Picking up from my last article on my earliest photographs, we’re now taking a look at some selections from my 6709th to 7551st images. Of course, if you’d like to you could go back to the very beginning of this photography journey series with the Beginning section.. I’m continuing to share my journey in photography, this article takes us back to the spring of 2016.
As you may already know, I lived in South Korea for over 10 years. That’s also where I first got into photography and bought my first DSLR camera. At this point, I had my Canon 600D for a little over a year and I was thoroughly enjoying going out, exploring with camera in hand, and documenting my adventures. A lot of my travels and photographs are centered around my family, my son was just a couple of years old at the time and I have many photographs of him growing up! Which I love to look back on and see, but I will refrain from sharing these personal images. *But it begs the point, and I highly recommend all photographs to take quality photographs of the ones they love the most, their family and friends. It would be all too sad, to take thousands of images and have beautiful work to share, but have little of what means the most in the world to you.
With that stated, in today’s article, I’m sharing some images from the spring of 2016. This is a beautiful time in South Korea with the weather getting nice and cherry blossoms blooming. We took a family trip to Namiseom (Nami Island), which is a popular little island an hour-and-a-half drive from Seoul, where we enjoyed some quality time together, and I had the opportunity to take some nice photographs while we were there. I’m happy to share with you a few of the images with my thoughts, commentary, and in some cases, advice for newer photographers based on my thoughts on the images.
Photograph #1
So at the very beginning of March, we took a little family trip to go sledding. They have this little park that does artificial snow on a large hill and they rent out tubes and the like for children and families. We decided to take our son there, considering it was the end of winter, and before they closed it up for the season we got in one visit. (He had a blast!! 🎉😂)
When we were there, I waited near the end of the slope so I could take some photographs as my wife and son came down the hill. But then I noticed this family that seemed to have the wildest overreaction to coming down the hill, and it made for a decent image, in my view! The only thing that I’m sad about is cutting off the right side of the image. It would have been nicer to have the man fully in frame without cutting out his left arm.
Photograph #2
From this photograph, I’m sharing some images that I took on our trip to Gapyeong, including Namiseom (Nami island). The above photo is probably one that I never bothered to edit or share with anyone. But when I was going through my collection of raw files I pulled it out, as I found it still interesting. I think it’s interesting to have a foreground silhouette with the subject of the crowd on the ferry leaving for the island.
I think it’s a good idea for photographers to consider adding an element to the foreground of a composition to create a fresher look to the average scene. It’s nice to get creative and go beyond that simple, straightforward ‘postcard shot’.
Photograph #3
I love this photograph. I don’t think it’s as good as it could be. If I were photographing this scene today, I would have tried to keep the statue in the foreground to the right of the composition, that way it wouldn’t have this overlapping feeling to it. I think that could have been achieved simply by being more observant of the composition and stepping a few feet to the left to separate the statue and the couple in the background.
There’s always something to learn from our older photographs and always something to improve on.
Photograph #4
Nami Island has lots of couples. I liked that. A beautiful spring day and many opportunities to observe and capture some special moments between families and couples. This is one that I liked from the moment I took it.
Photograph #5
Some of the images, I don’t have a lot that comes to mind. Don’t expect a ground-breaking epiphany with each photograph. Rather, I will share what I have in mind. If there isn’t much on my mind at the time, I might skip to the next image. But if you have additional thoughts on the images, I’d love to know! Please let me know in the comments.
Photograph #6
Some of the images are simply about capturing the scene, documenting the overall feeling of the location of the image. This is another image that I may never have edited., However, I do think it does capture the essence of the island! 😊
Photograph #7
I also really love this photograph. I must say that this photograph was captured from a further distance and cropped to focus on the couple in the scene. I don’t like cropping, but from time to time I might. Instead, if it’s possible, I prefer to ‘crop with my feet’, meaning walk closer or further, left or right to compose the scene and distance. I used to use zoom lenses, I may have at this time as well, but nowadays I usually use a prime lens, making moving essential. At times though, there are moments that will be missed if you take the extra time to move and adjust, in this case, you have two options. Take the photo and adjust it in post-processing, or miss the photograph. If it’s a photo I’m intrigued with, I prefer to take it!
Photograph #8
The next few photographs come from another location in Gapyeong, South Korea. The place is a popular attraction among local Koreans and tourists alike. The place is called Land of the Morning Calm. The whole area is popular for the gardens and flowers throughout the entirety of the property and it served as a shooting location for a variety of Korean dramas. Walking in at the beginning of spring, you will see the crowds and the cherry blossoms as pictured in the above photograph.
Photograph #9
I’m not sure what’s up with that type of squat. 😂
Photograph #10
Flowers that I photographed in the area.
Photograph #11
Photograph #12/13
Which photograph do you prefer? The black and white? Or the color?
Photograph #14
And a final image that I’m happy to share with you, is this photograph. I saw this man doing this ‘step-lean’ on the fence and glaring upwards. I certainly had to get closer to capture the frame. The weather wasn’t the best, to be honest, it was dusty and gray out, but still, I did my best to capture some nice photographs.
March~April 2016
Photographs: #6709~7551
Join The Photography Mentoring Program
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 how to improve them. I call this The Photography Mentoring Program. You can sign up for the program here.
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