Korea Architecture

[Darren Bradley]

I was working in Korea for the better part of last year (and part of 2009) and came to really appreciate the country, its culture and food, and especially the architecture! Like most countries on the receiving end of our trade deficit, they have a lot of extra cash these days and they are spending it to completely reinvent themselves as a center for design and innovation. Walking through Seoul today is like stepping into the film Blade Runner, with the mix of cultures and styles, and cutting edge modern mixing with gritty street vendors and ancient traditions, such as the stacks of clay kimchee pots on the sidewalks in front of sleek new buildings. Here are a few shots I took there over the course of many trips.


Seoul, Korea by Chimay Bleue, on Flickr
D90 - 55-200mm - f5.6 - ISO 500 - 0.013 sec exposure - hand-held


Jongno Tower by Chimay Bleue, on Flickr
D90 - 10-24mm - f11 - ISO 250 - 10 second exposure - braced on a bollard


Seoul by Chimay Bleue, on Flickr
D90 - 10-24mm at 22mm - f4.5 - ISO 200 - 0.05 second exposure - hand-held


Korea vs. Argentina by Chimay Bleue, on Flickr
5D2 - 17mm TS-E - f4 - ISO 3200 - 0.067 sec exposure - hand-held


Korea vs. Argentina by Chimay Bleue, on Flickr
5D2 - 17mm TS-E - f4 - ISO 3200 - 0.067 sec exposure - hand-held

 

[Chris Dodkin]

That Jongno Tower looks nuts!

Now you mention it, it does all look very Blade Runner (Which is my #1 film of all time)

 

[Darren Turner]

really nice set of photos, looks like a great place. My pick of the bunch is image one i think, that signage looks awesome, i especially like the out of focus people in the foreground as well.

 

[Darren Bradley]

Thanks. I just focused on the signage, but thought it was interesting that I got one guy who's looking at me in focus in the back there, too.

 

[Hamish Gill]

You certainly have a good eye Darren!
I'd have to be really overly critical to say that the last shot doesn't do a lot for me in terms of composition ... But the rest I really like ...
The first one ... It's the peoples faces ... You can almost see the lack of interest in thier surroundings despite the surroundings being so noticeable! And then as you say having the chap notice you taking a photo ... Just adds to that ... Very nice!
The one of the wired building is interesting for it's content, but also works well with the following 2 shots that seem to contain a lot of the same blue, and somehow that atmos that you compare to Blade Runner ... Yeah, I like them, they definitely capture the culture well I think!

 

[Darren Bradley]

I'd have to be really overly critical to say that the last shot doesn't do a lot for me in terms of composition ...

Yah, that shot was more about the expressions on the people's faces, but I agree.