[Joseonhee's Frame] The Most Special Family Photo in the World

When people, especially family members, come together, they naturally embrace each other more tightly, and as they become immersed in the moment, the awkwardness of taking a family photo quickly disappears. (Provided by Joajoa Studio)

Seoul National University Hospital planned a family photo exhibition as an event for medical staff and employees who sacrificed themselves, unable to care for their own families due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The hospital cautiously proposed a kind of talent donation to me, but what surprised me even more was their request to photograph twenty families.

To properly photograph twenty families, at least three days would be needed, which was realistically impossible given the tight schedule. A small but significant misconception among people unfamiliar with photography is that "photos just pop out when you press the shutter." Moreover, you never know how many members each family will have. From my experience, the more people there are, the more difficult the photo shoot becomes. Group photos are notorious for complaints like someone closing their eyes or not looking good. Even if I had to concede and agree to photograph just ten families, I would have at least asked for a meeting. This is the kind of answer I give when I feel, "I will do it anyway, but it is mentally burdensome."

However, the hospital said there were so many applicants that they wanted to photograph even one or two more families, and I ended up accepting, pushing aside the "expected difficulties." The person in charge laughed and tried to make me proud by saying that the number of applicants increased fiftyfold compared to last year because I was taking the photos, but underlying that was the meaning, "Joseonhee, we want something special from you." Even after thinking about it before the meeting, no ideas came to mind. I really didn’t want to do the usual "Okay, now we’ll take the photo, one, two, three."

Ideas really come from brainstorming! On the day of the meeting, the Seoul National University Hospital representative explained the purpose of the project and said, "Family is one," which sparked a striking idea in my mind: "Let’s bind the family as one." Binding usually has a negative connotation, but if you think about it, when people, especially family members, are bound together, they tend to hug each other more tightly. Also, immersing in that situation would instantly dissolve the awkwardness of taking a family photo. The first family had eight members, including grandparents, a married son and daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, and the elders enjoyed the idea of "being bound as a family." They forgot about being photographed and immersed themselves in the act of "being bound," thinking of it as a kind of game.

However, there is always a hidden challenge in every shoot. The little kids were the problem. Some children started crying because they found it unfamiliar to be crowded together and hugged, and the thick rope scared them. There was even a stubborn seven-year-old who refused to go inside the rope and gave me a hard time for over an hour. But that was okay. As long as they were in the photo, their innocence held the beauty of existence. Even crying or sulking expressions were enough to become a punctum (a point of interest). When the children cried, the parents panicked, which made it hard to get genuine smiles. One family with two adolescent sons found both being bound and smiling extremely awkward. However, it ended warmly when the older son smiled at the end.

After the shoot, I was exhausted. Directing and photographing so many people alone requires even a 25-year veteran like me to summon energy from deep within. Still, I was able to complete the shoot with a sense of fulfillment because each family took turns blooming with smiles and expressed gratitude for creating fun memories. My small wish for this project was to capture those wonderful memories perfectly in a single photograph.

My own family does not have even a single family photo. My parents were too busy raising five children to sit down and eat comfortably, and before we realized it, God took my father away before we could have a family photo. Perhaps I was capturing my childhood longing for family photos. I thank all twelve families who happily smiled in front of my camera. I now have a wonderful memory of a family photo myself.

Joseonhee, Photographer / Professor, Department of Photography and Imaging, Kyungil University