Namsan
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Namsan mountain is a popular choice to shoot cityscapes. Personally, I think that there are many other places that offer a better view of the city for photography. There are two good shots to be had in my opinion. The first is from the top shooting north towards Myeongdong with Bukhansan National Park in the background. The second is getting a medium shot of the tower itself from a viewpoint along the road to the top.
I haven't been lucky with the air quality and weather to get a nice photo looking north so I have no example to show. However, there is a 24 hour live webcam stream looking north from the tower that I often use as a gauge to judge how sunsets will look. You can find the stream here.
Achasan - Seoul Photo Location
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
This mountain has a special place in my heart as it was the first good night view that I had of the city. My co-teacher took me up one Saturday and I was really happy with the sprawling views all around. At the time, I was living in Suwon and getting to the Mountain was quite the mission but, living in Seoul, it became more accessible.
Starting from Achasan station on line 5 exit 2, it's about 40-50 minutes up to a good spot to shoot. The pavilion is a great location to grab a shot like the one above. Farther up, the path becomes a bit wider and you can enjoy a view of Lotte Tower without trees or power lines getting in the way. Farther still, you can look west to Namsan Tower and most of Seoul.
For this location, I would recommend bringing focal lengths between 50 and 200mm. When shooting Lotte Tower with the Peace Bridge in the frame, I found 135mm to be the ideal focal length.
Umyeonsan - Seoul Photo Location
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
This is a new favorite location for me and I love racing to the top after work in time for sunset.. Getting to the "photo island" at the top takes about an hour from Nambu Bus Terminal. Be prepared for close to 300 meters of elevation gain. In the summer heat, it was brutal. The nearest subway station is Nambu Bus Terminal. Head toward the Seoul Arts Center. From there, various trails head to the top
I would recommend 50mm and 85mm. These two focal lengths seem to work best with this location to use the large road as a leading line up towards Namsan Tower. Stitching photos together with a 50mm makes for great panoramas.
Below is the map location of the beginning of the trail I use. It is a pedestrian bridge with a large waterfall on the mountain side.
Lotte Tower - Seoul Photo Location
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Lotte Tower in Jamsil shouldn't be written off just because it is a busy tourist attraction. On a clear day, the tower gives you a panoramic view of the city in every direction. There are three floors and enough space to find an area of the windows to shoot from yourself. Because you are shooting out of the windows of a busy attraction, bring something to wipe the windows and well as a jacket to cover your camera. Cleaning the handprints and blocking stray light and reflections will give the best chance of a clean image.
I recommend going on a weekday. While there are normally long lines on Saturday and Sunday, there were only a few people there on the weekday I went. Keep in mind that it is 28,000 won per person to go to the top.
I would recommend focal lengths above 24mm. There are a lot of opportunity to be creative here. Bring something to cover the window around your lens when you shoot to cut out reflections. As a side note, large lenses are not allowed. I saw a 70-200 at the top but my own 100-400 was refused.
Namhansanseong - Seoul Photo Location
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
This is one of the more difficult locations to get to before sunset if you get off at 6, like I do. I have taken two paths to the top. The first is to go to Macheon station and head towards Seongbulsa temple. From there, you have an hour-long hike for 2km that includes 370 meters of elevation gain. While it takes a bit of effort, it did make the view from the top all the better. The easier and faster way is to take the subway to Sanseong Station and then catch bus number 9-1 to Sanseong-ri. From there, it's about a 20-minute walk to the gate but there is still around 100m of elevation gain.
The reason I love this location so much is that you get Lotte Tower, Namsan Tower, and Bukhansan in one easy shot. In July, the sun sets between Lotte Tower and Namsan Tower for a few days.
There is a road that goes right up to the gate. Due to the ease of access with a car, do not expect to be alone. On a mediocre day, there were still 10 people but on a nice night when I went there were closer to 50, so many that there wasn't enough room for everyone to set up where there is a clear view.
Apgujeong - Seoul Photo Location
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
This is Old Faithful for me. If you are in the Gangnam area or live near line 5, this is a wonderfully accessible area. There are many apartments that are older high-rises and have roof access. When going in, be quick and don't linger. When on the roofs, tread lightly and try to stay over the elevator area. The less bothersome we are, the less likely they are to kick people out.
