AN INTERVIEW WITH KIM HACKMAN

By now, you may have seen the photos from Dominique's photoshoot with Kim Hackman. For a special 10th Anniversary website feature, we take you behind-the-scenes to learn more about this talented young photographer and her experience of shooting Dominique for the website.

Kim Hackman is a 19-year-old photographer from Cleveland, Ohio. With a background in black and white film photography, she continues taking photo classes, only recently making her way into the digital world. While Kim has a wide range of interests, including a passion for surrealism and fine art photography, her main concentration is documenting the world from different people’s perspectives. Taking her passion for stories and her love for art, Kim strives to produce unique images with meaning. Kim is currently a sophomore at Ohio University, where she is studying photojournalism and French.


DM.com How did you get involved in photography?
I have always been amazed by the beauty and power of photography, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that I actually had the opportunity to learn the technical and aesthetic workings behind the lens. My high school offered a black and white film class, so I built my foundation for photography in the darkroom developing my own film and prints.


DM.com What are you currently doing with photography?
Since high school, I have continued taking photography classes and shooting pictures for fun. I am currently studying photojournalism in the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University.


DM.com What is your main goal in this profession?
My main goal as a photographer is to develop a distinctive style. There are so many amazing photographers out there, but only the most unique ones capture images that really stick with people. I want to be able to tell stories, and share moments that embody the essence of a person, truly representing who they are.


DM.com Who do you look up to and why?
I have a lot of respect for all of my teachers and classmates. I had a fabulous photography teacher in high school, and have continued to grow so much as a photographer under the instruction of my wonderful professors at OU. I also really look up to my fellow VisCom students, both former and current. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many talented photographers, and grateful to constantly receive their support and guidance. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.


DM.com What was it like doing a photo shoot with Dominique? Did you enjoy the experience? And most importantly, are you pleased with the results of the photos? I had a great time working with Dominique, and learned so much from the experience. We had a lot of fun finding creative ways to illustrate all of her different roles as a wife, mother, student and athlete. Dominique is such a beautiful and confident woman, and she definitely knows her way in front of the camera, which made it easy to capture some really great shots that we were both pleased with.


DM.com What difficulties did you come across during the photo shoot? Unfortunately, we had some trouble with the lighting due to the unpredictability of Cleveland weather. I try to use natural lighting as often as I can, but the inclement weather didn’t allow that for most of the shots. We just had to improvise and get a little creative, but ended up with dramatic lighting that produced some really nice shots.


DM.com Which photo is your favorite? I’d say my favorite photo from the shoot is the black and white shot of Dominique and Mike in the bedroom. The image is such an intimate moment that truly captures the love between the two of them, while showcasing Dominique’s confidence and independence at the same time.


DM.com Is there a website people can go and visit your photography? If they'd like to book you for work in the future, where should they contact you? To see some more of my work and for contact information, visit www.kimhackman.com.


Thank you for your time with DM.com. We wish you all the best in your future! Your photos are gorgeous beyond your years!

Kim Hackman's work can be viewed at her website, www.kimhackman.com

YOUR FAVORITE?

SUMMER 2009

Spring/Summer 2009 has been a blast! I've got tons of photos to share! Check out my new scrapbook.


HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.