Korean Photography Blog

On this past Sunday, I had a lot of free time. So I decided to check out the Photography Festival. The cost was 10,000 won and that got you a ticket in and your choice of photo cards made from the photos at the event. There was a book containing all of the photos also on sale for 10,000 won as well.

The event was held in the very nice art gallery next to the main theatre at the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center. It is a great venue and one that I hopefully will get a chance to hang my stuff in at one point in time. The main floor was for the international photos. The were professionally done but yet lacked inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful photos and far better than I could have ever produced but they also had that coffee table book feel where you want to thumb through it but nothing really grabs you.

As the crowds of Ajeoshis pushed their way passed my I found a couple that caught my eye. They were from the Europe side of things and really had that fantasy “Hogwarts” kind of feel to them. Of course the shots of Africa and the pyramids were spectacular as well. Then there was the local photographers display that would have been actually difficult to find had I not been there last year and asked if there were any more photos on display.

Behind the main building and down the stairs contained 3 galleries of local photographers. At first I wasn’t amused as I received a cold glare from the Ajeoshi that was looking after the first gallery. As for the photos, they were good and to be expected of photos from Ulsan. The 12 scenic sights showed up quite a bit and a few similar shots to the ones that I got showing the Taehwa Park and walking bridge.

I was about ready to call it quits thanks to the grumpy Ajeoshi but when I peeked into the other gallery I was shocked to find daring photos, patterns and awesome composure! Mind you I was followed by a family with a screaming two-year old but I was nonetheless surprised. There were some great shots of the petro-chemical facility and a very cool shot of the underbelly of one of the bridges.

All in all it is worth the 10,000 won if you want to take in some great photos and get inspired by your local city. I would shoot for mid-day or when the families are not there so that you can really stand back and take in the talent of both the international and local photogs. I also like just hanging around the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center as it is a really nice complex and great to sit down and drink some coffee that you brought over from Seattle Coffee that is just across the street.

That is right! 4 days to go before the Photo Walk! Please make sure that you have all of your gear ready and prepped. Scott Kelby has a lot of great tips for “surviving” the photo walk. Please remember that it this week is any indication of what the weekend is going to be like, then sunscreen and water are a must!

If you haven’t already told your friends and family, please do! The more we have out to this event, the stronger our community will be. I am hoping that we can build a sort of “Photo Club” here in Ulsan with the people that come out to this event. If not, well it will be a great day anyway.

In other news, Pohang is having an international fireworks demonstration. Thanks to a friend of mine who “graciously” planned an event the same weekend, I found out about this event… not bitter… not… at… all… At any rate, if you are feeling adventurous and want to head out of the city, Pohang is a great place to go. Just know that I hope it rains… just in Pohang.

Go here to get your gear for the photo walk. I just ordered mine and it should be here in a few weeks. I am in the process of setting up the official blog on the worldwide photo walk website and I will send a post once that is finished. The blog will be where you will sign up for the walk and get updates as well.

Until then the important date to remember is July 24th!

For those of you who missed it, the Fire Festivals around were lit up last night to bring in the good luck for the year to come. Ulsan’s festival was the biggest that I have ever seen it! Since 2003, this particular festival has been little more than a gathering of people and a bonfire. This year, I guess with the new landscaped area, was an actual “event”

This is one of the few festivals that brings Korea back to its roots. Visitors to the festival, held along side the Taehwa River in Ulsan, got to see performances, Korean folk singing and a lot of fire. I was actually surprised at how many people showed up. The event seemed like it went off without a hitch. The vast improvement in Ulsan is amazing to see. Events like these are what make me glad I live here in Korea.

As for myself, I was happy to have got the chance to meet up with the very talented photographer J. Griffin Stewart. I have checked out his site and it is amazing! He has some great work and I hope to be collaborating with him on more events and photographic things in the future. You can check out his site HERE or in the sidebar over there======>

Griffin also gave me the address of the much hidden “Canon A/S Center” which does that wonderful job of cleaning dirty sensors. Something that I have been needing to do for a long time now and have been just too lazy to do. How do you know if you have a dirty sensor? The easiest way is set your lens to F/22 and take a few shots on a white background. IF you live here in Korea just take a few shots of your apartment’s walls. IF you sensor is dirty, you will see black marks consistently across all the shots. For 10,000 won, the Canon A/S center will clean you camera and your sensor. Thanks Griffin for the information!

One of the most interesting things to shoot is the yearly festival that surrounds “Ji-Bul-Nori” or basically “fire play” This festival occurs on the first full moon of the lunar new year. This year, it will beheld on February 28th, 2010. As you can tell from the title, what makes this festival special is FIRE! in all of its glory.

The tradition is a remanent of more pagan rituals still found in Korea today. It is a harvest festival where fires are lit to scare away spirits that could damage the harvest or bring bad luck for the following year. These interpretations mind you come from various sources which are my Korean friends and co-workers. They are not without their conflicts, but this description is the closest I could come to accuracy.

That being said, it is a hell of a time. I love it! The main activity is the fire play. People fill buckets with embers and fire, then swing it around their bodies. This can be dangerous if you have ever witnessed the destructive power of Korean children, give them some fire and you have enough destructive force to decimate an entire country. I am not sure of the amount of people that are burned each year but it is really fun. The fire trucks are always around to make sure nothing gets out of hand.

How to Shoot:
Get there early – Usually a huge bonfire is lit early in the evening, sometimes even before it is dark out. In ulsan this usually takes place next to the Taehwa River, close to the Taehwa Rotary.

Bring a tripod – Once the light drops, you cannot handhold anything! Set up you tripod where people are playing and try to get some longer exposures of the fire. I love playing around with the exposures to see what shape I can get the fire in. Because people are swinging the fire around repeatedly, you can get some uniform shapes.

Be creative – try popping a soft diffused flash to bring out the faces or stop the motion. Try looking at the fire as a subject, rather than the people. Try zooming out (or in) during a long exposure of the fire.

Document – As this is something new to most, try covering it like a national geographic photographer or something. Get the whole story, show the faces, and show the event.