b..la...theri...ngs
i don't really understand it/and neither do you
blatherings
5 Black & White, 5 Colour (Korea, Beginning Week 6)
Not much time for a real entry right now. Trying furiously to write as many postcards as I can before leaving Seoul. Also trying to figure out our plans for next week. I think we're going to Busan for a week and doing some day trips around the south eastern region of Korea. It's the next easiest thing to do aside from going to Jeju Island, which we're not overly keen on (it's a lot like Hawai'i according to the books and also swarming with tourists in July and August). Been spending the last two afternoons walking along Cheonggye Stream with K. It's relatively cool late in the day and it's one of the few open spots she can walk around in that is both close to us that doesn't have motorcycles zooming on and off the sidewalks every few minutes. We also went to a library last week, the Yongsan Public Library (Yes, Adrienne, there is a photo and it will be on Flickr within a few days). There were some English books for kids and a nice reading room, but holy cow do the Koreans take the quiet in their libraries seriously. And there's been lots of visits to the children's playroom, Little Orchid, on the 6th floor at the Doota Shopping Mall. Finally, I'm trying to compile a number of little video shots to string together for some other entries, take more silly photos, take more pinhole shots (9 so far), and take more of the kind of stuff below. I've not shot as much as I was hoping, but I've done alright. Actually will be going to Chungmuro this week to buy some more film (hopefully I can even score a little bit of Kodachrome).
Wait, this is turning into a real entry. I don't have time for that. Here's some random negatives I got back this week:
Wait, this is turning into a real entry. I don't have time for that. Here's some random negatives I got back this week:
Whitey's Wanderings and Ways With Words (Korea Week 5)
Note: Video finally added below. You may have to wait for it load because it's somewhat big. I need to figure out a better way to do this. Photos added now too.
Lots happening within the last week or so. Been one of those weeks where I've been feeling a lot like whitey.
Father's Day came a day early due to H's production schedule (not because we are SO in the future). She scoped out a restaurant that serves a Western-style brunch called The Flying Pan Blue. It's run by a couple of Australian sisters, or so the searches on the interweb tell me. It's in the neighborhood of Itaewon, which is very close to the US Army's base for the Yongsan Garrison (thanks again to the interweb for this info). Itaewon also generally seems to be the neighborhood that foreigners living in Seoul reside in. There's lots of eclectic cuisines to be had and several US chain restaurants to be found. H, K and I had been there once before and went to a Pakistani place that was deserted save for us. While the neighborhood seemed very busy both days we went, it was not really our speed. It just seems, well, gross...like it caters to a very low side of people. We only really explored a few blocks, so maybe I'm too quick to judge. Still, it just had a bad vibe for me. I can understand that people living far away from the US who didn't really want to leave might like a taste of home. Since I'm here by choice, I don't want to spend time on things that I could easily get at home, particularly food. Once was nice, but I think we'll be exploring other parts of Seoul for the rest of our time here.
Itaewon was also one of the few times we'd seen any other white people. Occasionally we'll see one on the street or in the hotel lobby. Not always Americans, but definately not Koreans. In general I'm enjoying the anonymity we have here (or at least as much anonymity as I can have with a baby strapped to my back in a big red bag). So I try to avoid contact with white peope whenever possible. They cramp my style. It's like they are going to reveal me somehow and I don't want to be found out. And whenever there's a white person around who is acting...white, it just makes me feel bad. I don't want to be lumped in with all those people who don't bother to learn any of the language or customs of the place they are in. Note to people who may be traveling against their will: not every place is just like America. Just get over it.
But I guess I'm one to talk about the language. I have tried and I could try harder, but I've found Korean to be completely impenitriable. The phonetic description of words in the books seems to be of no use, although I never did put in the time with the CD's like I'd planned on. I'm okay when I can combine the written phoneticization with hearing it, but totally lost otherwise. We've had K befriend the little boy of one of H's colleages and try as I might, I just cannot remember his mother's name. And we've spent an entire afternoon together, mind you. I just have no hook with it. I did manage to pull the word "photographer" from the phrase book and nail it on the first attempt, but that has been my only true victory. So far, aside from some food words, I know how to say yes, no, hello, goodbye, thank you, fish, water, slowly, good work, and one-and-a-half (people always ask how old K is). Of those ten phrases, I use at least four of them incorretly in terms of context, but I decided I don't care because at least it's something close that people will understand. Close doesn't not cut it when it comes to this language.
Oddly though, the language differences have become a kind of safety for me. This is only the second time in my life that I've spent a considerable amount of time in a place that the language, both spoken and written, is totally different from my own. The first week was a bit nerve-wracking and the second felt very isolating. Now it's pretty relaxing. For as much noise visually and aurally one experiences here, it's nothing that I really understand. I'm not distracted with haivng to decipher anything. The vast quantity of signs pull my attention with their colours and shapes, but they are totally meaningless to me, just objects. And people are always staring at K and talking to us, but since I don't know what they are saying, I can just smile and walk away if they get weird.
ummm...back to what I was talking about...
