Toronto-based commercial and editorial photographer Hamin Lee has been showcased in Applied Arts, Communication Arts and PDN magazines. He's also won awards for his photography in annuals produced by the ADCC, Applied Arts, Communication Arts, PDN and Marketing.

05.18.10

From Epiphanies And Theophanies

If you have a degree in what field is it? Philosophy and photography.

What was your strangest assignment? Shooting twelve different kinds of raw, plucked, whole poultry for an editorial assignment.

Which photographer would you like to meet? I would have loved to have met Irving Penn; and Larry Clark would be awesome.

What famous person (living or dead) would you most like to photograph? Nelson Mandela.

Aside from your camera and lighting, what item could you not work without? Nothing.

Is there anything you would not digitally retouch? No, but I write that in the spirit of Ansel Adams’s view of the negative versus the print.

From where do your best ideas originate? From epiphanies and theophanies; from lots of practice; and from seeing other people’s work.

How do you overcome a creative block? By gallery-hopping and walking away from it for a while.

Do you have creative pursuits other than photography? Does intermediate-level snowboarding qualify?

What music are you listening to right now? “Sunday Morning” by The Velvet Underground.

What’s your approach to balancing work and life? Accepting that there is no balance to be had. But I’m realizing that there’s so much to work that’s not really work, but play (especially as it applies to my family).

What’s your favorite quote? “Luck is the residue of design.” —Branch Rickey

Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Not sure if I have enough years under my belt for anything insightful but here are three quasi-clichés that have served me well: be patient; expect to continually pay your dues; believe in karma.

What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? Just how important Theodor Scheimpflug would be in my life.