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You Don’t Need an Exotic Location for Great Photography

By on Aug 18, 2019 in Getting the Shot, Photography | 2 comments

I often get jealous when I scroll through facebook or Instagram and see the amazing places that people travel to. For some, I am living in an exotic location. However, I feel that I don’t travel as much as I would like these days. I have been here in Ulsan so long that it has become my second home. After 15 years here, there are not too many places that I have not shot. So how do I keep things interesting? How do I find places to photograph? Details We often look at the big picture of exotic locations. The sprawling cityscapes from Dubai or New York. Yet we often forget about the details of our own areas that make life wonderful and the reason why you life where you do. During a recent shoot in Gyeongju, I realized I stuck to just one area. I focussed on the details which in this case were the lotus flowers. There were some many things to photograph. From the people enjoying the...

The Bucket Shot: You Can Do It Too

By on Dec 28, 2018 in Getting the Shot, Photography, Theory Thursday | 0 comments

I don’t want to make this another DIY Photography-style, post where I pop a youtube video in a post and then add a couple of sentences about what I think. Instead, I am going to use the video as a point of reference for a larger topic. Peter McKinnon dropped his latest video yesterday and it is everything you’d expect from the guy who forever changed photography-youtube videos. To be honest, I feel that the man deserves his own show on Netflix. However, the point I want to explore is something that he talks about in the video. I would say that every photographer has that one shot that they are dreaming about getting. That one shot that pushes them to get up so early. That drives them to invest time and money into a craft that in some cases rarely pays off. With 2019 only days away, I want everyone to sit back, watch the video, and think about what your bucket shot is....

Using One Location

By on Nov 28, 2018 in Getting the Shot, Photography, Technique Tuesday, Tutorials | 0 comments

This past fall, I found myself in this beautiful river valley just North of Ulsan, South Korea. This was probably the most beautiful spot for fall leaves in the area. I wanted to make the most of the location as I felt that it was perfect. As I looked around, I saw so many possibilities with just one small area. Wide Angle I first went for the obvious “safe shots” which are the ones that people expect from a location like this. The wide shots showing the morning light and the falling leaves. Shots like these really are best to start off with as they get your head in the game. They get you into the “photography mode” and not thinking about anything else. These shots give a while perspective on the area and what I am looking at. I am not doing anything too creative here, just making sure that I have the area covered. Think of these shots are your “first...

Canada: Wonders of Whistler

By on Sep 20, 2018 in Getting the Shot, Photography, Theory Thursday, Where to Shoot | 0 comments

  Our time in the prairies was filled with lots of great memories and the realization that we have been gone too long. Being home has this funny way of lulling you into such a state of comfortableness that you could easily be home for a month and not even realize it. Sadly, we only had a week this time and we had to get moving. The next stop was Whistler, BC. This place has a lot of history for me. It was a place where I had lived while I was a broke student and where I first explored photography with my Father’s Pentax Spotmatic F. The last time I was there was with my late friend Dave Harvey. So it it has a special place in my heart for many reasons. I could easily retire there… if I had a few million dollars to throw around. Heading up to Whistler, I had a lot of expectations for what I wanted to shoot. I had done my research and made a shot list of what I wanted. I...

The Flixel Walk Seoul

By on Apr 6, 2018 in Getting the Shot, Korea, Photography, Theory Thursday | 0 comments

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hosting the first international Flixel Walk. This is essentially a photowalk with the intent of making cinemagraphs using Flixel’s cinemagraph pro. The timing for this event could not have been better as it is spring now in Korea and the beautiful cherry blossoms were out in full force. The location that I chose for this event was the beautiful Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul. This palace is right across the street from the Seoul City Hall. In my opinion this was a great location and one that I typically find myself in when I head up to Seoul. I felt that the palace also fit well with the theme of “old and new” really well. Like most weekends in Seoul, there was a large protest going on. Sadly, this particular protest occurred directly in front of the palace gates. It was a minor set back with some amusing instances. Most of the...

Planning Out Your Shots: Why This Should be The First Thing You Should Do Before Taking Any Shots

By on Jun 10, 2017 in Getting the Shot, Korea, Photography, Theory Thursday | 0 comments

There are many photographers out there that love shooting from the hip. I used to be one. I used to get lucky with the shots that I got but sometimes I would miss the mark. Sure, I got some decent shots but they seemed just off. The reason was that I was merely shooting from the hip and hoping that if I was at the right place at the right time with the right lens, I would walk away with a winning shot. The trouble is that I was never really sure of what I wanted. I knew the kind of shot that I wanted to get beforehand or even simply the location but I never really had a clear vision of what short I wanted or the story that I wanted to tell. Once I started planning my shots, I had a better idea of what I wanted to say with them. That later lead to, in my opinion, much better shots. The What and the How? The biggest questions are basically what to do and how to do it. One is a little...

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