H also had Monday off here and we decided to take our first trip outside of Seoul. We opted to go the island of Muuido. This is a small island off the coast of Incheon and loacated right next to Yeongjongdo, island home to Incheon Internation Airport. It's about 3 hours door-to-door and requires taking two subways, a bus, a ferry, and a walk to get there. Oddly, the ferry takes the least amount of time clocking in at all of five minutes. There are a couple of beaches and some hiking trails there. Only about 600 people live on the island and near as we could tell, only one of them spoke a lick of English. This was nice, only until we realized that the "country-bus" driver was not the one. After a visit to the beach, we took said bus from our hotel in Silmi to Hanagae Beach to find some dinner. As we departed the bus, we thought we confirmed that it ran until at least 8:30. After dinner, as 9pm approached, we found out it stopped at 7:30. But the travel gods took pity upon us poor hapless three. After some embarassing cell phone calls and confusing rounds of hand gesturing, someone came along and offered to drive us back to Silmi. This saved us a good two hour walk back. K will never know how lucky she was in that she didn't have to carry me back through the cold, dark night. The rest of our short visit was spent hiking along the road the next morning. Here's a short compilation video from some of what we did (this is a new thing I'm trying out so bear with me...):
Back in Seoul now for two more weeks. K gets another visit from our Phillipino nanny, Dell, on Friday. She lives in Itaewon, as did the other nanny we interviewed. I may try to shoot some that day or get a massage at Dragon Hill Spa. K's week will also be busy with our first trip to the Namsan Public Library, which apparently has lots of children's books in English. We'll also be going back to the Coex Mall Aquarium and the Seoul Grand Park Zoo. And I'll be cooking more Bibimyeon, Wanjatang, and trying out Seogogi Kamjatang (all from the cookbook I bought at the international bookstore, The Very Best of Korean Cooking). Finally, there's likely to be at least one more Emart trip in our future. I'm beginning to hate Emart.
Lots happening within the last week or so. Been one of those weeks where I've been feeling a lot like whitey.
Father's Day came a day early due to H's production schedule (not because we are SO in the future). She scoped out a restaurant that serves a Western-style brunch called The Flying Pan Blue. It's run by a couple of Australian sisters, or so the searches on the interweb tell me. It's in the neighborhood of Itaewon, which is very close to the US Army's base for the Yongsan Garrison (thanks again to the interweb for this info). Itaewon also generally seems to be the neighborhood that foreigners living in Seoul reside in. There's lots of eclectic cuisines to be had and several US chain restaurants to be found. H, K and I had been there once before and went to a Pakistani place that was deserted save for us. While the neighborhood seemed very busy both days we went, it was not really our speed. It just seems, well, gross...like it caters to a very low side of people. We only really explored a few blocks, so maybe I'm too quick to judge. Still, it just had a bad vibe for me. I can understand that people living far away from the US who didn't really want to leave might like a taste of home. Since I'm here by choice, I don't want to spend time on things that I could easily get at home, particularly food. Once was nice, but I think we'll be exploring other parts of Seoul for the rest of our time here.
Itaewon was also one of the few times we'd seen any other white people. Occasionally we'll see one on the street or in the hotel lobby. Not always Americans, but definately not Koreans. In general I'm enjoying the anonymity we have here (or at least as much anonymity as I can have with a baby strapped to my back in a big red bag). So I try to avoid contact with white peope whenever possible. They cramp my style. It's like they are going to reveal me somehow and I don't want to be found out. And whenever there's a white person around who is acting...white, it just makes me feel bad. I don't want to be lumped in with all those people who don't bother to learn any of the language or customs of the place they are in. Note to people who may be traveling against their will: not every place is just like America. Just get over it.
But I guess I'm one to talk about the language. I have tried and I could try harder, but I've found Korean to be completely impenitriable. The phonetic description of words in the books seems to be of no use, although I never did put in the time with the CD's like I'd planned on. I'm okay when I can combine the written phoneticization with hearing it, but totally lost otherwise. We've had K befriend the little boy of one of H's colleages and try as I might, I just cannot remember his mother's name. And we've spent an entire afternoon together, mind you. I just have no hook with it. I did manage to pull the word "photographer" from the phrase book and nail it on the first attempt, but that has been my only true victory. So far, aside from some food words, I know how to say yes, no, hello, goodbye, thank you, fish, water, slowly, good work, and one-and-a-half (people always ask how old K is). Of those ten phrases, I use at least four of them incorretly in terms of context, but I decided I don't care because at least it's something close that people will understand. Close doesn't not cut it when it comes to this language.
Oddly though, the language differences have become a kind of safety for me. This is only the second time in my life that I've spent a considerable amount of time in a place that the language, both spoken and written, is totally different from my own. The first week was a bit nerve-wracking and the second felt very isolating. Now it's pretty relaxing. For as much noise visually and aurally one experiences here, it's nothing that I really understand. I'm not distracted with haivng to decipher anything. The vast quantity of signs pull my attention with their colours and shapes, but they are totally meaningless to me, just objects. And people are always staring at K and talking to us, but since I don't know what they are saying, I can just smile and walk away if they get weird.
ummm...back to what I was talking about...
H also had Monday off here and we decided to take our first trip outside of Seoul. We opted to go the island of Muuido. This is a small island off the coast of Incheon and loacated right next to Yeongjongdo, island home to Incheon Internation Airport. It's about 3 hours door-to-door and requires taking two subways, a bus, a ferry, and a walk to get there. Oddly, the ferry takes the least amount of time clocking in at all of five minutes. There are a couple of beaches and some hiking trails there. Only about 600 people live on the island and near as we could tell, only one of them spoke a lick of English. This was nice, only until we realized that the "country-bus" driver was not the one. After a visit to the beach, we took said bus from our hotel in Silmi to Hanagae Beach to find some dinner. As we departed the bus, we thought we confirmed that it ran until at least 8:30. After dinner, as 9pm approached, we found out it stopped at 7:30. But the travel gods took pity upon us poor hapless three. After some embarassing cell phone calls and confusing rounds of hand gesturing, someone came along and offered to drive us back to Silmi. This saved us a good two hour walk back. K will never know how lucky she was in that she didn't have to carry me back through the cold, dark night. The rest of our short visit was spent hiking along the road the next morning. Here's a short compilation video from some of what we did (this is a new thing I'm trying out so bear with me...):
Download | Duration: 00:02:41
Back in Seoul now for two more weeks. K gets another visit from our Phillipino nanny, Dell, on Friday. She lives in Itaewon, as did the other nanny we interviewed. I may try to shoot some that day or get a massage at Dragon Hill Spa. K's week will also be busy with our first trip to the Namsan Public Library, which apparently has lots of children's books in English. We'll also be going back to the Coex Mall Aquarium and the Seoul Grand Park Zoo. And I'll be cooking more Bibimyeon, Wanjatang, and trying out Seogogi Kamjatang (all from the cookbook I bought at the international bookstore, The Very Best of Korean Cooking). Finally, there's likely to be at least one more Emart trip in our future. I'm beginning to hate Emart.
