Lim starts out his day before eight in the morning, arriving in front of his studio at the first floor of Arts and Design Building A. The sign in front of the door reads, ‘Pear Blossom Photo Studio’ in Korean which gave him the nickname, ‘Pear blossom ahjuhsee (a term used to address an older man).’ As soon as he steps inside, he turns on his computer to continue the editing that he left off yesterday. Yesterday was a Sunday, but he came to the photo studio during the weekend to finish up on his work because last week, he was busy taking pictures around the school for the Daedong Festival.
As the clock nears ten, Lim gets ready for the opening of the art exhibition held by the College of Arts and Design as part of the Ewha’s 122nd commemoration ceremony. Lim takes a photo of professors and staff cutting the tape and an elder who used to be a professor at Ewha comments that Lim is the living history of Ewha. Another professor says that Lim has not changed in the past decade. Lim smiles as if he is quite proud and heads back to his office after he is done taking the photos.
After a quick bite for lunch, another photo shoot is awaiting him. He has to go to the Ewha University Museum to take pictures of the artifacts displayed in the current exhibition, which will be made into a book. He enthusiastically takes the pictures of the artifacts. As he finishes his shoot, he feels satisfied that he once again gained a valuable experience exploring the beautiful corners of Ewha. Then, Lim heads to the International Education Building after taking a phone call, asking him to take pictures at a conference held by the Graduate School of International Studies.
Finally finishing his shooting schedule for the day, he returns to his studio. He looks at the clock as his stomach grumbles and realizes that it is time for dinner. As he is having a bite to eat with the women who also works in the studio, a student from the College of Arts and Design comes in with her work.
Other than taking pictures at Ewha, Lim is also in charge of making the slides of the works done by students in the College of Arts and Design. Lim is impressed with the work done by the student and recommends her to submit it to a contest or an exhibition. As he watches each student come, he realizes that some students really do have talent and for those who work hard, their arduous effort always pays off. This is the lesson that he has learned by watching the path of many, many students. Some graduates, who have become famous painters and artists in society, still come to Lim with their works.
He finishes his work for the day and locks the door; he cannot help feeling tired and weary. He knows he has to keep his initial mindset and the eagerness to take pictures and be of a help to the students and the school when he took the position as a photographer at Ewha thirty years ago. With an after thought, what can he want more? Spending each day, doing what he loves to do, being a help to others and also standing at the history making moments of Ewha.
Lim sets for home. He thinks of his son and daughter who are both photographers, and his wife, who will be waiting for him at home. Then, his head wanders off to his plans for the summer vacation. This summer, Lim plans to make a homepage containing all the graduation pictures that he took for the Ewha graduates during the past two decades. Many pictures are stored in his computer that he had promised to show many who have been captured through his lenses but never had the chance to actually be given. Lim knows that he does not have many years left as a photographer at Ewha. Before his retirement, Lim wishes to make a homepage storing all the pictures and lay a foundation for the next photographer to continue making the history of Ewha through pictures.
*caption-Lim Myung-gil looks through an album of photos he took during his years of photo shoots at Ewha.