Another from my series of Korean Ad-Art. Its amazing how Korea is getting more and more westernized every single day. I knew I promised that I would show some photos of the "true side of korea" but I'm not done processing those images yet. So hopefully you enjoy these! (Sorry Charlie )

Eric,
Who, me? tap, tap, tap.
Impatient? tap, tap, tap.
This is a "trip of a lifetime" (first of many, I hope).
And old fogey Charlie wants to see the real Korea! .
I was there for a couple of weeks 30+ years ago. Took a 3rd class local cross-country bus from the west coast to the east coast- standing room only. Then other buses down and around and back to Seoul. I took seven pictures- one of a cat eating unseasoned rice from a bowl.
Please show me what I missed photographing.
Tap, tap, tap.
Charlie

Very nice, Eric. I like the rich contrast in these shots.

Eric,

I like the shot but my eye is very very confused with the halftone like pattern behind the walking girl and the far right of the shot, infact, i think it makes my head hurt!

Cheers

M

great shot Eric, but the pattern is dizzying indeed

Charlie Shugart wrote:
Eric,
Who, me? tap, tap, tap.
Impatient? tap, tap, tap.
This is a "trip of a lifetime" (first of many, I hope).
And old fogey Charlie wants to see the real Korea! .
I was there for a couple of weeks 30+ years ago. Took a 3rd class local cross-country bus from the west coast to the east coast- standing room only. Then other buses down and around and back to Seoul. I took seven pictures- one of a cat eating unseasoned rice from a bowl.
Please show me what I missed photographing.
Tap, tap, tap.
Charlie

Haha Charlie. Being in Seoul... it honestly doesn't feel any different from being in LA. If anything, it is more urban here with twice the amount of people. But within this urban metropolis, there are still many fascinating backalleys that offer some of Korea's unique urban culture.

I am actually going to the countryside for a weekend later to see my Grandpa in the south in a place called Busan. I hope that you can stay patient until then!

eric

Geoff Brown wrote:
Very nice, Eric. I like the rich contrast in these shots.

Thank you Geoff. I am a contrast junkie of sorts

eric

greswolde wrote:
Eric,

I like the shot but my eye is very very confused with the halftone like pattern behind the walking girl and the far right of the shot, infact, i think it makes my head hurt!

Cheers

M

Hey Martyn,

Thanks for your comment. Looks like I need to back off the sharpening or the contrast! But I love both so much! Haha

eric

lazlo369 wrote:
great shot Eric, but the pattern is dizzying indeed

Thank you for your honest critique lazlo.

eric

I like the background. It's really trippy on my laptop LCD when I move it up and down in the window.

I'm with Charlie on wanting to see more of Korea, but I'm happy to be entertained by this series while we wait.

Oh, man, wouldn't it be the BEST if you could post a shot of a cat eating rice and post it just for Charlie!

Anyhow, back to your shot...
You have a fantastic talent for scoping out the scenes and putting them together with perfect titles so the viewer can immediately put it all together.
Storytelling through giant ads and candid photography. Great mix for our entertainment.
-Tim

Eric

Just amazes me how you are always at the right spot at the right time in these captures. Really like how the woman walking is looking at the ad, very cool, The pattern really doesn't bother me at all at least in the B&W form. I think your processing goes very nicely for this image.

Ray Still

The pattern mix of the girls top and the window treatment is interesting.

I'm curious about the "true side of Korea" too, too often when taking pictures of windows of stores you're merely showcasing the talents of the window decorators who did them instead of your own photographic abilities...but that's just my take on it.

freaklikeme wrote:
I like the background. It's really trippy on my laptop LCD when I move it up and down in the window.

I'm with Charlie on wanting to see more of Korea, but I'm happy to be entertained by this series while we wait.

Thanks for your comment! I hope you keep up with the series, I have a TON in store

eric

T-bone1 wrote:
Oh, man, wouldn't it be the BEST if you could post a shot of a cat eating rice and post it just for Charlie!

Anyhow, back to your shot...
You have a fantastic talent for scoping out the scenes and putting them together with perfect titles so the viewer can immediately put it all together.
Storytelling through giant ads and candid photography. Great mix for our entertainment.
-Tim

You bring crazy crazy ideas to mind Tim. I think I might just do that to amuse Charlie

But thanks for your comment. I really love to go out and explore and find these new scenes where I can get advertisements to somehow converse and interact with ordinary people. And being in Korea with a ton of people and advertisements.. I'm in heaven right now haha.

Eric

Abiciriderback wrote:
Eric

Just amazes me how you are always at the right spot at the right time in these captures. Really like how the woman walking is looking at the ad, very cool, The pattern really doesn't bother me at all at least in the B&W form. I think your processing goes very nicely for this image.

Ray Still

Thank you Ray,

I have been blessed many times with having the right person there at the right time. But it definitely means that I have to go out a LOT, because the more often I am out the higher the chance of me getting favorable conditions. And I really bumped up the contrast in this one and was worried if I was going overboard... but in the end I enjoy it

eric

Albert Taylor wrote:
The pattern mix of the girls top and the window treatment is interesting.

I'm curious about the "true side of Korea" too, too often when taking pictures of windows of stores you're merely showcasing the talents of the window decorators who did them instead of your own photographic abilities...but that's just my take on it.

Hey Albert,

Thank you for your honest C&C I really appreciate it.

About the "true side of Korea," I would go off on two tangents. The first is the rural side to Korea which I haven't been able to go to recently... but at the same time how urban and westernized Korea is becoming is another "true side of Korea." Images of Seoul as a metropolis with tons of people, packed onto the subway is a very genuine image I would say.

