Photographer uses internet to share her view of the world

The view out an airplane window, a young girl holding her nose in a pool, a pair of glasses on the kitchen table—everyday objects become works of art on senior Kristen Zung’s Tumblr photo blog.

Zung uses Tumblr, a blogging platform, to create a gallery for her photos.  She started her blog as a way to document her life in Taiwan.  Zung, who was born in Singapore, moved to Taiwan with her family when she was 4 and to the United States at the beginning of her junior year.

“Every picture comes with certain memories, sounds and feelings associated with the moments captured,” Zung said.  “I'm a really forgetful person, so this is my way of remembering my old friends and my hometown.”

The blog’s plain black background makes the photos, arranged in two columns in the center, jump off the screen.  Zung’s photos represent a large range of subjects from plants to sinks to people and display a variety of colors. 

“As a photographer, Kristen is really creative,” said Todd Nguyen, who is also well known for his skill as a photographer.  “She just sees a lot of things that other people wouldn't normally see.”

Zung’s passion for photography and desire to share with others how she sees the world have encouraged her to keep her blog going even after her family returned to the United States.

“I hope people can scroll through this blog and know that each picture they see represents a little part of me, what I see and how I see it,” Zung said.

Zung’s blog, which is public on Tumblr, has 132 followers according to Tumblr, many of whom are her peers. 

“Ever since I saw her posting photos on Facebook and Tumblr I have been captivated by her adept ability to brilliantly capture photographs of people and places,” senior Cody Cai said.  “I really like the different angles and perspective she uses in her photography and how each photo has a clear, effective and passionate focus.”

Zung’s friends in Taiwan also follow her blog and use it as a way to stay connected to their old friend.

“I hope they see themselves on my blog and know how much I miss them,” Zung said.

Zung’s interest in photography began when she was 13, and she got her first camera in eighth grade.  She admires the ability of photography to break language and cultural barriers.

“Unlike words, photography is a common language, like music,” Zung said.  “No matter what language we speak, anyone can understand the feelings that stem from what we see in a photo.”

Zung has taken her photography skills and started her own photography business, Frosty Photography, named after her cat Frosty. 

“So far I've done concerts celebrations and personal portraits,” Zung said.  “It's pretty exciting.”

While Zung enjoys the opportunity to use her photography skills for entrepreneurial purposes, her love for photography is independent of monetary gain.  She plans to pursue her passion beyond high school. 

“As long as cute babies and puppies continue to exist, I will always be there to photograph them, whether or not I'm being paid to do so,” Zung said.