Photos and Food (Korea Week 4)
This is probably the best photo I've taken in Seoul, so far. And that is not saying much. I like some of the things I've done, but I'm not blown away by any of them. Basically, I'm still searching for something, but I don't think I know what that is. I'd had in my mind an idea about what I would find here, about how it would look. There's been a little confirmation of that idea (the juxtaposition of old and new Korea), but more and more I'm finding something else entirely. It's honestly a struggle to figure this place out and I've not come close yet. I'm interested in the flow of daily life here even though I still feel like I don't understand it. The markets, whether traditional or modern, are intimidating. The language is still a huge mystery. Mostly I've been trying to concentrate on a few specific photographic issues while at the same time learning what I can about the city.
We're four weeks into our trip and the daily routine has already become a little mundane. Not in a bad way, but the initial thrill of being here has steadily given way to normalcy and the familiar. I've already stopped noticing the things immediately on our block and the urge to photograph every inch of it has passed (although there are several things I'd like to shoot before we leave). There's daily food shopping or laundry to be done. And evenings revolve mostly around K and her nighttime patterns. She even had a rare three-hour nap last week, which left me time to get knee deep into some book and web research about all things photography.
I look at primarily two things when researching photography, but in no organized fashion. I mostly go where the perceived holes in my knowledge seems best plugged. Lately it's been all about lighting. This is the contemporary part of my research. I look at commercial photographers a lot for this. I don't really want to do that style of work, but they know their lighting and exposures so well that I learn a lot from them. It's intimidating because some of these people are really, really good. I've slowly been able to talk myself down from feeling like I'll never be able to do what they do into a more measured approach where I accept that I can learn and apply new skills.
The other part of the research is looking at work of the Great Photographers (my emphasis). I brought two classic books along for the trip, John Szarkowski's Looking at Photographs and Ansel Adams's The Camera. The Szarkowski is the one I've spent the most time with. I like to look at and learn about the works that are considered some of the best of the past. I don't want to reproduce that work, but I do find it helpful in figuring out my own style. It seems that most often these photos deal with people. That is one of the things I've tried to work on while in Seoul.
Photographing people on the street has inherent risks. I've had people in the US pick fights with me over it. The polite part of me wants to ask permission before doing it. I've not done that in the past, but I was hoping that it might make for better pictures, so I'm trying it out while here. Asking for this is like asking for a date. I thought the language barrier would actually make for a more amusing process and that people would let their guard down, but it's just as uncomfortable as doing in the US. If you are going to do it you just have to accept that at least some portion are going to say no. But the no's always hurt a little and make me lose confidence in this approach. I can't decide if it's just better to shoot and hope nobody throws anything at me.
The best thing about my time here and the photos I've taken is that it's given me some time to think about my style and what kind of photographer I want to be. Looking at the great works has made me think that there is an onus towards capturing some true, real emotion in people on the street. I see this kind of thing on the web a lot, often with some kind of corny title that attaches some assumed meaning to the person in the photo. You can hardly presume to know what someone is experiencing in a sample of just 1/125th of a second of their lives. I've kind of come full circle: I'm just shooting what looks interesting. I don't want to attach any more significance to things than that. Of course, this thinking leads to images like this:
It's nice, but do you really feel anything from seeing it? Does it tell a story? I know that someone standing there in the frame might make it more interesting though.
My technique has been getting more refined over the years. When presented with a big subject, I try to concentrate on the details to tell the story rather than trying to pack tons of information into the frame, which would make it thematically diffuse. Shooting film led me to think about whether I would want to spend time printing or scanning a given photo. Why waste the effort if I'm not likely to want to work with it? This got me to take far fewer, but better pictures. I've now started looking at what I'm photographing as whether I would find the image interesting if someone else shot it. If there's one thing I picked up in live theatre it's the idea that the medium is entertainment first. Deosn't matter if the theme is Important, no one will listen if it's presented in a boring fashion. Same rule applies with photography. If the picture is not interesting to look at, it doesn't matter the context. And if I wouldn't spend much time on an image of similar quality from someone else, I can't think that anyone other than me will want to see my work.
I don't know my way through all these ideas yet, but it's becoming clearer. My predisposed ideas didn't pan out. My goal of telling the story of Seoul seems more elusive than I'd thought, and I'm not really a documentary photographer at heart anyway. A photo not only has to tell a story but it should be visually engaging. I don't know if any of these photos will ever see the light of day, but I'm glad that I'm pursuing some end with the images nonetheless. I'm learning a lot.
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Time is growing short on our stay here now. We've passed the half-way mark. Still have to make real plans for our final week. Have some ideas finally.
