subscribe with RSS

Archives

  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009

Recent Comments

Canadian Links

Canadian Blogs

Photography

Korea Links

Korean Blogs

Buttons

  • living in South Korea

Lunar New Year and other stuff

This past weekend was a 5 day weekend here in Korea and most of Asia due to it being the Lunar New Year. I believe most people in Canada refer to it as Chinese New Year. In any case this is the second biggest holiday in Korea following Chusok and the driving is usually just as horrendous – see this post for details. This year we had the best traffic we ever did and that includes regular weekends. Both ways the drive was about 3 hours and very stress free. Lucky us.

We haven’t done much regarding the move to Canada lately, but I’ve been thinking about it alot. One thing that I’m not too keen on is arriving without a credit card as I’ll have to cancel my Korean card before i go and I don’t have a Canadian one. Don’t really want to walk around with wads of cash as I go and buy things like a cellphone, TV, car, and other various big ticket items. Actually one thing I’m wondering is whether it’s possible to rent a car without a credit card. I’ll be landing at 10am and would like to rent a car to drive to whatever accomadations I’ve arranged and then be able to get around for the first couple of days until I buy a car.

Also keep thinking about employment and my less than spectacular business. Do have a couple of contacts that will potentially lead to some p/t outsourcing work for agencies but the thing is nothing is guaranteed. Queue worried look as I contemplate hemmoraging my savings while looking for work.

In other news I’m really enjoying photography a lot and have been keeping up with my photo a day at my photoblog site. More pictures can be seen at my flickr page I’ll also add a few shots from my recent trip to the countryside below or you can view the complete Chungchungbuk do set.


Foggy Road
Graves along the highway
Frozen stream with old man
Truck and sidewalk in a small village
Feb 06, 2011 Comments(6) Save on Facebook
- - -

Comments

Picture of Dave

Dave: Sunday Feb 6, 2011  at  10:21 PM Korea (South)

Really like the first photo there, great work!

Picture of Sean

Sean: Sunday Feb 6, 2011  at  10:30 PM Korea (South)

That is my favorite from the trip also and should’ve made the photo of the day, but due to using my laptop I wasn’t able to see which photos were best.

Picture of joe

joe: Monday Feb 7, 2011  at  02:48 AM Korea (South)

A critique, meant to be critical in a helpful way:

Yeah, that first one really is the best of the three. I like it. It has good lines and great depth. It also works really well as B&W.

The second one is nice, but I might have gone in a little closer (I’m assuming you had your 10-24 lens on, so getting closer wouldn’t have been easy). Just looking at the image that you have, I might crop it so that it is a portrait (instead of landscape) and cut out most of what is on each side of the river, which would put the man on the left side of the image, but it would change things for the better (in my opinion)

The third one has nice depth of field, something I know you like achieving. I find it a little busy though. If I were shooting with you here, I think I’d try this shot but take a step to the left. I like the clarity of the first fence post, but find it a little distracting to the overall composition.

Picture of joe

joe: Monday Feb 7, 2011  at  02:52 AM Korea (South)

Sorry… just still thinking about the image!

On the second one, perhaps a crop the other way would help also. Cut off much of the sky and a little of the foreground (the mud/water below the clumps of grass). This would make the river look a little more grand, and put the man a little lower in the image.

Picture of Dave

Dave: Monday Feb 7, 2011  at  02:55 AM Korea (South)

To add to Joe’s feedback, I think I personally would’ve liked the first photo even more if you were closer to the ground. It would further emphasize the emptiness (and largeness) of the space ahead.

Picture of Sean

Sean: Monday Feb 7, 2011  at  04:09 AM United States

Joe,
Thanks for your feedback - really wish we had more time to hang and do photography. Feel like I could really learn a lot from you.

Dave,
Normally I do go for those low down perspectives, but despite how the shot looks there was traffic on that road and a bend just behind me that would mean I would get run over if a car came along driving a little fast.

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

previous: Visa Application: Stage One - Passed Next: Stage Two - recieved a letter