Artist Feature: Debby Krim

Having purchased her first SLR camera in 1975, artist Debby Krim has since photographed a variety of subjects, from flowers to 31-foot typhoon waves off the coast of Vietnam.  Mechanical objects have always fascinated Krim, who insists that “the camera itself, a machine that captures a moment and preserves it in time, is magical.”   Her image Typhoon: Resolution, winner of a Jurors’ Choice Award in our Summer Members’ Show, depicts the very magic Krim describes.

             Debby Krim | Typhoon: Resolution | 26 x 40

The photograph was taken during a November 2009 cruise in the South China Sea.  Krim remembers being told by crew members that there was a typhoon nearby, but that their ship would miss the storm and remain in calmer waters.  Soon though, Krim and her family were informed that the ship had not escaped the typhoon and was, in fact, in the middle of it.  “They told us,” Krim says, “brace yourselves.” ” 

In a situation in which most would become inundated with fear and panic, Krim experienced “a chemical reaction to the powerful force of nature around me” that she feels may only be equivocated to the passion a person experiences when he or she feels an instant connection to a complete stranger.  “I’m not fearless,” she says, “but on that day I felt this passion for what was happening around me, for the opportunity I had.  The visuals were bar-none.”  Krim ran from one side of the boat to the other, shooting the raging waves, which reached almost two stories high.   She recalls, “I knew I had something while I was shooting that day. There was a feeling inside me.”

Krim believes the ocean to be “an infinite visual—a subject that’s different every time you shoot it.”  And though she does not have a favorite subject matter, the photographer often finds herself drawn to the ocean. “The power of waves is very, very cool,” she explains.  Photography, particularly the kind represented in Typhoon: Resolution, is Krim’s passion.  And passion, she believes, is what drives us all.  “Find something you’re passionate about, and remain passionate.  But have a backup plan,” she laughs.  After all, she explains, “Photography is something you can do as a hobby or as a profession.  People have the ability to just go wild."  *


*Krim, Debby.  Personal Interview.  13 July 2011.