Wishing I could explore more of the food, but I'm finding myself intimidated by it. I had a fantasy of being really adventurous with the street food, like I might just sit down at a stall and just point to things. Trouble is, that doesn't really work. You see it on travel shows all the time, but the hosts usually have guides and translators and several producers and camera people following them around. It makes the vendors more forgiving I guess. Plus you see the edited experience where the negotiations and explanations are all cut away. We the viewer only see the eating. I'm just a big stupid white guy with baby strapped to his back (and I can't even begin to tell you have difficult this makes street photography). People seem to expect you to know what you want even if they quickly assess that you have no idea how to read or speak the language. Plus, I can sometimes get by with ordering something unfamiliar, but I often have fear that I'm going to eat it in the wrong way. Tonight I got a rare night out by myself and ordered some dish from the pictures. I know it was breaded and fried meat of some kind with rice on the side. They gave me a knife and fork, which from the looks of it might have been the only set in the restaurant. It may have well come wrapped in paper that said "for big stupid white guys who don't know how to use chop sticks." Fortunately I do know how to use chop sticks (thanks McDonalds), but I couldn't figure out how to use them on this dish. So I gave in and used the knife and fork. I also put the rice on the meat because, well, it tasted good that way. No one seemed to laugh and point, but I kind of hid in the corner in case I made some kind of huge faux paus.
Authenticism (Korea, Beginning Week 3)
I realized a long time ago that no matter where you are from, you have probably lived in a single, small part of the world for at least some extended period in your life. Even if that place is considered cosmopolitan you will likely have a provincial viewpoint. It's inevitable that a singular experience will limit how you understand the world. Traveling and living in new places challenges these "beliefs" about life. The more you can immerse yourself in an experience that is further from what you already know, the more you'll begin to see new perspectives.
Before traveling anywhere, I often look at all manner of sources - books, maps, websites, TV travel shows, etc - to try to get an idea of where I'm going to be before I'm there. Personally, I'm looking both for what to photograph and what not to photograph. It's an effort that usually goes for naught. No amount of research has ever prepared me for life on the ground in a new place. The trouble is that all the material you find on "travel" will highlight only a few aspects of the place, no matter how in-depth or off-the-grid it tries to be. There's just no way to be filled to the periphery like you are when you're really in some unfamiliar part of the world. I love exploring the theory of distant lands, but it leads to a heightened expectation of an extreme experience, like a different planet. As I've said before, the real differences are mostly subtle, or lie only on the surface. And the research material will never be able to stay current enough to be truly relevant.
Still, its reassuring to know these other places I've read about for so long actually do exist. People live there, food is eaten, the sun shines much the same as it always does. There's no replacing the vital and deep understanding that traveling provides.
Since the differences are really so minor, the challenge to the traveler today seems to be the chance to find what is AUTHENTIC about the country or culture. I'm beginning to feel less and less like I know what that word means. Sometimes it means traditional. Other times it means doing as the locals do (food, drink, music, etc.). It could also just broadly be an opposite philosophy. Whatever it means to the individual, every society seems to have someone looking to make a buck (or won) off the appeal it holds to the visitor. No part of the world is without a steady supply of tchotchkes on offer for the intrepid tourist to purchase as hard proof of an AUTHENTIC experience to take with them. The objects may be unique in your own corner of the world, but they hardly signify a knowledge of a foreign culture. But it's hard to resist wanting to take some part of that world home. No doubt some of you reading this now will be getting gifts we've bought here.
The ideal of AUTHENTIC is not just in mementos and souvenirs though. People can also walk through traditional, old-style villages and palaces all over world. The concept is to give the visitor a view into the culture of the past, presumably to give a sense of how things became as they are now. It's really just so much diorama though. Restored structures and props from times gone by have little relevant life to offer. Immersion into secluded, static environments offer only the fantasy of a true understanding.
What is the harm of the tchotchkes, dioramas, and research materials? Beyond being an inadequate replication of the experience, they lead one towards a perception of life that isn't really there. Seoul is an old city that has been through many wars. It's been flattened and rebuilt time and again. It has an extremely well-built public transportation network and almost all the buildings are modern. Then again, the Korean culture is over 5000 years old, but unlike Western civilization, those of the East have never really had a dark age. It's hard to fully comprehend such an old culture in comparison to such an up-to-the-minute city. The trap of the books and TV shows is that they suggest a status quo of some kind. There are traditions of cuisine and aesthetic here, and they are in some cases ancient. But that does not mean dead. Korean life is not a museum of relics fit for analysis.
The photos presented here are what started me thinking about this subject. The one at the top was taken at the entrance to Namsan Hanok Folk Village, an outdoor museum of traditional style houses and streets. The ones below were taken in Insadong, a neighborhood known for art galleries, street food, and what basically amounts to Korean souvenir shops. Not all of what for sale though has much of a unique Korean feel to it. Both these places offer the kind of thing you could get anywhere. For instance, if you've ever been to Genesee Country Museum or Niagara Falls, you've been to these two places already.
Okay, this turned out to be much longer than I expected. I'm off to eat some kimchi and do more research on where H, K, and I will be going for week 7. We're trying to get into the countryside to experience some of the less-Westernized Korean life.
Basically the Same, But with More Hot Pepper (Korea, End of Week 2)
We're heading into the end of our second week here in Seoul and I'm mostly amazed by how much life is not significantly different here on the other side of the world. At least not in the big ways I expected. The differences are more sublte. I'm sure it didn't feel that way forty years ago. Nowadays, though, I can do many of the same things I'd do at home. Thanks to the internet, I can indulge my penchants for Radiohead covers, checking Facebook ten times a day, and getting lost for hours on every tangent comes to mind. Even just having my own computer makes home feel not so far away. And there's Law and Order reruns on TV seemingly 24-7 (okay, I've turned on the TV once. I'm trying to change some habits).
While driving from Incheon airport into Seoul, I couldn't figure out why everything looked so familiar. Then it hit me: the cars here are the same ones sold in the US. All those Hyundais and Kias we all laughed at twenty years ago are now so ubiquitous as to be hardly noticeable.
