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.
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.
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.
