't know, I just went for it and I have worked really hard, met so many amazing people, practiced a lot and you know, here I am!
Whoa! It sounds like a true calling that you couldn't resist. Taking control of the image rather than being in the image must have been an empowering realization! With this shift though, have you continued pursuing your acting journey or it totally shifted your whole perspective?
So i got my green card at the end of last year, (woo!) and now i can legally pursue acting. The door obviously opens a little bit more and I'm really looking forward to diving back into acting. I still do and really love performing. I am a performer at heart.
I don't think we should limit ourselves to one thing. I think that something like acting and photography and directing it all can melt into one. There is such an obvious throughline.I'm really excited to kind of take all the skills and passion that I have and kind of work, melt them together and hopefully create something that I am really proud of that kind of incorporates everything.
Is it challenging to establish yourself in New York, considering the abundance of photographers in New York, how do you navigate and thrive in this highly competitive creative industry?
I think it was difficult but at the time, I was really fortunate to meet a bunch of people that had the same open mindedness to create work together and kind of like practice and get better and learn from each other. I knew I wanted to pursue photography, so I started with meeting stylists, models, make-up artists, hair stylists, and other photographers. It was more of building a team and working together consistently on test shoots.
Whoa! It sounds like a true calling that you couldn't resist. Taking control of the image rather than being in the image must have been an empowering realization! With this shift though, have you continued pursuing your acting journey or it totally shifted your whole perspective?
So i got my green card at the end of last year, (woo!) and now i can legally pursue acting. The door obviously opens a little bit more and I'm really looking forward to diving back into acting. I still do and really love performing. I am a performer at heart.
I don't think we should limit ourselves to one thing. I think that something like acting and photography and directing it all can melt into one. There is such an obvious throughline.I'm really excited to kind of take all the skills and passion that I have and kind of work, melt them together and hopefully create something that I am really proud of that kind of incorporates everything.
Is it challenging to establish yourself in New York, considering the abundance of photographers in New York, how do you navigate and thrive in this highly competitive creative industry?
I think it was difficult but at the time, I was really fortunate to meet a bunch of people that had the same open-mindedness to create work together and kind of like practice and get better and learn from each other. I knew I wanted to pursue photography, so I started by meeting stylists, models, make-up artists, hair stylists, and other photographers. It was more of building a team and working together consistently on test shoots.
It made it possible to be able to get it further and further in photography, I'm nowhere near where I wanna be obviously, but I am really proud of where I am. I kind of attribute that to people I also started out with.
It is a really competitive creative industry, but you have to take losses with a grain of salt. You can't get down if you see somebody get a job that you pitch for.
“SURE THERE ARE MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS IN NEW YORK… YET SOMETHING ABOUT NEW YORK IS THAT EVERYONE IS SO DOWN TO MEET AND TO CHAT AND HELP OUT AND BE PART OF SOMETHING TO CREATE ART. EVERYONE IS SO INSPIRING AND MOTIVATED BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVE TO NEW YORK TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS. CORNY…BUT TRUE.”
Therefore would you say that building relationships with other photography industries is one of the most pivotal roles within your career growth?
It's crazy important. I am such a big advocate for natural networking and relationship building. Everything is significant, any little meeting that was five years ago still is significant to this day. Seriously everything matters and every person matters. You never know what someone is working on at the time and you just gotta respect everyone in the industry and where they're in their creative pursuit. Just meeting people and not thinking about anything, shits comes naturally.
Absolutely, networking can require a significant amount of effort, but the rewards and advantages it brings are abundant and crucial for long-term sustainability. Now, while we are on this topic, let's talk about online networking! the role of social media platforms in the success of photographers today. How do you perceive the impact of social media on your journey? How have you utilized these platforms to promote your work and engage with a broader audience?
Social media has been helpful for me and my growth. I have never had my instagram notification on because I feel like I need to distance myself to a degree. That's my one rule. With that being said, I wouldn't be able to be a photographer and get all the gigs that I have without it.
Shoutout to instagram for providing us with access to so many exciting videos! Haha, also thanks to instagram we were able to see your amazing portfolio of work! In terms of your work, notice a unique and distinct style that permeates your work. We're curious about the sources of your inspiration and what factors have influenced you to develop such a distinctive approach to photography?
I was attracted to film photography in the first place because I like its rawness and I love the fact that I had to learn by myself and kind of discover things and play a lot. Come to think of it, I actually let myself play a lot. I think my style comes from a place of allowing myself the freedom to to play and to make mistakes and to like i said have a littlel bit more of a tactile approach. My work isn't perfect and that's why I love it and I enjoy creating images when it is about discovering these imperfections and kinda just allowing it to just go into that direction. The fact that I didn't come from a technical background, (i didn't go film or photography school) i think that is what allowed me to have this playful approach and what definitely influenced my style.
How do you balance your artistic vision and creative expression with the commercial demands of the industry? Are there any compromises you've had to make along the way?
Everything is a compromise. Every single job. Everyone has to make compromises even if you're doing commercial work, but also in fashion. You can't avoid it, but at the end of the day you are hired for a job for your artistic vision and creative expression. We have to try our best to stay true to ourselves even with compromises.
Can you share any tips or advice for emerging photographers who are looking to make a name for themselves in the competitive photography industry?
I mean, I don’t know much because I am also still figuring it out… BUT Just keep going and shooting and find what makes you really passionate and keep doing it. And don't worry if it doesn't really equate to monetary value right now, just follow it and something will come eventually! Someone told me recently that when they are lost with what the hell they want to do in life, they think about what their perfect day would be and use that as a checkpoint. This really stuck with me because I think it’s a great way to check in with ourselves and remind us of what makes us happy and what dreams we would like to pursue. So, with that being said,☺️ my advice would be to think about what your perfect day would look like, as simple as it may be and go from there.