Who are you?
Hi, I'm Phil Oh and I do a blog called Street Peeper. I was born and raised in Chicago, and moved to NYC to study history at New York University, and after a series of random jobs (selling beanie babies, waiting tables, failed internet startup, more waiting tables, and author of trashy chick-lit novel Secrets of the Model Dorm), I started my blog. It attempts to document what personal style I found to be interesting in cities across the globe.
What do you do?
I started my blog in 2006 and I travel around the world taking photos of people who I thought had fun and interesting style. I'm also recently become a contributor to Vogue.com (US) and to other international magazines like Harper's Bazaar Australia, Elle China, and more. I try to mix up the photos between industry insiders, kooky fashion kids, streetwear dudes, and other random people who catch my eye.
Where are you based?
I live in Brooklyn, NY and cover the major international fashion weeks (NY, London, Milan, and Paris) and travel to Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Copenhagen, and more to get content for my blog and for various magazines. I'm on the road for about half the year, which is exciting but can get really exhausting at times. I used to take submissions from other cities that I didn't have time to make it to, like Tallinn or Jakarta, but I stopped that a couple years ago and just decided to do all the photos myself.
When do you blog?
I try to carry my camera around at all times (I use a Canon 5D with an SFK camera strap that I had customized for me -- its looks like a blue gingham Chanel bag chain), and I also try to post new photos every day, but sometimes I get busy/lazy and skip a day here and there.
Why do you do it?
I started it mostly because I thought it would be fun, but as digital media and blogging has marched on to become the beast it is now, Street Peeper and all the projects I've taken on as a result, has become pretty much a full-time gig. Sometimes it feels like a job and work work, and it is, but for the most part I really enjoy doing this -- documenting awesome personal style, travelling the world, and meeting inspiring people, some of whom have become close personal friends as a result.
