Wednesday, July 31, 2013

July 31, 2013. Anew

I'm moving to a new house tomorrow. It's closer to my school and has a lot of space. Now that I will have a living room available I'm hoping this space will allow me to try new things and grow more. The new area I will be living in will also present opportunities when I take on photo walks. I'm hoping all this change will be positive and promoting growth. I don't know if I'll be able to get anything up tomorrow, and I really should be packing right now (not even halfway done) but I hope you enjoy this vibrant flower edited in vintage fashion!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

July 30, 2013. 6am Walk

The city barely waking up, subways running but still empty. A quiet walk in the morning through mostly deserted streets provides you with a silent, rare scene of Seoul.

Monday, July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013. Urban Warrior 3

The last from this set. For a while I wanted to do something with a Kumdo suit, graciously provided by Phillip. Next I needed a buff model to which Thomas awesomely agreed to. I was lacking a location though, but after discovering this abandoned neighborhood thanks to Jessica, everything fell into place! Thanks to everyone who helped and made this possible, it was an awesome time!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

July 28, 2013. Urban Warrior 2

For a while I wanted to do something with a Kumdo suit, graciously provided by Phillip. Next I needed a buff model to which Thomas awesomely agreed to. I was lacking a location though, but after discovering this abandoned neighborhood thanks to Jessica, everything fell into place! Thanks to everyone who helped and made this possible, it was an awesome time!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

July 27, 2013. Urban Warrior

For a while I wanted to do something with a Kumdo suit, graciously provided by Phillip. Next I needed a buff model to which Thomas awesomely agreed to. I was lacking a location though, but after discovering this abandoned neighborhood thanks to Jessica, everything fell into place! Thanks to everyone who helped and made this possible, it was an awesome time!

Friday, July 26, 2013

July 26, 2013. No Bubbles

One more shot from yesterday's shoot. Had another shoot today but I need time to edit before I can get them up. Plus out of 500 shots yesterday it would be a shame if only one made it up on the blog no?

July 25, 2013. Bubbles!

Admit it. I don't care how old you are, you still think bubbles are fun, and you'd be happy if you had this bubble gun. Well with all this free vacation time I borrowed a ton of equipment from school to play around a bit. There wasn't much of an original concept at first, we just went with what seemed like fun.
Many thanks to Fern for doing the makeup and bringing the bubble gun.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

July 24, 2013. Perceived Perpetual

I don't know if there is much to say about this one. Simply contemplation on the massive structures humans are able to make to get us passed massive natural accidents like this river.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

July 23, 2013. Taken Apart

More from the abandoned neighborhood. It's a fascinating place to let your imagination run free. Even with most of people's belonging's and valuables removed, there is so much you can piece together there from what's left, and then there's the array of random things that really get you curious. An empty crab shell, a VHS cassette, rolls off film, a suitcase filled with a variety of empty whisky bottles... Life was happening in these places, and now they're empty. Eventually the area will be leveled and then transformed into another set of apartments (because Korea needs more of those!) where people will move in to lead cookie cutter lives in cookie cutter homes...

Monday, July 22, 2013

July 22, 2013. The Right Hour

I got up at 3pm today.
I had a lazy Monday.
I'm on vacation. No deep thoughts today.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

July 21, 2013. Down In Pink

Another sunset over the city with clouds of soft color. I'll miss this park I've been to a handful of times now, but I'm no longer going to live near it, and won't be able to frequent it as much anymore. I learned a lot at Dream Forest, as repetition allowed me to improve, returning to locations to rethink how I could photograph them. I'll be living right by a new park now, hoping it will bring me lots of opportunities.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

July 20, 2013. Birth

Stormy clouds have been looming above us at fast speed. They come and go in an apocalyptic manner, and these chilling moments warn us of the rain.

Friday, July 19, 2013

July 19, 2013. Left Behind

At that moment it was hard to distinguish what to take and what to leave. Objects had to be evaluated by their practical use as anything with emotional value would just end up being dead weight. Clothes, food, water, first aid, money... without second thought he left behind furniture, electronics, pictures, books. Turning to the window sill he paused for 5 long seconds, 5 seconds he didn't have to spare. Staring at the jar full of origami stars that had been there forever, something he never got over, he was never able to throw away. He never thought this would be the moment he'd move on, when he was left with no choice.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

July 18, 2013. Sunflow

Cooped up indoors for too long, we decided to walk to the park in this rare, rainless afternoon. Enjoyed a nice sunset and stretched out our legs. Rainy season will be over soon...welcoming Korea's horrid summer humidity.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

