Priscilla Kang won the Fujifilm Students of Storytelling competition for her work on her own story, of two halves becoming one, after suddenly discovering that she wasn’t just an American citizen but had a dual citizenship with Korea.

Fujifilm created the contest to identify the next generation of U.S. storytellers, and to provide them with Fujifilm X Series or GFX System gear to bring their vision to life.

Rangefinder: What interests you as a storyteller? Which stories are you drawn to?

Priscilla Kang: As a storyteller, I am drawn to stories of personal struggle and growth. I find these stories to be relatable to everyone as everyone has experienced internal struggle before, no matter how big or small.

Rf: What stories do you want to share through your work?

PK: I want to tell stories that inspire others to overcome their visible or invisible, tangible or intangible barriers and become stronger versions of themselves. Our individual struggles and how we overcome them are what build our personalities and make us unique. In a celebration of life, I would like to share glimpses of the unspoken trials we as individuals go through to inspire others to celebrate their individual triumphs.

Rf: Describe the evolution of your style and approach. How has it changed over time?

PK: I began as a writer. I loved creating moods and themes of my work through photography and began experimenting with video, as the medium allows for complex expression of emotion through music, editing and sequencing. I then returned to photography in appreciation for the concentration of intention and emotion in a single frame. I am now experimenting with motion graphics and animation as another medium to convey emotions and information.

Rf: What are the key things you have learned or done that have helped you advance your career since you began shooting?

PK: As professor and famed portrait photographer Gregory Heisler would say, lighting and intent are the two things that make or break an image. Regardless of theme or concept, if there is no intent with the image or lighting, the photo can’t turn out well. Of course, you need to be flexible while photographing, but without intent going into the shoot, there won’t reliably be a good image. This mantra has helped me slow down before I press the shutter, allowing me to capture all that needs to be conveyed in a single frame.

Rf: What is the most helpful piece of advice you’ve received and followed? Who gave it to you?

PK: The most helpful advice I received was from my professor, Bruce Strong. When interviewing someone, ask your subject if there is a question you didn’t ask them that you should have. When being the intermediary for stories, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and focus on the story you want to tell, not necessarily the story that is there. From this question alone, I’ve gotten to the heart of many interviews and made more emotionally compelling pieces, as it always ends up widening the scope of the project.

Rf: How have your studies affected your approach to photography and storytelling?

PK: Before I studied photography, I would always look for a story first to tell, then photograph it. Now, I’m getting used to finding a concept, a frame that moves me, and trying to find the story within it. I think there are stories all around us—instead of looking for stories to fit a narrative into, I’ve let stories come naturally and then let the narrative flow. I also spend a lot more time thinking about what I want to shoot and what poses, colors, lighting and framing I want to incorporate. This makes the planning phase incredibly long, but I can usually get the frames I need in a very short time, which makes me more time-efficient with my subjects.

Rf: Can you tell us about your submission to Fujifilm’s Students of Storytelling program? How did you come up with the project?

PK: About a month before I submitted my proposal for the Fujifilm Students of Storytelling program, I found out that I was a dual citizen with Korea. I was surprised as I never knew about it, and when I called the Korean Consulate, they confirmed I was a provisional dual citizen and I would need to officially declare or renounce my status by the time I turned 22. This fact put me in an identity tailspin—I was born in California and had only visited Korea a few times. For over half of my life, I had culturally renounced Korea and tried my hardest to live with my interpretation of a true “American” culture. I had begun seriously considering what made me Korean and what made me American. As someone who had just recently come to embrace their culturally diverse background, it was the biggest story in my life, a new chapter. When Fujifilm asked me for my story, I told them of the story that I was living through, one that changes every day.

Rf: In your current work, you explore your Korean-American experience and your newfound appreciation in the duality of your identity. What led to this appreciation, and what do you hope to achieve through this work?

PK: My mended relationship with my mother is the strongest reason for appreciating my identity. Growing up, I was rebellious and my mother and I had a terrible relationship. As I grew older, I learned to appreciate her wisdom, and she learned to appreciate my independent nature. As we both came to accept each other more and find more equal ground, our relationship slowly improved into something I am proud of. As I have grown older, I find myself being a better “Korean” daughter and my parents being a better “American” family. My parents now always tell me they love me, which is something I never heard growing up. I call my parents every day, something that I never did in my first year at college. Looking at how my family dynamic has changed to incorporate aspects and interactions I once considered incompatible has shown me that there is room for a little bit of both cultures within me.

Rf: What works have you produced with your new Fujifilm systems?

PK: Besides my work done for Fujifilm, I have been creating content for my research project through Syracuse University, producing a commercial, a documentary and short motion-graphics pieces. For the entire commercial, I was able to use the Fujifilm X-T4 and use the slow-motion video recording feature to create some amazing ice splashes.

Rf: Where do you see your work going from here?

PK: I was originally going to travel overseas and make a documentary on the negative impact of study culture on East-Asian youth. Then COVID-19 hit. If travel situations improve, I would love to pursue that topic again. I would also like to delve into another documentary piece exploring the stigma or appreciation concerning subcultures in Japan, such as “kawaii culture” or “work culture.” As someone who is extremely interested in Japanese culture, I would love to interview individuals with differing opinions on the most extreme parts of their society and debunk myths or reveal truths about them. Besides documentaries, I would like to experiment with more pieces involving multimedia incorporations, such as animations within photography, motion graphics in video and more interesting combinations.

Rf: Which brand, media outlet or agency is your ideal client? And why?

PK: It would be an honor above all honors to be a Magnum photographer. I love how Magnum celebrates not only photography but also its artists, and the sheer passion that holds its community together.

Ideally, I would love to work in Japan creating content for brands and organizations. I think Japan is a place with amazing conceptual creations and interesting media productions. I would love to create work that blurs the line between photography, film and design.

Visit the official Fujifilm Students of Storytelling site for more information about the complete program. Follow @priscillaykang to stay up to date with Priscilla Kang.