Taking care of K also sort of forces the transition from home to here to be as normal possible. She's quickly grown accustomed to the new living conditions, but it's taken some work on our part to make that happen. There were of course some books and toys brought from home. But we've also tried as best as possible to keep her daily schedule and routines going too. Today we even had a play date with the little boy of one of H's co-workers. And as much as we can, we've tried to find food she will eat. Thanks to E-mart, we were able to find some cheese. Nori is also pretty easy to find around here. But keeping things routine for her has done the same for us too. I've tried to explore and photograph as much as I can, but I still need to remember I have a baby strapped to me and that she needs to move around freely once and a while. Oh, and I have to release the temptation to photograph the riot-gear-donned police while she's on my back.
Of course there are some differences. North Korea being 35 miles away and threatening war is VERY new to us. The small servings of coffee are not especially pleasing. So is the experience of our living quarters. The hotel's website showed a facility with two separate rooms with a door between them. They even say in their literature in the room that there is a separate bedroom. Something really got lost in the translation with that one because not only does our room not have a separate bedroom, management claims that no such room exists in the building. We've made due as the photos below show. Yes that is office cubicle partitions for the wall. You may also notice that the room comes with no chairs, so we sit on the floor all the time (the desk and its chair are now in the "bedroom," so off-limits at night). We're getting by okay with it though. The rental high chair is on the way, which should help with K's mealtimes tremendously. The arrangement of the room has actually changed some since these were taken as we now have a crib in place of one of the beds.
While driving from Incheon airport into Seoul, I couldn't figure out why everything looked so familiar. Then it hit me: the cars here are the same ones sold in the US. All those Hyundais and Kias we all laughed at twenty years ago are now so ubiquitous as to be hardly noticeable.
Taking care of K also sort of forces the transition from home to here to be as normal possible. She's quickly grown accustomed to the new living conditions, but it's taken some work on our part to make that happen. There were of course some books and toys brought from home. But we've also tried as best as possible to keep her daily schedule and routines going too. Today we even had a play date with the little boy of one of H's co-workers. And as much as we can, we've tried to find food she will eat. Thanks to E-mart, we were able to find some cheese. Nori is also pretty easy to find around here. But keeping things routine for her has done the same for us too. I've tried to explore and photograph as much as I can, but I still need to remember I have a baby strapped to me and that she needs to move around freely once and a while. Oh, and I have to release the temptation to photograph the riot-gear-donned police while she's on my back.
Of course there are some differences. North Korea being 35 miles away and threatening war is VERY new to us. The small servings of coffee are not especially pleasing. So is the experience of our living quarters. The hotel's website showed a facility with two separate rooms with a door between them. They even say in their literature in the room that there is a separate bedroom. Something really got lost in the translation with that one because not only does our room not have a separate bedroom, management claims that no such room exists in the building. We've made due as the photos below show. Yes that is office cubicle partitions for the wall. You may also notice that the room comes with no chairs, so we sit on the floor all the time (the desk and its chair are now in the "bedroom," so off-limits at night). We're getting by okay with it though. The rental high chair is on the way, which should help with K's mealtimes tremendously. The arrangement of the room has actually changed some since these were taken as we now have a crib in place of one of the beds.
Photography Saturday: Sohn
Always and Forever 2008 - Copyright Yisook Sohn
Welcome to the Korean edition of Photography Saturdays. I actually happened upon this photographer on another a blog I read regularly, Women in Photography, right before leaving for Seoul. But I'm not sure I would have been as struck by her photos if I were still in the US. It's easy to overlook them, if coming at them with a male Westerner's eye. After a week here in Korea I think I can begin to approach her work with a different understanding. To be honest, the description written for the WIP entry is pretty obtuse. I think she's saying the women in her photos are uncertain of their identities. That is the element that I find most revealing in the series the above is taken from. Koreans seem to have a bit of an identity crisis, generally speaking. They are certainly proud of their country, but it is one that is divided. And they are culturally overshadowed by China and Japan, nations which have at times been ally and enemy alike. The cultural remnants of both their neighbors and the West are deeply entrentched. And all these influences work to cloud what it means to be Korean. It is this aspect that I see in Sohn's work.
Here's what I like about this photo:
1. It's on point with the theme of the series. While my specific interpration may be off-base, this photo clearly relates both thematicly and stylisticly with the others in the series. When viewed in context with the rest of work, it enhances what is being said. The level of detail also provides clarity. Sohn is trying to reveal something about her culture to the viewer. She's bold enough to give a frame to the subject matter while exposing the details in sharp focus and bright light. She is trying to communicate as much of the idea as possible. The information leads the viewer but does not force conclusions on them. The presenation borders on clinical, but that actually works in Sohn's favour.
2. The lighting. Sohn really set herself a challenge by creating a scene that is almost entirely white. Add in the presence of a mirror and you have a subject that could easily be blown out entirely by strobe lights. It's nearly all highlights, but the exposure and placement of the lighting is very deft. It also cuts against the rule that one's eye tends toward the brightest part of and image. Here you go to the darkest part, the woman's face and hair, because it is nearly the only thing that is not a highlight.
3. The colour. This photo could easily have been done in black and white. It's almost monocrohmatic as it is. But there is such an imense feeling to the slight tones of yellow and magenta that mix in with the white. It gives the image balance, depth, and footing. Black and white would have a totally different feel.
Scratching the Surface (Korea Day 4)
K and I got to exploring the hood for the first time Monday. And since she's still waking up at 4:30 am, we did a little Tuesday morning too. I realized during that walk that no matter what I learned of this place yesterday, I've got a lot more to learn. This specifically related to photography for me, but it can be extended to all things. But first, back to Monday.
