Searching for the soul of Seoul and Suwon
Kicking off Samsung’s NX Traveller 2015 and a six-day adventure in Korea, Day 1 saw our 38 photo contest winners, mentors and support team tasked with capturing the essence of Seoul and Suwon in the theme of City & Character. Here’s what transpired...
Imagine waking on your first morning in a new country and knowing you have the trip of a lifetime in front of you. That’s the reality for these contest winners in Korea on an all-expenses paid photography tour with professional mentors from all over Southeast Asia. Split into two teams, they will be capturing the essence of this remarkable country armed with the latest Samsung NX cameras all week.And we will be writing about their adventures right here on www.smartphotography.asia
TEAM A: Samsung d’light - Gyeongbok Palace - Yeouido - Naksan - Ihwa Mural Village
Team A overjoyed with their visit to Naksan Park, Seoul on Day 1. Photo by Fraser Morton
With Cherry Blossom season drawing to a close this week in Seoul
hundreds of thousands of people have been swarming to the city's main
tourist sites - a perfect opportunity for our photographers to show off
their skills under the theme of City & Character.Team A set off on their whirlwind tour hoping to capture the soul of the city and the character that oozes from the streets and sights of this metropolis of which 10 million people call home.
After a guided tour through the belly of Samsung’s futuristic d’light exhibition centre in bustling downtown, Team A were set loose on Gyeonbok Palace. Built in 1395 it is commonly referred to at the “Northern Palace” due to its location in the city. It is arguably the most beautiful of all five palaces in Seoul.
One challenge for the photographers was how to best cope with the flat white light, which meant low colour contrasts.
Mentor Marrysa Tunjung Sari (instagram@poeticpicture) from Indonesia said the contest winners adjusted well to the conditions by improvising.
“In conditions like today you have to think on your feet and they did that. Some of the photographers who were having trouble with the light instead turned their attentions to the people in the crowds and also to the details in the architecture. The results were fantastic.”
Mentor Xander Angeles (instagram@xanderangeles) from the Philippines added that it’s always good to experiment with colour on days when light is not ideal. And because Team A were all wearing bright yellow rain jackets, he advised using them to contrast with the milky skyline. “Photography is capturing light. And to do that you need to be creative,” he said.
Team A experienced photographer Chee Boon Pin looks skyward for the perfect shot at Gyeonbok Palace. Photo by Fraser Morton
Yeouido was the next stop to capture the stunning colours of cherry
blossom trees as leaves swirled in the wind above the heads of an
eclectic mix of well-dressed locals who ambled along the busy streets.
Despite impending rain the team made their way across the city to Naksan
Park for more cherry blossom photo indulgence before getting led on an
artisan tour of the Ihwa Mural Village, where quirky paintings and
statues don the avenues, alleys and steep staircases. And where our
photographers managed to capture some of the quirk and character of a
lesser-seen side of Seoul.At the end of Day 1 Team A had banked an impressive arsenal of photos, managing to capture the soul of Seoul to stunning effect under the watchful eye of the mentors.
Experienced
photographer mrbrown won Team A's Day 1 photo contest. His caption:
Just a lovely lass riding through the street of cherry blossoms.
Yeouido. Photo by mrbrown
TEAM B LOCATIONS: Samsung d’Light - Suwon - Hwaseong Fortress
Two amazing chapters in Korean history were soaked up by Team B in the city of Suwon as encroaching rain and chilly temperatures failed to dim the enthusiasm of the warm-blooded Southeast Asian team on the start of their epic six-day road trip around the country's top culture and scenery spots.The Samsung Innovation Museum (SIM), in Suwon, was part two in a day where technology lovers like Jackie Brodin, an Australian competition winner, were in geek heaven. The morning’s trip to Samsung’s d’light exhibition centre in Seoul only served to whet the appetite.
Team B checking out the the gadgets and gizmos at the Samsung Innovation Museum. Photo by Michael Sainsbury
The SIM tracks the history of technology from the invention of
electricity to an array of futuristic gadgets now hitting the market in
prototype - a bathroom mirror, for instance, that reads and displays
your vital signs.“It was a real eye-opener, it showed how much Samsung is capable of," Eric Ooi (instagram@ooieric) one of the team’s mentors from Malaysia said. Australian photographer Will Patino (instagram@william_patino), who counts more than 100,000 followers, described the sometimes eye-popping multimedia presentations as "seamless displays of technology and interactivity".
A much older slice of Korean history was on display at the floodlit Hwaseong Fortress, belonging to the Haenggung Palace of the Joseon Dynasty that was built for King Jeongjo in 1796. The sprawling palace accommodated the King’s temporary stays outside the main palace in the capital.
William Patino won Team B's Day 1 photo contest with this stunning shot named The Fortress. Photo by william_patino
Conditions in the dark and increasingly freezing rain were testing, but did not stop the intrepid photographers. They compensated for the cloak of night with a series of stunning long exposure shots and using the castle’s own exterior lights to capture shadows to striking effect.
On the outskirts of Suwon there was time to stop at a country retreat and home with a beautiful sprawling golf course where the photographers captured the magnificence of spring cherry blossoms, now in full bloom.
And while photography was clearly at the forefront of everyone’s minds as they traversed four different venues, brilliant young Singaporean instagram prince Yik Keat Lee (instagram@leeyikkeat) summed up many expectations of this week’s Korean adventure succinctly with one word on what he was hoping to get from the trip, “fun”. All the signs are certainly pointing that way.
Don’t forget to check in for tomorrow’s report and find out what happened on Day 2 of Samsung’s NX Traveller Korea. Meanwhile, here’s a selection of just a few of the shots our photographers caught on Day 1 in Seoul and Suwon in the theme of City & Character.
The Temple - Bonguensa Temple. Photo by Jeffrey Lee
Unesco world heritage site Suwon Hwaseong Fortess reflected on a calm pond - Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon. Photo by Mark Marcelino
Cherry Blossoms. Photo by William Patino
Lover at the park - Naksan Park. Photo by Anjo Miranda
Gyeongbok Palace - Gyeongbok Palace. Photo by Beatrice Meliza Dela Cruz
Photo by Connie Pui Shan
The color on the guard's uniform remind me of superhero - Gyeongbok Palace. Photo by Chee Boon Pin
Slowing down to admire the passing beauty of this cherry blossom season at Yeouido - Yeouido. Photo by Chee Boon Pin
Photo by Xander Angeles
Photo by Chee Boon Pin
Beautiful cherry blossom and a gorgeous girl - Perfect Spring of Korea! Photo by Alston Lim
Cherry Blossoms Photo by Mark Marcelino
The Lights of Blessing at Bonguensa Temple in Seoul Photo by Alston Lim
Intersection of tradition and modernity Karn Samanvorawong
Cherry Blossoms Lee Yik Keat
Hwaseong Fortress Karn Samavorawong
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