Memorial Day Photo Blog
A number of photos from my recent trip to Badlands National Park, Mt. Rushmore and Devil’s Tower National Monuments.
Gangbyeon Station Techno Mart
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.
On the 9th floor of the Techno Mart is a large outdoor terrace that is accessible to the public. From this point, there is a great view of both Lotte Tower and the Peace Bridge. I really appreciate that this is an area that is open to the public, free, and has a great view. No sneaking required.
The subway bridge that spans the Han acts as a good leading line. There is a higher platform on the left side of the terrace. While it does give a slightly better view, there is safety wire all around that is quite high. Towards the middle is a shorter platform that provides the easiest and safest view. From the middle platform, I found that the relationship between the tower and bridge to be less than ideal. In search of a better composition, I found that putting my camera on the ledge under the railing towards the right side of the area was an improvement. Don't do this unless you have a very stable tabletop tripod and a firm grip. Note that there are bright lights lower on the building and they can cause lens flare.
The area closes at 9pm which might be a little early if you go in the summer.
I would recommend lenses between 16mm and 85mm. 16mm is wide enough to get a lot of the freeway below in a photo with the tower while 50 or 85mm nicely frames the tower with the bridge.
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.
