diffused: killian
“Work together, work together, work together. Whether it be big or small—work together. The contributions of many will always outweigh the contributions of a single individual.”
Instagram officially rolled out in 2012 but it wasn’t until the end of 2016 that I became active on the platform. With almost five years worth of content to catch up on, I remember vividly there was a plethora of talented creatives thriving in the community, each attempting to break the mould with their extravagant travel photos or over-the-top editing skills. Although I was still unsure about what it was that I liked about photography at this time, one name stuck out for me as an inspiration.
Fluffpiece (now known as @killianpham) had a seamless blend of portrait photography with breathtaking landscapes, where each image evoked a feeling of warmth and nostalgia. I admired his ability to tell stories with brands and elevate his photography skills to the bigger stage. Through his tutorials, I quickly learnt the importance of the radial filter in Lightroom to enhance lighting and the focus in my images (invaluable skills which I still apply today).
I was fortunate to connect with him earlier this year on a stormy Friday, where we chatted over his journey and his thoughts on how much the photography game has changed on the platform. Despite the turbulence Instagram has gone through with its meticulous algorithm updates, his work has cut through the noise and shaken up the notion of an “Instagrammer” by adapting and evolving with the times in order to remain relevant as a creative storyteller.
K: Hey Killian! What’s your background and how did you end up getting into photography?
KP: I had a background in visual communication but wedding photography found me when I was 18, and that was how I ventured into photography. Having worked at Apple also taught me how to communicate to a diverse audience. Later, I moved onto being a creative at a communications agency 'Infinity Squared" and from there, I started building a social media agency at 23 — contracting and working for brands on content creation.
K: What’s been keeping you busy lately?
KP: Building If & When with my team - a platform where marketing and content is available to every business no matter how small or big. If & When was born out of the belief that every brand deserves their story to be told and heard through meaningful content that is engaging as it is intimate, innovative, and imaginative. In short, we craft content through storytelling, we curate your social media presence, and manage the audience interactions.
K: What are your thoughts on the current photography scene? Has it changed much during your time as a photographer?
KP: It has become a race for attention - trends, going viral, being popular, clicks, visits, followers. Creation has moved away from authenticity. It’s still present, but just not as prevalent.
K: You’ve been through a number of transitions, each seemingly different to each other but all of which have obviously shown that you’ve grown with time in your skills and knowledge of the industry. Where do you see yourself heading from here?
KP: I’d like to build a platform where content and marketing is available to everyone at an affordable price. Being a better photographer is no longer the endgame, rather it is being a better creative to produce ideas that are well beyond your skill set to execute them as a photographer (and this is a testament to needing to work together).
K: What’s a common misconception about what you do that you want to debunk?
KP: That there are right and wrong things and ways to be 'creative'. There are only 'better' or more 'efficient' ways to do something. Creative make the rules, they dictate the rules, they break the rules.
K: What is something you’d wish you knew back when you first started?
KP: Build bigger and better communities as each year new generations of Instagrammers join — don't just always focus on that one community.
Padar Island, Indonesia | Photo by @killianpham for Tourism Indonesia.
Hong Kong | Photo by @killianpham
Photo by @killianpham
K: What has been your most memorable experience to date? What about your least fond memory?
KP: Being invited to Indonesia as a state guest to create content for their international campaign #wonderfulIndonesia, hosting one of the largest Instagram meets Sydney has seen 100+ attendees in 2015, and making all these amazing new and wonderful friendships and connections through social media.
Least favourite? Seeing the slow segmentation and dispersement of the IG community into niche clicks and engagement / comment pods to beat the ‘system’. A positive does come out from this is that this has formed the rise of micro-influencers.
K: Who or what are your current inspirations?
KP:
Steve McCurry
Stanley Kubrick
Henri Cartier Bresson
Andreas Gursky
Diane Arbus
K: What is something you’d love to learn more of from here?
KP: How we get back to creating authentic stories for ourselves, our audiences and our clients.
K: Any words you’d like to impart to the budding and veteran photographers out there?
KP: Work together, work together, work together. Whether it be big or small—work together. The contributions of many will always outweigh the contributions of a single individual.
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Instagram: @killianpham
Location: @artificercoffee
Photography by Kent Wang
Edited by Shiyan Zheng