And for taking photos of windows of stores I will try to explain my philosophy. Indeed anybody can take a photo of a store-front. But what I feel that makes my images special and different is how I can get ordinary people to somehow interact with advertisements which makes for a strange inter-personal connection between what is "real" and "fake." I am indeed showcasing the environment of a storefront.. but isn't taking a picture of architecture merely showcasing the work of the architecture, not the skill of the photographer?

Take care Albert,
eric

Crisp, eye catching and effective, well captured.

eric kim wrote:
Albert Taylor wrote:

but isn't taking a picture of architecture merely showcasing the work of the architecture, not the skill of the photographer?

Take care Albert,
eric

Well yes actually...it doesn't really do the photographic muscle any good to be too reliant on the architect, sculptor, etc as a crutch to support your images. You might as well photograph paintings.. To me that's not what photography is about. I'm just saying...

eric kim wrote:
Albert Taylor wrote:
The pattern mix of the girls top and the window treatment is interesting.

I'm curious about the "true side of Korea" too, too often when taking pictures of windows of stores you're merely showcasing the talents of the window decorators who did them instead of your own photographic abilities...but that's just my take on it.

Hey Albert,

Thank you for your honest C&C I really appreciate it.

About the "true side of Korea," I would go off on two tangents. The first is the rural side to Korea which I haven't been able to go to recently... but at the same time how urban and westernized Korea is becoming is another "true side of Korea." Images of Seoul as a metropolis with tons of people, packed onto the subway is a very genuine image I would say.

And for taking photos of windows of stores I will try to explain my philosophy. Indeed anybody can take a photo of a store-front. But what I feel that makes my images special and different is how I can get ordinary people to somehow interact with advertisements which makes for a strange inter-personal connection between what is "real" and "fake." I am indeed showcasing the environment of a storefront.. but isn't taking a picture of architecture merely showcasing the work of the architecture, not the skill of the photographer?

Take care Albert,
eric


Well yes actually...it doesn't really do the photographic muscle any good to be too reliant on the architect, sculptor, etc as a crutch to support your images. You might as well photograph paintings.. To me that's not what photography is about. I'm just saying...

Albert Taylor wrote:
eric kim wrote:
Albert Taylor wrote:
The pattern mix of the girls top and the window treatment is interesting.

I'm curious about the "true side of Korea" too, too often when taking pictures of windows of stores you're merely showcasing the talents of the window decorators who did them instead of your own photographic abilities...but that's just my take on it.

Hey Albert,

Thank you for your honest C&C I really appreciate it.

About the "true side of Korea," I would go off on two tangents. The first is the rural side to Korea which I haven't been able to go to recently... but at the same time how urban and westernized Korea is becoming is another "true side of Korea." Images of Seoul as a metropolis with tons of people, packed onto the subway is a very genuine image I would say.

And for taking photos of windows of stores I will try to explain my philosophy. Indeed anybody can take a photo of a store-front. But what I feel that makes my images special and different is how I can get ordinary people to somehow interact with advertisements which makes for a strange inter-personal connection between what is "real" and "fake." I am indeed showcasing the environment of a storefront.. but isn't taking a picture of architecture merely showcasing the work of the architecture, not the skill of the photographer?

Take care Albert,
eric


Well yes actually...it doesn't really do the photographic muscle any good to be too reliant on the architect, sculptor, etc as a crutch to support your images. You might as well photograph paintings.. To me that's not what photography is about. I'm just saying...

Dear Albert,

When I say this please don't take this to be said in an antagonistic way.I just wish to share some further thoughts on the subject.

To take photos of something such as architecture, advertisements, or paintings can seem to be "lazy" in the fact that we must rely on the skill of the person who created something initially to get a good photograph. However I would still disagree.

Everything created in this world that we take a photo of is made by someone or something else. According to the argument that you have presented, then landscape photographers would just be relying on nature for them to get beautiful images. However landscape photographers are very disciplined in the fact that they have to constantly go out to look for new and refreshing scenes, by camping out until they get the right moment, and presenting their images in a creative composition.

I would say the same for my work. I don't simply take photos of advertisements or paintings. I always incorporate the human element into my images which is very difficult in terms of trying to "tell a story" or getting the advertisement to interact with the person or even the other way around. A simple picture of an advertisement doesn't mean anything on its own, no matter how beautifully designed its original creator.

And I don't believe these advertisements to be a crutch to help out my photography. I am more dependent on my actors for making my images special (not meaning that the ads do not add to the effect).

Just wanted to get this across Albert. Please don't take this the wrong way

sincerely,
eric

Oh shoot, don't worry about it. It was just a thought I wanted to throw out there, and like any critique to be used/tossed out at your discretion...

(not sure how my previous double posting happened..)

Albert Taylor wrote:
Oh shoot, don't worry about it. It was just a thought I wanted to throw out there, and like any critique to be used/tossed out at your discretion...

(not sure how my previous double posting happened..)

Thanks for giving me that critique. It made me think a lot about my philosophy on photography in general and in reinforcing my beliefs. We need more honest Alberts around here

eric

I'm loving the shots! What an awesome series ... but again makes me depressed I couldn't go too

You're only shooting with your 24 and 35 nowadays huh? Why not try some telephoto

jbson87 wrote:
I'm loving the shots! What an awesome series ... but again makes me depressed I couldn't go too

You're only shooting with your 24 and 35 nowadays huh? Why not try some telephoto

Just chill around LA and get tons of great shots man! Korea is pretty fun though I'm not going to lie.

Actually after shooting with my 24mm for a while.... I realize how much I love my 35mm. Now I say that I use my 35mm close to 90% of the time.

And shoot in public with my 70-200L? Crazy talk. Man I swear I never use that thing. I should just sell it.

eric