Endless rows of stuff. The district we are in has a huge marketplace known as Dongdaemun Market. For those who grew up in Upstate NY or have been to the Mall of America, this market will forever make you rethink what you know about shopping malls. I know I've never seen so many things for sale in one place, although "one place" doesn't really describe it. Think several large football stadiums and you begin to get the idea. There were pallets of books, fabric, and just about anything else you can imagine. Not being one who's very keen on the shopping experience, I felt no temptation to buy anything. Not that I'd ever be able to decide which of the hundreds of retailers selling basically the same thing I should go to. Much as I hate them, big box stores kind of suit my shopping habits.
The other remarkable thing about the rows and rows of things is that it's not only in the market places, but on nearly every street corner, side street, subway station, stairwell, etc. If there is a flat available surface just about anywhere, you've got somebody selling something on it. The side street markets too are a maze of stands selling all manner of dried fish, nuts, big bricks of seaweed, and all manner of things I don't recognize. And in any of the spots there's motorcycles driving by with giant stacks of packages strapped on to the back. Why on earth no one seems to have patented and sold a rack to attach to the back of a motorcycle, I don't know. They'd sure sell tons of them here, but every cart and platform seems to be of original design and welded on in someone's garage. Having them whiz by every few seconds makes for an even more frenetic and disorienting experience.
Note: K and I made quite a splash walking through the local market that day. It's not often that a big fat white guy with a baby strapped to his back in giant red carrier comes through at 6am.
A view of some of the shopping...more to come (I need to learn to bring another battery along for my G9).
Some of the thousands of motorcycles...
Endless rows of stuff. The district we are in has a huge marketplace known as Dongdaemun Market. For those who grew up in Upstate NY or have been to the Mall of America, this market will forever make you rethink what you know about shopping malls. I know I've never seen so many things for sale in one place, although "one place" doesn't really describe it. Think several large football stadiums and you begin to get the idea. There were pallets of books, fabric, and just about anything else you can imagine. Not being one who's very keen on the shopping experience, I felt no temptation to buy anything. Not that I'd ever be able to decide which of the hundreds of retailers selling basically the same thing I should go to. Much as I hate them, big box stores kind of suit my shopping habits.
The other remarkable thing about the rows and rows of things is that it's not only in the market places, but on nearly every street corner, side street, subway station, stairwell, etc. If there is a flat available surface just about anywhere, you've got somebody selling something on it. The side street markets too are a maze of stands selling all manner of dried fish, nuts, big bricks of seaweed, and all manner of things I don't recognize. And in any of the spots there's motorcycles driving by with giant stacks of packages strapped on to the back. Why on earth no one seems to have patented and sold a rack to attach to the back of a motorcycle, I don't know. They'd sure sell tons of them here, but every cart and platform seems to be of original design and welded on in someone's garage. Having them whiz by every few seconds makes for an even more frenetic and disorienting experience.
Note: K and I made quite a splash walking through the local market that day. It's not often that a big fat white guy with a baby strapped to his back in giant red carrier comes through at 6am.
A view of some of the shopping...more to come (I need to learn to bring another battery along for my G9).
Some of the thousands of motorcycles...
Endless Rows of Stuff (or Korea, Days 1 & 2)
After some resting in the late morning, we took our first ride on the Seoul subway system to Wangsimni station so we could go to E-Mart. The closest US comparison would be Walmart, I think, except this place not only has a greeter at the door, but it has an attendant for every aisle, kiosk, and island. I was not prepared for how overwhelming food shopping could be in a completely foreign environment. Some products have pictures or small bits of translation, so they are pretty easy to identify. A few others are easily recognised by the branding even if the text is all Korean. But you are out of luck for the rest of the offerings, even if the packaging is see through. And unfortunately the situation is not helped by the vast number of attendants, almost none of whom speak English in any way. Several times I was led to believe I was not allowed to purchase something or that I was trying to buy an item that might be dangerous. Or they were trying to help me save money. I'm not really sure, but man they were trying to tell me something and no amount of gesturing could properly communicate the idea. They were definitely trying to be helpful though.
The experience is kind of like shopping in the "ethnic" or "gourmet" foods aisle in any US grocery store, but in this case it was the whole store. I can easily buy soy sauce in NYC not only because there is English on the bottle, but there's usually only 4 different brands and they're all next to one another. As far as I could tell, there were maybe 400 different kinds of soy sauce yesterday and they were all over the place, organized in little groups here and there. Or those might have been bottles of something else. Basically, I still don't have any soy sauce.
The strangest thing at E-Mart, and maybe at any grocery store I've ever been in, has to be the neat stacks of lettuce and greens. And by stacks I mean the leaves were cut and stacked in nice little piles that were overseen by an attendant. If you wanted any, you had to go through her. I would've taken a picture of it, but since they had already stopped me from taking a picture of the coin deposit shopping carts, I figured photographing things actually in the store wouldn't be kosher.
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We read in the culture books that the Koreans really like babies. After a few days here I know for certain that REALLY, REALLY like K. She draws so much attention, from nearly everyone on the street. Old, young, male, female, rich, poor, doesn't matter. They all seem to adore her with a vigor that is pretty overwhelming. She's fawned over and touched a lot. People have taken her picture. It's...I'm not sure what. I don't want her to feel objectified, but it is nice that people are so interested and friendly. She is such a charming girl after all.
During this shot there were four schoolgirls behind me waving to her, laughing, and talking about her.
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The political situation here is hard to get a bead on. The news doesn't appear too good, what with North Korea testing more nukes and the former president committing suicide. It's been a pretty tense couple days here in the SK. Unfortunately, our hotel is in a fairly boring part of town and we aren't much able to interact much with the locals, so it's hard to know how anyone here truly feels about it.
