Lee Hyun‑Seo, a 23‑year‑old photography major, is presenting a compelling series of works at her graduation exhibition at Keimyung University under the theme Fairy Tale. 

Her pieces, featuring characters like Snow White, Jasmine, Aladdin, and Tinkerbell reimagined through her own perspective, are anchored by a deeper exploration: capturing nature’s self‑sustaining life force , and the tension between fantasy and reality.

 Her work is not simply about creating beautiful or whimsical images. It carries layered messages: the pressures of a society obsessed with appearance, the gap between the idealised world of fairy tales and the lived reality, and an intuitive sense of what it means to grow, to exist on one's own terms. 

Objects like mirrors, apples, and snakes in her Snow White series are not decorative—they provoke questions of self, gaze, and identity.

Lee says, “Fairy tale characters are not described in detail in their stories, so I make the choices: the makeup, the clothes, the way they look, I build them from what I imagine.” For Snow White, she selected a model with pale skin, black hair, and “blood‑like” red lips. 

She included symbolic props such as apples and even serpents to underscore her thematic vision.

 At the same time, she works with nature motifs. She photographs trees with attention to form, growth, and living structure: “the moment when a tree takes up nourishment from the soil and shapes itself in its own way—that has a strong sense of life to me.” These natural works are enhanced by using film cameras, natural light, and outdoor settings, where the organic textures, colors, and shadows behave differently than in digital settings.

Careful Planning and Execution Her preparation is meticulous. Before any shoot, she researches by gathering images from international magazines, compiling them into PPTs, and refining ideas around model selection, makeup, costumes, backgrounds, and props. 

A week ahead of shooting, she runs lighting tests, experiments with background cloths, and even moves setups around the studio or outdoors to find what best suits both subject and theme. Posing is also carefully considered: “There are poses that fit the theme, and finding them well—being able to judge whether a pose suits—is important.” 

In one project, she shot about 300 frames, then selected a few strong ones, had them reviewed by professors, then revised and edited them over the course of about a week.

 Time of day is another factor. “I chose almost consistently over nearly two years the time when the sun is setting—the moment when shadows become most beautiful.” Using film, Lee emphasises that “when light reflects and is captured directly on film, the feeling is more primordial; the color and texture come out differently.”

Lee acknowledges some of the barriers in her process: coordinating schedules with models and makeup artists, the cost and effort of setting up props and lighting. 

Despite this, she feels the work for her graduation exhibition achieved what she had hoped: “I think the atmosphere I wanted came through.” On a scale of 0‑10, she gives her own satisfaction with the result around 7. And she hopes the viewers, upon seeing her photos, feel “like this is a picture by Lee Hyun‑Seo.”

Looking ahead, she aims to work in a fashion magazine studio, and eventually run her own studio. 

She also wishes to expand into video and product photography, carrying her visual identity into multiple creative disciplines.

Lee Hyun‑Seo’s practice demonstrates qualities that many employers in creative fields prize.

She does not simply follow trends; she invents her own interpretations of known themes (fairy tales, nature) with symbolic depth.

From theme development, props, makeup, lighting, to editing and feedback loops—she controls many aspects of the work. 

Her repeated testing (lighting, time of day, film vs digital), her careful choices, her feedback and reworking, show discipline and a craftsmanship mindset. 

Her goal is that people recognize her work visually. 

A consistent look, both thematically and technically, combined with a unique color/texture/contrast style.

Lee Hyun‑Seo’s body of work shows that a portfolio is more than a collection of pretty pictures—it’s a narrative of identity, diligence, and artistic purpose. 

For companies seeking creative talent, she exemplifies someone who has already built, in her student work, a foundation of both vision and process.

https://www.instagram.com/j.ade_seo?igsh=MTlkNTJrdjE2aWcxbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr