REBEKAH SEOK

Beginning in the suburban town of Flushing before moving to Manhattan, Rebekah Seok fell in love with photography whilst in London, and has since been busy developing her own style, shooting editorials for Third Looks, and gaining much deserved attention on the internet (for her writing as much as her photographs!). Talk about making waves. What drew me to the 21 year old's work was the sheer raw honesty of it, and how she seems to so easily capture atmosphere, drawing the viewer in and allowing them to experience a small part of the world she lives in. After getting the chance to ask Rebekah a few questions, I'm not afraid to say I predict big things for her in the future!

What's the best thing about being young? And what's the worst thing?

I'm always the youngest amongst the group of friends I hang out with so the very best thing I get are all these massive advices on just about everything. There's always a shitload to learn. I can't really say any negative thing about being young... Except when I was 20. That's an illegal age in New York to buy drinks. Damn, that was such a bitch.

When and how did your interest in photography begin?

I took photos as a hobby last year. It was never anything serious. I barely touched my camera unless I went away on a trip or something. My passion started 8 months ago spontaneously. I skipped a week of school before spring break to go to London and I had the chance to meet up with a close friend there and his passion for photography was just incredibly inspiring and that's when I thought, well fuck photography is some serious shit! It opened my eyes to the art scene, which I guess I'd say, I was oblivious to.

Tell us about the equipment you're currently using.

I use a minolta xg-m with a 50mm and a recent zoom lens I got for 25 at a street fair because of my blue hair. I also use my mother's old olympus 230 infinity zoom. She took photos of me with that camera when I was an infant. It's $10 on eBay. I'm currently saving up for a medium format. Would love to get my hands on that.

What do you think sets you apart from other young photographers out there? 

I don't know... I started photography really recently so my photographs aren't really consistent as I like them to be but If I see something or someone I like, I'm going to shoot. There's so so so much to learn.

Where would you ultimately like to end up?

Travelling everywhere, meeting cool people and just shooting. God, I'd love that so much. I love NYC but I feel like I can't stay here for too long.

And finally, what gets you through… anything? What empowers you to photograph, to write, to continue, to push through? 

A lot goes into that but I'd have to say music.

Check out Rebekah's flickr, tumblr, and website.