Field Notes
Portrait of Youngmin Kim
Cosplaying as a sailor.Manhattan, New York.

Youngmin Kim

Finding my way forward, one frame at a time.

Life is a sequence of little moments, some forgotten, some monumental. These are the ones I kept.

A personal note

My life changed after my stroke. Before that, I was going through the motions every day, meeting everyone else's expectations — afraid, in a way, to take a chance on myself. I'm still in the middle of the story. But I know this: I am not my illnesses or injuries. I am the person who keeps getting back up.

If you're in the middle of your own hard story, I hope these frames keep you company.

A red bicycle beneath the illuminated Hajime no Ippo sign at night in Japan
Tokyo, Japan · 2016

Working note / 001

Hajime no Ippo

This photo marks the end of my first life, and the first step into my new life. I didn't know at the time how much everything would change. But I think it's fitting that this photo is both an ending and a beginning.
— Youngmin Kim

For the anime fans: "Hajime no Ippo" means "the first step" — it's also one of my favourite anime, about a boxer who keeps getting back up.

The Eiffel Tower rising above Paris on a clear day
Paris, France · 2018

Working note / 002

Don't Wait

This is after my recovery. I lost the use of the left side of my body and had to go through rehab to learn how to walk again. The first place I visited afterwards was Europe — my first time there. I always put it off. The stroke gave me a different outlook on life. Don't wait. Live every day.

A monk walking along a Tokyo street beside a taxi
Tokyo, Japan · 2005

Working note / 003

Start Somewhere

This is one of the first photos I actually thought was good. I have a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere.

A red-and-white lighthouse at Jackson's Point, reached by a diagonal stone breakwater across blue water
Jackson's Point, Ontario · 2026

Working note / 004

Where I Am Now

This was my first submission for the Visual Content Creation program at Seneca Polytechnic — a leading lines assignment. Going from the Tokyo photo to this one shows where I am now. Twenty-one years later, and the decisions are visible: the line, the placement, the light. Still a long way to go — but this is where I am.

Nuit Blanche, Toronto · 2026

Working note / 005

One Night in Toronto

Video is a whole new world for me, and an intimidating one. But it's just stills moving at 24 frames a second, right? One night at Nuit Blanche, spent with my chosen family. I took the GH5 out after dark and cut what I saw to the beat.

GH5 · Sirui 35mm f/1.8 Anamorphic 1.33x · M.Zuiko 20mm f/1.4 PRO · cut to "Be With You" by Televisions

Stills from the night — select one to jump to its moment in the film

Night street at Nuit Blanche with cyclists and onlookers 0:06 SAM SAM record installation glowing at night 0:37 Honest Ed's sign installation with a crowd at Nuit Blanche 1:03 Visitor holding the Nuit Blanche art map 1:24 Illuminated moon installation at Nathan Phillips Square 2:46
A red-bellied woodpecker with a bright red cap and black-and-white barred back, perched on a wooden post topped with bird seed
Lynde Shores, Ontario · January 2025

Working note / 006

Red Diner

This was my first contest win after I joined the Richmond Hill Camera Club. It was just an internal club competition, nothing fancy. But it gave me the confidence to move forward.

For over 20 years, I took photos and never shared them beyond my immediate family and friends. I never thought my photos were good enough to share.

My friend Stephen Wright, who is a professional photographer, encouraged me to join the club and share my photos. Without his encouragement and guidance, I would never have taken that first step. That step is what led me to the Visual Content Creation program.

I am nothing without the people who support me.

Two Radical prototype race cars cresting a corner at Mosport
Mosport, Ontario · May 2026

Working note / 007

First Race

Stephen took me to Mosport. If you read my last post, you know who he is. He shoots racing, and that day he taught me how to pan.

It was my first race. I had never panned before. Swing with the car, keep it in the frame, let everything else blur. For a first try, it was passable. Next time will be better. That is part of the fun.

Stephen told me the better corner was further down the track, but getting there meant a lot of walking. I was still recovering from a tibial plateau fracture, and my knee was hurting too much, so I had to make the call that I could not do it. I push and push, but there has to be a point where it is not worth damaging it. It still makes me sad that I am limited that way.

Stephen later told me the light down there was amazing. I was super jealous.

I want to go back and do better than I did that day. And it is not just the photography. I have pushed this knee every day since the accident, a little further than the day before. The limit is real. It just is not fixed. I will never stop pushing.

About

I'm Youngmin Kim, a student in the Visual Content Creation program at Seneca Polytechnic. The last ten years have handed me more health battles than I'd like to count. I heal through the images I create — this journal is the record.