From the roofs, you are treated to a great view of the river, Dongho Bridge, and Namsan Tower. Once the light fades, Dongho Bridge and Namsan tower light up and become highlighted against the darker surrounding buildings.
I would recommend taking lenses with a focal length on full frame between 24 and 100mm.
Banpo Bridge - Seoul Photo Locations
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
Seoul is a fascinating city to see. However, most rarely get a good look of the vastness. As part of an ongoing series of blog posts. I am documenting all of the great locations to photograph a good cityscape of Seoul. In these posts, there should be enough information to know what to expect and if it is worth the journey.
The Banpo Bridge area holds a number of good subjects to shoot. In the summer, water is shot from and lit up on the east side of the bridge. If you can get up to one of the apartment blocks, you can get a good shot of Some Sevit with the bridge and Namsan tower in the background. Looking to the east, there is a clear view towards Yeiudo.
This is one of the faster locations to get to and can be accessed from Express Bus Terminal or Sinbanpo Station.
Be warned, the roof of the building I went up was locked and, after about an hour on the top floor, one of the residents told me off for being there and I left. Your mileage of those buildings may vary. From the apartments that line the edge of the park, it is possible to get a photo similar to the one at the top.
From the park itself, there are many possibilities. The bridge has a water shot at set times for most of the year and is lit nicely at night. There are views looking down the river towards Yeuido. Finally, being closer to Some Sevit allows for more detailed and abstract shots of the colorful building.
A Trip to Jeju in Black and White
Jeju Island is always a popular destination for those in South Korea. It is close enough to Seoul to be a viable weekend trip. The flights to Jeju are not terribly expensive even during those times that everyone has a vacation. Activities on the island suite a variety of tastes. This, my third trip to Jeju, offered the opportunity to explore far more of the island than on either of my previous trips allowed. With seven full days and a rental car to ferry us around, we covered a lot of ground.
Jeju Island is always a popular destination for those in South Korea. It is close enough to Seoul to be a viable weekend trip. The flights to Jeju are not terribly expensive even during those times that everyone has a vacation. Activities on the island suite a variety of tastes. This, my third trip to Jeju, offered the opportunity to explore far more of the island than on either of my previous trips allowed. With seven full days and a rental car to ferry us around, we covered a lot of ground.
Beaches
A big reason that my girlfriend and I went to Jeju was that we would be able to spend time on the sand soaking up the sun. We laid on Hyeopjae Beach as well as Jungmun Beach. If I were to recommend one, it would be Hyeopjae. The water was beautiful, the sand clean and fine, and there was a little more space to swim. At Jungmun, there was only a small portion of the beach that you could swim in without the lifeguards rousing which crowded all of the visitors into one spot and left the majority of the beach sadly unused. At both, however, the allowed space to swim didn't go out into deep water with the deepest being about five feet. Crowding was also an issue at both. There are many people who go to these beaches during the peak summer season.
In spite of these issues, it is quite enjoyable to rent an umbrella, lie on a towel, and take a nap while listening to the waves. If you don't mind not being able to go in the water, you can set up away from the swimming area and enjoy a more relaxed beach-side experience.
Mountains
Seongsan Ilchulbong
There are various mountains scattered around the island. The main two that we visited were Hallasan and Seongsan Ilchulbong.
We hiked Hallasan on our fifth day. Our hike started with a 4:30 am alarm and a short drive to the start of Gwaneumsa trail. Looking online, this trail came up as the most difficult and that's why we picked it. It took us three hours and forty minutes to make it to the top. Along the way, we passed out of the tree line and were greeted with the white of being in a cloud. A great benefit of starting so early and picking the difficult trail was that we almost had the trail to ourselves. No one was coming down yet and no hikers were on the same area that we were. Even though visibility was poor, it was good to get out and enjoy the fresh air and exercise. After 1400 meters of ascent, we made it to the top, took our picture, and went back down because it was cold and we couldn't see anything.
So, after nearly two years in Korea, I can joyfully say I have completed its highest mountain. I'd rate the difficulty as moderate.
The second significant mountain that we spent time at was Seongsan Ilchulbong, or Sunrise Peak. The remnant of a long extinct volcano, this dramatic feature of the landscape grabbed my attention and I could spend all day shooting it. Gwangchigi Beach offers a great place to photograph the peak from at sunrise. At low tide, the rocks act as great leading lines.
