Through the Lens of Flânographer Youn Jung Kim
See New York through new eyes in Youn Jung Kim’s Love Letter to New York, a film series that reveals the city’s many layers and moments in between.
The light in the room changed slowly. Velvet caught a soft morning glow. The city hadn’t quite woken up yet. These are the kinds of moments that catch the eye of photographer Youn Jung Kim. They are slight shifts. The in-between.
Based in New York City, Kim is known for her emotive, film-based photography that celebrates the beauty of the world around us, seen with a female-centric gaze. Through collaborations with brands like Dior, Chanel, Net-a-Porter, and LVMH finalist ASHLYN, she’s developed a visual language that is elegant and deeply personal—and perfectly complemented by professional experiences in theatre, film, and music.
During her recent stay at The Fifth Avenue Hotel, Kim—our latest flânographer-in-residence—created a series of film photographs titled A Love Letter to New York. True to the flâneur way of life, her work captures what it means to be present in a world that moves so quickly. “I’m instinctively drawn to moments of subtle transition—the spaces in between action, where emotion simmers quietly,” she says. “I search for honesty and vulnerability—something that feels alive and delicate, impossible to stage or replicate.”
A Balance of Cultures
Raised between Seoul and Busan, South Korea, Kim developed an eye shaped by movement and restraint. “Busan shaped my appreciation for color and movement,” she shares. “At the same time, Korean culture values harmony over individuality, so I naturally gravitate toward calm, simple, and minimal aesthetics.”
Living in New York has brought contrast to her art by challenging stillness and embracing diversity. “New York’s vibrant, fast-paced environment constantly encourages me to move out of my comfort zone,” she says. “Experimenting with new palettes, bolder textures, and more complex moods.” Now, her work reflects both the quiet and dynamic, the spare and expressive.
The Fifth as a Muse
The Fifth offered something Kim hadn’t planned for. “It felt timeless,” she says. “A space where New York’s many stories are etched into both grand gestures and subtle details. I let both the hotel’s ambience and the surrounding city guide my visual storytelling.” From her suite, the city revealed itself as a multi-faceted backdrop—Koreatown, the Flower District, Madison Square Park, The Empire State Building in the distance—while inside, there was a calm that made it possible to notice things more deeply.
For Kim, film was the only option for her time at The Fifth because of the slowness and intentionality it requires. “Film’s unpredictability and the patience it requires encouraged me to slow down,” she reflects. To bring each image fully to life, Kim hand-printed the images in the darkroom, creating a process that gave weight to each frame. “It deepened my appreciation for the color and texture unique to the setting.”
What Lingers
Kim draws from daily life, like a child jumping over a puddle in the park or the way a glance holds before it shifts. “Much of my inspiration comes from the quiet moments… those ordinary yet deeply authentic experiences where emotion and landscape blend and resurface as memory. Observations of innocence and discovery often form the foundation of my creative inspiration,” she says.
Kim’s perspective doesn’t romanticize New York so much as observe it with patience, curiosity, and care. Like the flâneur, she moves through the city attuned to small details and passing moments, allowing meaning to emerge through observation. In her images, the city breathes, and there’s room for nuance, stillness, and small everyday truths. Through her lens, what’s fleeting becomes quite unforgettable.
All photographs by Youn Jung Kim.