At least I can figure out how they feel about President Obama:
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Finally got some exploring of the neighborhood in today and I know one thing for certain: my widest wide angle lenses may not be enough. There's so much thick detail, but very little way to isolate anything. The 20mm end of my 20-35 has already gotten a work out on my SLR, but my 35mm on my rangefinder was useless to me today. I think I'll be lugging the 12mm around more tomorrow. And don't even ask about the poor little G9. Good as it is, it's overwhelmed by this place. Example:
While this isn't the most interesting view (out our hotel window), there's more available than what the G9 can do. There was a nice haze in the distance with the mountain and some notable features of the small buildings below. Alas, just can't fit it all in. I'd get a wide angle adapter, but that's just blah.
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I'd intended to write about the vast markets K and I toured today and the endless amounts of things one could get, but the jet lag is doing me in. Read it tomorrow.
Time and Space (or, Korea, Day .5)
I have no idea what time it is. Well, that's not entirely true, but my body sure doesn't. I've slept only about 6 hours in the last 40-ish hours. The stretch of 27 hours was the hardest, but not as hard as I would have imagined. Surprisingly, the 15 hours on the plane went by much faster than I expected. Being on 747 helped that. So much less affected by turbulence and so much more room to walk around with a very confused baby. She was confused by the fact that the airline decided to wake up the entire planefull of passengers 4 hours before the end of the flight just to serve them food (this wouldn't have been so bad if they then didn't turn all the lights off again after service). H and K are asleep now while I spin my wheels yet again.
So far I've learned very little about Korea. It's not at all what I imagined it would look like. I've set a goal for myself to do things in my time here. One is to try to photograph what I see here in a way that communicates that to someone else who might come here. And in a way that is here and now. I want to show what it is in 2009. This is always a dicey prospect. Photos tell a story and the containment of the frame dictates what information gets passed along. You simply can't get in all the peripheral context that you'd like. Still, I don't want my photos to just show...well I'm not sure. I don't want them exclusionary to the point of not telling the story. That should always be the goal, but I think it's somehow heightened when you are experiencing something completely unknown. I also don't want to reproduce what I see in the travel books. I've not once felt that I experience anything by reading them before I go somewhere. Is it because they are out of date soon, or is it just impossible to condense something so big?
The second thing I want to do is photograph more people. This is related to issue one. I already had several chances this morning, and I blew it. First rule is you have to have the camera out of the bag if you are going to successfully catch people pics. Take too long to arrange the gear and it's gone. Big fail on me. (I'm not going to punish myself for leaving the gear at the hotel last night though when I had to take K on a walk to get her to go to sleep. I was too delirious to take photos even though I really wanted to.) I also find myself rankled by the fact that if I were to do anything with pictures of people, I'd need to get releases on them. It's not always possible and I've never done it before with someone I don't know. This is one of the few reasons I'd like to have a DSLR along with me. It's nice to share what you've got in the moment. And I don't know how to say "I only shoot film. If you give my your name and address, I'd happily send you a print." in Korean.
Here's what I have learned. There is a unique way of using underground space here. I think this is true in some other Asian countries, but I can't say that for certain. Basically, there's a second world down under the street. This will need to be explored further. The other thing I expected: the juxtaposition between old and new is intense. More verification is needed, but I already see it in the back alley streets just in the few blocks around the hotel. Here too is another world away from the main thoroughfares (and probably the better food too).
Okay, battery is going to die soon. Only 8 minutes left, which is really like 4 with my battery. Still have to go give some trivial update on facebook.
So far I've learned very little about Korea. It's not at all what I imagined it would look like. I've set a goal for myself to do things in my time here. One is to try to photograph what I see here in a way that communicates that to someone else who might come here. And in a way that is here and now. I want to show what it is in 2009. This is always a dicey prospect. Photos tell a story and the containment of the frame dictates what information gets passed along. You simply can't get in all the peripheral context that you'd like. Still, I don't want my photos to just show...well I'm not sure. I don't want them exclusionary to the point of not telling the story. That should always be the goal, but I think it's somehow heightened when you are experiencing something completely unknown. I also don't want to reproduce what I see in the travel books. I've not once felt that I experience anything by reading them before I go somewhere. Is it because they are out of date soon, or is it just impossible to condense something so big?
The second thing I want to do is photograph more people. This is related to issue one. I already had several chances this morning, and I blew it. First rule is you have to have the camera out of the bag if you are going to successfully catch people pics. Take too long to arrange the gear and it's gone. Big fail on me. (I'm not going to punish myself for leaving the gear at the hotel last night though when I had to take K on a walk to get her to go to sleep. I was too delirious to take photos even though I really wanted to.) I also find myself rankled by the fact that if I were to do anything with pictures of people, I'd need to get releases on them. It's not always possible and I've never done it before with someone I don't know. This is one of the few reasons I'd like to have a DSLR along with me. It's nice to share what you've got in the moment. And I don't know how to say "I only shoot film. If you give my your name and address, I'd happily send you a print." in Korean.
Here's what I have learned. There is a unique way of using underground space here. I think this is true in some other Asian countries, but I can't say that for certain. Basically, there's a second world down under the street. This will need to be explored further. The other thing I expected: the juxtaposition between old and new is intense. More verification is needed, but I already see it in the back alley streets just in the few blocks around the hotel. Here too is another world away from the main thoroughfares (and probably the better food too).
Okay, battery is going to die soon. Only 8 minutes left, which is really like 4 with my battery. Still have to go give some trivial update on facebook.
