People and places in and around Seoul, Korea

[Singing snapper]

I am being very fortunate with my travels this last few weeks and am getting more and more colour from glorious sunshine and warm temperatures while the UK shivers and is soaked. I arrived in Seoul yesterday after a long flight via Helsinki. After a good night's sleep, I took a wander over to the temple at Gangnam:

Canon 5D mk III EF 24 - 70 L @ f/16 and 30mm, 1/100, ISO 100


Gangnam-Buddha by singingsnapper, on Flickr

We then went out for a few trips and eating great local food out in the blazing sun, and then rounded off the day in a charming garden called The Garden of Morning Calm. There was a Korean gentleman dressed in traditional dress called a Hanbok. He looked very distinguished, and having worn one myself (the maker tried to convince me to have a pink one as pink is a very popular colour in Korea for men) they are comfortable especially on hot days.

Canon 5D mk III EF 24 - 70L at 45mm f/8 1/250 ISO 800


Korean-gent-in-Hanbok by singingsnapper, on Flickr

same camera and lens at 42mm f/8 1/250 ISO 800


Korean-gentleman-in-Hanbok by singingsnapper, on Flickr

There was a pleasant scene as we finished the day by a small pond:

Canon 5D mk III EF 24 - 70L at f/16 and 27mm 1/25 ISO 320


Garden-of-Morning-calm---at-evening! by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Another sunny day in Seoul. Got back from a venue about 50km away from Seoul and decided to have a go at a traffic trail shot using my sharpest lens, the 100mmL macro. Combined two 20 second exposures to get a continuous run of traffic trails:

Canon 5D mk III EF 100mm L macro f/16 2 x 20 second exposures


Busy-night-in-Seoul by singingsnapper, on Flickr

[karenoliver]

I like the landscape shots, in particular the night shot as it's very dynamic. The shots of the Korean gentleman, however ,would have been improved if he had actually been looking at you. He looks like he is posing for someone else.

Karen

[Singing snapper]

Originally Posted by karenoliver

I like the landscape shots, in particular the night shot as it's very dynamic. The shots of the Korean gentleman, however ,would have been improved if he had actually been looking at you. He looks like he is posing for someone else.

Karen

Well actually he was. My take on it was a spectator's shot in a sense. I was very careful not to tread on the toes of the photographer that was shooting him. I wanted a less direct portrait in any case and I like the side profile, plus I think they are well exposed (had to shoot manual because of the white HanBok.). I appreciate that there are many interpretations and that my interpretation does make it more open to interpretation. I could perhaps have come a little more to the left, but I suspect I would have been more in the way and courtesy protocol in Asia is quite complicated and if I had gone closer to the photographer, it would have been causing disharmony which is very frowned upon here in Korea and elsewhere in Asia. I spend quite a lot of time in Asia and understand the sensibilities a little.

[Singing snapper]

yet another sunny day yesterday in Korea. We climbed up to a temple on an island off the west coast of Korea. It was worth the climb of several hundred steps!

Canon 5D mk III Ef 28 - 300L at f/16 and 235mm 1/400 ISO 200


view-from-Korean-temple by singingsnapper, on Flickr

[Singing snapper]

Another night shot from the streets of Seoul, two 15 sec shots combined in Photomatix

canon 5D mk III EF 100mm L macro @ f/20 ISO 50


Seoul-night-bend by singingsnapper, on Flickr

[Singing snapper]

Still in Seoul and one of the venues on this trip is one of the huge department stores they have here in Korea. I took my ultrawide 14mm L lens having a bit of fun with colleagues taking off beat portraits - never flattering but good fun nonetheless. On one shot, I forgot that the lens was on manual focus and took this shot. I think it's quite an interesting abstract, but it could just be rubbish! It was pure luck in many ways to get the original shot and I have played with the levels a little to give it a little more contrast

Canon 5D mk III EF 14mm L II at f/5.6 and 1/100 ISO 1600


abstract-corridor by singingsnapper, on Flickr

[Singing snapper]

Got some film developed and scanned at 15mp in Seoul for the princely sum of £4 each film (about $6). These are from a trip to an island about 80km from Seoul except one from Seoul itself

Pentax 645N FA 45 - 85 at 45mm and f/16 1/60 Kodak Ektra 100


what-a-lot-of-statues!-Ektra by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Pentax 645N FA 45-85 at 50mm f/11 1/160 Fuji Reala 100


Buddha-with-ice-cream-Reala by singingsnapper, on Flickr

and the one from the streets of Seoul

Pentax 645N FA 45 - 55 at 45mm 1/160 f/11 Kodak Ektra 100


Looking-down-the-road-in-Gangnam by singingsnapper, on Flickr

[markgozz]

Originally Posted by Singing snapper

Another night shot from the streets of Seoul, two 15 sec shots combined in Photomatix

canon 5D mk III EF 100mm L macro @ f/20 ISO 50


Seoul-night-bend by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Originally Posted by Singing snapper

yet another sunny day yesterday in Korea. We climbed up to a temple on an island off the west coast of Korea. It was worth the climb of several hundred steps!

Canon 5D mk III Ef 28 - 300L at f/16 and 235mm 1/400 ISO 200


view-from-Korean-temple by singingsnapper, on Flickr

Love these two images , very different from each other but both really great images in their own right .

Mark

[Singing snapper]

Originally Posted by markgozz

Love these two images , very different from each other but both really great images in their own right .

Mark

Thanks Mark, Korea is a fascinating and pretty place with many contrasts between the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Seoul to some great mountain scenery.