If you get to the park early enough (right after sunrise), there will not be anyone manning the tickets booths to the park and you can walk right in. The tour busses don't get there until a little late so the park is quite and very enjoyable. From there, it is a short distance and a good amount of stairs to the top. The view is better from the bottom or the beach.
Udo
Udo Island is an attraction that I have wanted to visit since before my first visit. This small island is wonderful and seems completely different from the main island so close to it. After walking around for a bit, we rented electric bikes that made getting around the island very easy. It took about an hour to get around the island at a leisurely pace. Along the way, there are a large number of cute cafes and restaurants. We stopped at one to get peanut ice cream as it's one of the most popular things to do.
Lonely Tree
This, the most romantic spot for photos on the island, is a single tree with two small mountains to the sides of it. Along with the tree, there is beautiful grass flowing in the wind. While there are often many couples coming to take selfies in front of the tree if you wait there will be windows where you can grab a photo without anyone in the frame.
At sunset during the summer, there is wonderful soft light and it really lends itself to grabbing a portrait.
Image Gallery
Daegu Lantern Festival
Every year the weekend before Buddha's birthday, the city of Daegu hold a wonderful lantern festival at Duryu park. A sea of lanterns lit up and rose into the fading light of the sky. The wind took them into the distant sunset. There were great moments with kids looking up with wonder and families coming together to send off their wishes.
Every year the weekend before Buddha's birthday, the city of Daegu hold a wonderful lantern festival at Duryu park. We didn't buy tickets online. From what I read online, it was a bit futile to try to buy them because the previous year 15,000 tickets sold out in around thirty seconds and the website does not have an English version. The tickets also go on sale at midnight which is way past my bedtime. So Andrea and I started early in the hopes of getting a first come first serve ticket.
The day started with an alarm at 4:45 am. After getting dressed and a quick cab ride later, we were at Suseo station for the 6:00 am train to Busan. At 7:40, we had arrived at Dongdaegu station. The subway is pretty simple with only three lines. There was only one transfer to get to the Duryu subway stop from Dongdaegu. One stop past Duryu station has a McDonalds for a quick bite and coffee.
We got to the park at 10 am and there were already quite a few people in line for the free tickets. According to the Korean man that was sitting next to us, there were only 2,000 free first-come-first-served tickets this year and you couldn't buy tickets for the other zones the day of. The free tickets were for the blue zone which faces away from the tower. However, free tickets are nice considering the price we paid for our train from Seoul.
The blue section.
By 11, there were blue wristbands on our arms and we had a few hours until they opened the venue at 3 pm. We grabbed some lunch and a few snacks at a convenience store outside of the park before heading to wait in line. When they did open the gate, we were some of the first people inside and grabbed a very nice spot. The section didn't fill up for a few hours so, unless you want a good spot for photos, you can come later. Because the blue section faces the sun, I recommend you bring a hat, large umbrella, and a lot of sunscreen to protect yourself. The sun is intense until it dips below the tree line around 7 pm. There was a lot of waiting that day. There are performances on the main stage but they are far away and difficult to see from most of the outer sections.
Using their jackets to shade themselves.
We were far from the entertainment.
Andrea and I spent a number of hours hanging out, talking, and reading. As time went on we noticed a good number of people sneaking into the red section, the inner grounds of the stadium. It didn't seem as though the guards cared much at all because one man pointed out people were sneaking in and I'm confident they saw a few people make their way in but they didn't do anything. A few minutes before the lanterns went up, I went through the barrier and down the short staircase into the red zone. I wanted to see the lanterns let go up close and get a few shots with the tower in the background.
Write here…
I didn't have much time to scout before they released the lanterns at 8 pm. It all seemed to happen so quickly. A sea of lanterns lit up and rose into the fading light of the sky. The wind took them into the distant sunset. There were great moments with kids looking up with wonder and families coming together to send off their wishes.
It didn't take long before the last lanterns were gone, the lights came on, and most people headed to the exit. The event was over but there was still a monk dancing on the stage with vigor.