July 17, 2013. Just the Wind's Light Blow

I have only fished a handful of times in my life, but each was a good time. With the exception of the one time I went deep see fishing with my aunt, which is exciting and a totally different experience, it's so relaxing to sit by calm water with an excuse to do nothing but wait to see if the fish will bite. I don't even care if they don't.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

July 16, 2013. Escape

I often think about how different life is from one person to the next. I also end up thinking a lot about how different life is now as compared to tens, hundreds, and even thousands of years ago. When we talk thousands, there are definitely things from back then we will never experience now (and who hasn't dreamed about going to the past with modern technology and ruling the world?) but something that always seems to intrigue me the most is the visual experiences we get to have now that people way back when couldn't have. More specifically, I'm talking about being in the air. I'm talking about being at heights that were once impossible and now are common. Down below, it is hard to marvel at the majesty of the world, it's hard to take in the scale, understand how small we are. (Yet most of us will never experience being as high up as space, I'm sure that's even more belittling.) I love being in high places, I love the views, I love peering down at what was once large and is now small figures in the remote distance. It is the best place for the mind to rest.

Monday, July 15, 2013

July 15, 2013. Stormy Days

I have been able to get my hands on the Canon 5D mkII a few times now and it has been a beautiful thing to work with. For those who don't know, the camera with the lens sells for around $2500 without even a lens. Using it has made me look down on my camera a bit as it's really easy to get used to the good stuff.
For reference, I have a Canon 500D. By now it has been outdated by the 550D, 600D, 650D and 700D. At the time of purchase it went for around 550$ but now I'd say it would sell for less than 300$. It's small and light and won't get you much respect around professionals. However, it's always easy to forget that even though the camera can make your life easier, it's won't take good photos for you. That's up to you. So using it today was kind of like what it feels like to drive a 125cc bike after being on a 650cc. There's a difference alright, but as long as you can drive well you can get just as far on either one.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

July 14, 2013. Quiet Blue

Blue hour, on a bridge in the middle of nowhere. No sounds of cars, no ringing phones. No apartment buildings and skyscrapers, no heavy sewage smells. Just the river, trees, mountains and you.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

July 13, 2013. Drowning

Water is such an innocent looking thing. Playing in a pool or the ocean was definitely one of my favorite activities as a kid, but I had frequent nightmares in which I drowned at the beach. Simply looking at turbulent water, with it's loud splashing roar, brings a little fear in me. That feeling you're gonna somehow fall in and be sucked into a spinning, dark vortex where you quickly lose sense of which way is up and your breath quickly fails you. That is what I felt in this image.

Friday, July 12, 2013

July 12, 2013. A Moment

You can find many ways to entertain your evening. Go out drinking and partying, stay home and watch movies, play video games, listen/play music, go out for dinner. Or you can find yourself a spot high up where the wind blows cool, and enjoy the sunset over a chat with a friend.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

July 11, 2013. Taeguk

Hongcheon river has a portion that spirals into the shape of the Taeguk which is the centerpiece of the Korean flag. After a brief hike up GeumHak Mountain to observe it, we came back down to Kayak through it's calm, cool waters.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

July 7, 2013. Getting Lost

Getting lost isn't so fun when you're a kid.
That moment when you turn around and your parent's aren't around in the supermarket. That time when you got too distracted playing you forgot your way home. Terror quickly takes over as you try to maintain your composure, of course getting lost isn't something we naturally enjoy. Specially as a kid, when you are so dependent and know you're doomed on your own.
I'm sure some get a thrill out of getting lost, but I'm sure for most of us, we can only enjoy the idea of getting lost, knowing we are still safe though we do not know exactly where we are or how to get to our destination. Getting lost is only fun when you know you'll be alright, you're just deviating from course, losing a little time, exploring somewhere unplanned. But is that really getting lost? Would we enjoy it if we didn't know if we'd make it to our destination, or even back home?

Saturday, July 6, 2013

July 6, 2013. Pull Through

When you set yourself out with an objective, it's like going through a tunnel. You see the light at the end, evaluate the distance and prepare the amount of energy necessary to go through. Sometimes, however, your eyes trick you and the distance is farther than you expected, and even if it wasn't that far you feel the excess distance eternal. At times when you can't see the end of the tunnel, you prepare all of the energy that you can to be prepared for anything. When you do that, you may surprise yourself with how far you can go. You come to realize this way that you can do what you set yourself out to do, and when you set yourself to less, you will always achieve less. Always aim higher than where you intend to reach.

Friday, July 5, 2013

July 5, 2013. Nobody's Business

Walking down Busan's fish market on an overcast day, perfect for street photography! On goes a man minding his own business on one of the millions of red scooters in Korea. It's like if you ride one of these you're required to drive like crazy, going on sidewalks and running red lights. They're just out to get the job done and done fast, done dangerous.