Carrying on with my photography journey from the very beginning with this third article, I share with you a few outings in Seoul, South Korea to explore and take photographs. To summarize I bought my Canon 600D and have had it at this time for only about a month. I photographed the following in jpeg using full auto mode. I still had a lot of work to do to learn about photography, however, there were a few hints of potential in my earliest photographs with this camera.
I bought my first DSLR at the beginning of September 2014. The photographs that I’m sharing with you today take place from the end of September until the end of the year. There were three big outings that I had, where I went out to photograph for a good portion of my day.
Bukhansan Mountain
It’s surprising that when it comes to reflecting on these images, I can recall great detail about my day, what I was doing, and what I was thinking at the time. This is the beauty of photography. Now, more than nine years later, I can view these photographs and remember them like it was yesterday! Am I the only one?
The following images that I’m going to share are from a day trip to Bukhansan National Park, in Seoul, South Korea. It’s the largest mountain range in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi-do province of Korea. This day was one of the many times I would visit this mountain during my time in Seoul.
The following are a few of the images that I captured that day.
I remember the day not being in the best condition for photography. The sky was quite smoggy, and I had difficulty capturing the scenery the way I desired. Despite the frustration, I tried my best to photograph. Although not the best, I still think I did pretty well with the limited experience I had at the time.
As you likely know, my photography journey quickly gravitated to doing more street/documentary-style photography. I wasn’t doing that at this time, but I found some images that show some promising signs of heading in that direction. The following photographs seem to hint so.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Another site in Seoul that I would go on to visit and photograph dozens of times is Gyeongbokgung Palace which is located in the center of the cultural and historical center of Seoul. The following are some of the images that I took. Some of which I am proud of till this day!
Looking at the palace lit up was a beautiful sight! I can objectively view these photographs and recognize that they aren’t the best in the world. I simply lacked the experience and the eye to photograph these more pleasingly. I do enjoy the fact that I didn’t settle for just one image, but rather I photographed various angles and distances, which I’ve mentioned in previous articles. I particularly like the image at the end that cuts off just the final quarter of the gate.
Here’s a good tip that I’d like to leave with newer photographers. When I first took the above images, I was excited with the results! I was so happy, I thought I captured them perfectly at that time. It wasn’t until later that I realized the abundance of room for improvement.
The lesson?
Enjoy the results of the work that you do. But also remember that there is always something more to learn, there’s always something that can be improved on. Sometimes, it will not be completely apparent to you until you’ve gained more experience down the road. You should be able to realize there is always something new to learn as an artist.
Return Trip to the Palace
I enjoyed visiting and exploring the palace so much, that I made a second trip to Gyeongbokgung after a couple weeks. This time returning in the day, I captured the scenery of the grounds. Many of which, I’m happy and proud of.
There are 2 additional images that I really, really like. So I will share them separately.
I think I did this image well. I like that I didn’t go for the normal postcard, well, I did as you can see in the above gallery. But for this image, I took a step back and added this foreground element that I think immediately makes the image more interesting. I think it is very well composed. I take a lot of pride in this image. Nonetheless, certain things could be learned and/or could’ve been done better. I’d love to get your thoughts on the image.
What do you think of the above image?
The next photograph is just pretty in my opinion. The autumn colors with the colorful architecture are very pleasant and appealing. I like the composition of the photograph as well.
Seoul Lantern Festival
Near the end of the year in 2014, I visited a lantern festival located at Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon stream. I visited and captured some of the displays. Here are some of the photographs.
September~December 2014
Photograph(s): #578~1185
Before concluding this article, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you about a program that I am offering to photography learners, beginners, and aspiring photographers, free of charge. The goal is to help you improve your photography and develop your unique style. I will become a mentor to help guide you and give advice. We will also review your images and determine what can be done to improve them. I call this The Photography Mentoring Program. You can sign up for the program here.