Outside of the stadium, there is a lantern parade that starts a few minutes after the lanterns which is fun to watch. If you go to the Seoul Lantern Parade the previous Saturday, you can probably skip this one to get home sooner. I booked the 11:30 train back to Seoul because what I had read said the event lasted until 10:30 or 11 but, if you skip the parade, a 9:30 or 10 pm train might be better.
Camera Stuff
Not knowing what to expect, I'm fairly happy with a few of the shots I have. The "hero" shot of all the lanterns rising in front of the tower is best taken from the south section of the yellow or northwest section of the pink zone. My biggest tip would be to expose for the lanterns. The camera will blow out the lanterns because the rest of the scene is quite dim.
Because this is a night event with fast-moving lanterns, I would recommend bringing fast lenses with image stabilization. I used a 20mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 for most of my shots but, if I did it again, I would choose a 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8. Those should cover the field of view needed and require fewer lens changes. Don't be afraid to bump your ISO up into a high range. Many of my shots of people holding a lantern were at an ISO of 2000-6400 while the wider shots were ISO 800-1600. Many people brought tripods and many ended up not using theirs. I didn't bring mine because I wanted to go light and didn't foresee myself using one. It's a tossup if I would bring one if I go again. If I knew that I would be in the central portion, the red or green sections, I wouldn't so I could be flexible. If I had tickets for the yellow or pink, I would bring one to have a few more stable shots.
Back In Korea
I'm back in South Korea. It is cold.
Well, it took a lot longer to get back into the country than I had originally planned. From a job falling through to delaying so I could go on a few special family trips, there always seemed to be some reason that I was still in the states. I finally got a job that was at the same school as my girlfriend.
I was planning on being there as soon as my visa came in but, once it did, the recruiter informed me that the school wasn't ready and I would start January 18th. I wasn't happy about it and had them fly me out a bit sooner so I could spend Christmas with my girlfriend. I got in on Christmas Eve and was able to spend it with her.
We are supposed to be in Daechi but, because the school wasn't ready, she has been in Bundang since arriving in November and she was kind enough to give me a place to stay.
Now, what I should have done was take the few weeks I had before work would start and go around to some of the less accessible parts of Korea that will be difficult to do with a work week but I am hesitant to spend a lot of money at the moment. I did come up with a few trips that I would like to compete this year:
Olle Trail in Jeju.
A temple stay.
As many National Parks as possible.
Most of my time was spent at cafes. If there is one thing I love about Korea, it's the coffee culture. There is great coffee everywhere and they are wonderful little businesses.
One day I went to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. This is one of my favorite places to take photos. Because it was so cold, there weren't many people and it felt as though I had the whole place to myself. I didn't stay too long though. After an hour I couldn't feel my fingers even with gloves on. The crazy thing was that there were two women doing there own little photo shoot with one of them spending quite a bit of time in just a black dress. It was too bad I didn't snap a quick shot of them.
There were two Saturdays where we went up to Seoul. We were planning to go to the Daelim Museum the first time but it was a bit too busy and we decided to go again the next weekend. Instead, we went to the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace and watched the actors do the changing of the guard performance.
Afterwards, it was up to the Bukchon Hanok Village. I enjoy shooting here but you really have to get there early to get photos without a bunch of other people in the background. We found a side street that wasn't too busy to take a few shots. To my great dismay, a few of the houses on the main road of the village are being renovated and have large barriers up for the construction. They are a giant eyesore and, if you plan on shooting there, you'll have to plan around that or go once they have finished.
Around sunset, we made it to Common Grounds, a complex made with shipping containers filled with shops and restaurants. Outside, there are also four food trucks that look semi-permanently placed in the center of the courtyard. I'm not really sure how much they keep the spirit of a food truck if they don't move.
Seven days later we made it to the Paper, Present exhibit at the Daelim Museum. It was a three story building filled with the most elaborate paper crafts I've ever seen. The first floor was filled with intricate works lacking color. The second floor had three sections with household and everyday items in paper form, small creatures, and a room of paper flowers hanging from the ceiling. The final level was a single room with mirror walls, pink reeds, and calm music. This was supposed to be a representation of a summer field and was the most interesting of the levels.
Work started last week. They don't have a lot for me to do yet but I've started moving into my own apartment in Daechi. Hopefully, I'll have more focused and interesting entries to come.
