The client, a former swimmer, had been working as a swimming instructor after graduating from school when one day he suddenly decided that he needed to pursue his dream. His dream was to live a life taking photographs. As the same routine repeated each day, his longing for that dream grew stronger until one day, as if it had passed a boiling point, it overflowed beyond his control.

He left swimming and threw himself into the photography industry without hesitation. He worked day and night, receiving little more than a reward for his passion, but it was not easy to overcome the disadvantage of having started late. Then he received an offer from a photographer he knew, asking whether he would like to go to Cancún, Mexico, a popular honeymoon destination, to work together and build his experience. At the time, the client had two children, and after discussing it with his wife, he left his family behind and set out on the long journey. Looking back, he says it was the hardest period of his life. For a year, he worked in poor conditions where even a proper place to sleep was not provided, and eventually returned home without receiving his full wages. Yet that difficult time, without him realizing it, gave him strong roots capable of enduring any hardship. As he said that he now wanted to live his life repaying the wife who had endured those difficult years with him, there was a determination in his eyes that could not be expressed in words.

To Me_You Studio was named by studio TEDO. The name carries the idea of “you and me, this moment we share now,” expressing the preciousness of taking photographs and preserving a moment in time. There were four naming proposals, and the client chose this one himself.

The site was located on the second floor of a commercial building connected to a subway station. Although the space was only about 15 pyeong, it needed to contain two shooting areas, a waiting area, a powder room, a changing room, a counter, a display area, and pantry and storage functions. Considering the nature of a photo studio, we felt that the greatest challenge was to accommodate all of these functions while still leaving enough psychological space for the people who would visit.

We tried to remove strong spatial lines as much as possible and planned the space with a soft atmosphere and natural, organic circulation, giving those being photographed a sense of ease and stability. Slightly to the right of the center is a single partition wall that functions as both display furniture and a powder room. Rather than enclosing it as a room on all four sides, curtains leave the circulation open, allowing various arrangements as needed and helping the space circulate organically while creating a sense of psychological openness.

At the entrance, the curved wall and counter narrow the view toward the far diagonal corner, naturally guiding the user’s movement. After passing the counter and entering the shooting area, the compressed view opens dramatically through a change in ceiling height, creating a sense of psychological ease. Using the idea of “nonilda” (노닐다), meaning to wander freely and at ease, the space was designed with organic circulation and soft lines. We hoped that those taking photographs could leisurely wander here and there, leaving with happy memories.

The present immediately becomes the past, and the past becomes memory. Memories may fade or become mixed together, but photographs, at least, do not distort the moment. Perhaps that is why people take photographs.To preserve, just as it was, a beautiful moment from the past that exists as a single point along the continuation of one’s life.

In this space filled with softness and warmth, with the most comfortable smile, this moment to be remembered for a long time— To Me_You.