Korean Photography Blog

Well, Dave Ziser just put out his take on this, so I thought that I would too. Again, these are just tips to improve your photography here, not make you feel like an idiot because you may or may not do them.

7. No Self-promotion
I learned this the hard way. I used to leer at another local photographer for always talking about his work and see his photos pop up everywhere. I thought that “my work should speak for itself” Well, it doesn’t and the way to get known is to promote yourself. That guy has over 150 more people on his facebook group than me, if that is any evidence. Don’t know how? Read up on my recent post about business cards. Then use facebook to its full advantage. Get together with other photographers and utilize their networks as well.

8. Crappy Web-sites
This is not a dig at anyone and I can’t say that my site is anything special at the moment but this is one of the main things to people view you as a photographer o, so it must work well and look good. Another thing to consider is not posting every photo you take and really cutting down your work. Why? K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. If you have a bazillion photos on a site that takes forever to load, people are not going to stay. Put up your best work and keep the party/friend/drunken night in Thailand shots on your facebook account.

9. Lack of Photoshop Knowledge
This is a big one and one that irks me to no end. It doesn’t just have to be photoshop, it could be anything (picasa, aperture, lightroom, etc.) but slapping out what photo straight from the camera is a big no no. It is not about “faking” the shot, it is about “working with the image” There are a ton of great resources out there for you to learn photoshop. My favorites are video podcasts like “Photoshop User TV” and “Photoshop Quick Tips” These are both free and great to watch. Also, as I have brought up, Scott Kelby at kelbytrainging.com has a great site and a great series of books designed to help photographers utilize photoshop.

10. Mixing Work with Pleasure
I am a teacher according to my visa. So that being said, it is a good idea to maintain the job that pays you regularly, while you are here. Sometimes what you do in your free time could infringe on your contract and get you into a lot of trouble. I did a gallery exhibition last year with the City of Ulsan and it was a blast. My school came out to check out my photos and I sold a lot of them. Then as a teacher was leaving she coyly said to me “Doesn’t think violate your contract? You can’t make any money outside the school” Thankfully I was donating the profit to charity, but even then I was on shaky grounds.
Another time I was working for the AFC Champions league and I was traveling twice a month for games across Korea. It was a great experience and I had it a planned out with my Director, at the time. Then, right before the last game of the season, she went back on our agreement because my co-workers were complaining about my absence. I had a choice; stay and get paid and keep my job and apartment or go, lose my job and leave the country. I stayed. Yes, AFC used another agency and have been using them ever since, but I kept my job and my apartment.

11. Not having the Right Tool for the Job.
There is a lot to be said for the guys that drop a bazillion dollars (or won) on the fanciest cameras and equipment and then not know how to use them, but the same can be said for the guys that don’t. Often I see a lot of new photographers get the cheapest camera with the cheapest lens and the cheapest bag. I think that photography is one of the hardest things to get into because the investment is so high. Once you get into it and you know your camera, start getting better tools for the job. Get a good tripod, get a shutter release, filters to protect your lenses and external drives. A functional bag is a must! Those little bags that you may get with your purchase don’t help when it rains or if they get bumped. Get a bag big enough to store your gear, sturdy enough to protect it and designed for the elements. Get quality glass for your camera and ones that suit your style of photography. Kit lenses are ok, but there is a reason why they are included in your “kit” they are not high quality. Research and invest in a set of good lenses.

12. Thinking that everyone is their subject.
You have to be polite when taking shots of people, or really sneaky. Often times people see candid shots of people in National Geographic and think that the photographer was just walking around taking random pics. People have dignity! If you get a shot of a lady at a market, show her. Better yet, ASK HER FIRST! Many times they will agree but they may not and that is their choice. Having cards or buying something after will help ease the creepiness of having some random stranger take their photo. This goes for many businesses too, not just people. I have often been questioned about what I was doing taking photos inside a cafe or around industrial sites.
The best story that I have is of a friend of mine that was shooting near Hyundai Car Factory. A security guy drove up and asked what he was doing. My friend showed the shots, the guy went through them and said it was ok. My friend ask why and the security guy told him that there were parts of the factory that cannot be photographed. Simple… ask first, shoot later. They have to protect themselves too.

13. Using the Camera to Pick-up Women
Yes, guys do this all the time and it is disgraceful and disgusting. There are a lot of beautiful people in Korea but please refer to #12. Often times, I have heard about guys using this line “hey, can you model for me?” in order to get a date with a girl. This is a disgrace to the profession and to photography. Why? First, question I would say is “what are you going to do with the photos?” Next, do you have a model release for? or any other professional document stating the purpose and usage of the photos? Probably not. If you work with models, most of the time you’ll have a studio and the proper gear. If you don’t, take pictures of your girlfriend or your close friends. Chances are they will give you the feed back you need to practice, don’t be a pervert. If you need a professional model, there are a number of agencies that provide models. Go about it the right way.

14. Calling yourself a “Street Photographer” when you shoot nothing
“What are you trying to say with this shot?” is what was once asked of me and I could couldn’t come up with an answer. I find a lot of so-called “street photography” just aimless, random, pointless shots taken while waiting to cross the street. Either you are taking fine art photography, beautiful scenic shots, portraits, sports, whatever… There has to be some sort of meaning to the photo and I find that street photography or rather people that are attempting it, seem to have pointless shots of people checking their teeth in a store front window and attaching some sort of socially aware title to it like “Vanity”… what a bunch of Bull S**T
You photos should convey something. IF you are on the street, there are a ton of things that you can cover from the busyness to the stacked signs, the mixture of English and Korean, the busy food stalls next to highend cafes, something for god’s sake please! Make a story and find the photos to tell it. Do Not Just randomly shoot crap and try and find some mean after when you want to show people your stuff.
That is it for me people, I have been trapped inside for too long and I have to get out for a bit. I hope to see some of you out tomorrow for the fire festival.