Things I've Learned on Craigslist
Okay, specifically things I've learned about wedding photography from scanning ads on Craigslist. I'm trying to get a sense of how people advertise their photography services in today's market. I was lucky to come across the very helpful and funny blog being done by the brilliant Zack Arias. His website critiques are some of the most educational things I've come across (and it's all free!). So are some things I've started to see in my own research that I'm not too keen on:
1. Photojournalism. I think every other website offers a "photojournalistic" style or some synonym for it. But the word and the reality are two very different things. When was the last time you picked up a copy of the NY Times, Washington Post, or any major news magazine where the cover shot was done with a fish-eye lens? I haven't seen it either. Presumably if you state that you are shooting in the style of photojournalism that would mean you are shooting in a realistic style with mostly natural light. Using equipment that radically bends lines into near circles may be a vialbe artistic choice (if done sparingly), but photorealism it ain't. At least as far as I've seen from many of the people offering this style, it's just a multisyllabic word they are tossing out there to make people think they actually have an intended style.
2. Selective Colour. This goes in the same catagory as the fish-eye lens, but even more egregious in my opinion. It's just not my astethic, but it's only because of the aforementioned Zack Arias that I can now figure out why. If you think about the most important thing you want to remember from your wedding day, your red cumberbund probably doesn't top the list. It's fascinating to see what unimmportant elements of a black and white photo that people will colourize just for the sake of a special effect. Photoshop should come with a built in pop-up warning message whenever it senses that someone is about to apply a colour to selected region of a photojournalistic image.
3. Brevity. I remember being surprised that the photographer H and I chose for our wedding didn't have what I considered her best work on her website. This is purely her choice of course, but at least she knows not to put up every wedding photo she's ever taken. Why does anyone think that every potential client will want to sift through all 800 images you shot at every wedding you've done in order to get a sense of your capabilities? Pick your ten best and show those off. Hook them with those and if they want to see more, then bully for you! The minute I start to see the end result of 4+ frames per second in a portfolio, I get bored and move on.
4. Artistic. Nothing says how unique you and your wedding are than poses and setups that are exact replicas from one wedding to the next. Art is not about finding a pattern and then repeating that pattern over and over and over again. Basically, this just means your photographer is ignoring you by not telling your story or not finding out anything visually unique about you as a person.
5. Gear. Owning gear does not make you a photographer. This is much the same as the multisyllabic word thing. Explaining everything you know about photo gear and showing pictures of your studio has nothing to do with the quality of your work. It's the photos that matter most.
6. Self-Promotion. It always makes me wonder when someone feels the need to say things like "international photographer" or they point out how they have a such an eye for colour or detail. Come on. It's a bunch of crap. As soon as you start telling me now great and successful you are I stop believing you are either great or successful. And so help me if you quote yourself on your own website as if someone were interviewing you.
So, this is as far as I've gotten. As usual, I can criticize what other people are doing, but when I look at my own portfolio and website...well, I'm lacking in both. At least they are putting themselves out there. But I do draw some kind of weird inspiration from looking at the worst things and knowing I can and will do better.
1. Photojournalism. I think every other website offers a "photojournalistic" style or some synonym for it. But the word and the reality are two very different things. When was the last time you picked up a copy of the NY Times, Washington Post, or any major news magazine where the cover shot was done with a fish-eye lens? I haven't seen it either. Presumably if you state that you are shooting in the style of photojournalism that would mean you are shooting in a realistic style with mostly natural light. Using equipment that radically bends lines into near circles may be a vialbe artistic choice (if done sparingly), but photorealism it ain't. At least as far as I've seen from many of the people offering this style, it's just a multisyllabic word they are tossing out there to make people think they actually have an intended style.
2. Selective Colour. This goes in the same catagory as the fish-eye lens, but even more egregious in my opinion. It's just not my astethic, but it's only because of the aforementioned Zack Arias that I can now figure out why. If you think about the most important thing you want to remember from your wedding day, your red cumberbund probably doesn't top the list. It's fascinating to see what unimmportant elements of a black and white photo that people will colourize just for the sake of a special effect. Photoshop should come with a built in pop-up warning message whenever it senses that someone is about to apply a colour to selected region of a photojournalistic image.
3. Brevity. I remember being surprised that the photographer H and I chose for our wedding didn't have what I considered her best work on her website. This is purely her choice of course, but at least she knows not to put up every wedding photo she's ever taken. Why does anyone think that every potential client will want to sift through all 800 images you shot at every wedding you've done in order to get a sense of your capabilities? Pick your ten best and show those off. Hook them with those and if they want to see more, then bully for you! The minute I start to see the end result of 4+ frames per second in a portfolio, I get bored and move on.
4. Artistic. Nothing says how unique you and your wedding are than poses and setups that are exact replicas from one wedding to the next. Art is not about finding a pattern and then repeating that pattern over and over and over again. Basically, this just means your photographer is ignoring you by not telling your story or not finding out anything visually unique about you as a person.
5. Gear. Owning gear does not make you a photographer. This is much the same as the multisyllabic word thing. Explaining everything you know about photo gear and showing pictures of your studio has nothing to do with the quality of your work. It's the photos that matter most.
6. Self-Promotion. It always makes me wonder when someone feels the need to say things like "international photographer" or they point out how they have a such an eye for colour or detail. Come on. It's a bunch of crap. As soon as you start telling me now great and successful you are I stop believing you are either great or successful. And so help me if you quote yourself on your own website as if someone were interviewing you.
So, this is as far as I've gotten. As usual, I can criticize what other people are doing, but when I look at my own portfolio and website...well, I'm lacking in both. At least they are putting themselves out there. But I do draw some kind of weird inspiration from looking at the worst things and knowing I can and will do better.