In Kim's case, his work is hallmarked by his distinctive use of pure black and white. "It's a matter of personal preference, " He says. "Black and white has a magical timelessness that colour simply cannot imitate. Having said that, I also shoot Colour. I display the black and white collection and some people think I won't do anything else."

In fact, Kim's work is considerably more diverse than he takes credit for. His signature black and whites show an extraordinary eye for composition. A sort of photographic example of the philosophy behind MTV's 'Unplugged', rather than crop at the printing stage, he uses the whole 35mm negative. "You get a nice, dark 'frame' around each picture, and I like to think it shows the care that went into taking the shot. What you see comes straight from the camera because I think techniques such as retouching tend to spoil the naturalness."

His fondness for the medium has led him towards an alternative type of portfolio presentation. "I call it my photo-journalist approach,"  He  laughs modestly, perhaps without realising   just  how wonderfully original these pictures are. Candid shots in grainy black and white imitate the newspaper effect perfectly, capturing the pure joy of client's actual celebrations. Without Kim' s deft combinations of patience and reflex-action shooting patience much of the fun and emotion would surely have been lost.

His approach to videography is equally novel to get a guy in to film with me, "He says, ‘because a lot of the footage whilst we're conduct photo shoot. The two products compliment each other, I think, because one shows how the other was created. It’s not simply a question of converting stills to video format.  But the whole point of video is that the mages should move.

Indeed, each of Kim MTVs as he calls them  might be likened to a music video length motion-picture. The sound track and editing are as important as the original film. "The mood has to be just right," Kim says. "In addition to showing their portfolio, the couple have an opportunity to show another side of themselves.  They're fun to do, and a number of clients have suggested it was the one thing their guests really seemed to remember."

Speaking of fun, Kim admits he is very often referring to his own enjoyment as much as to his clients. “I make my studio cosy," He says, "and I start by teaching clients how to pose. Then, after a while, they start to develop their own ways of standing, incorporating what I've taught them but acting like themselves. That's when things click into place. It doesn't feel like a job but part of my lifestyle. I like meeting different people and taking photographs. I never tire of it."

more on kim