The Journey Continues

     A couple of days before my birthday this year, I was sent back to the Philippines.  I had about 2 weeks to think about my situation and possible future as I prepare myself to going back home.  Reality is, I'll have a hard time coming back to Korea.

Mr. and Ms. CARASUC 2013

Foreword:  All photos posted here are taken/created by me.  Reproduction of any of these images in any form, without my consent is offensive.  If anyone wants a digital copy, contact me by leaving a comment below, before the end of March 2014 and I'll be glad to provide them in huge resolution.

Scott Kelby, That Nikon Guy, and Frozen Butt (part 3)

     I was losing hope to see the blue hour.  It's my fault that I have not researched about the time of sunrise and what not.  But at this time, I couldn't think of that.  All I could think of was my patience running very thin.  It's been 2 hours and still no sign of the sky changing color.  But before calling it quits, I decided to walk to another overpass at the next block.  At least that's where the bus stop is, just in case I decide to go home.

Note:  Every photo uploaded in this particular blog is taken straight out of camera. From RAW file to Jpeg without minor tweaks.  So please bear with the quality.

Scott Kelby, That Nikon Guy, and Frozen Butt (part) 4

     After a couple of days, I was pretty much happy with what I got from Suwon.  Despite the dreadful experience, I can't forget the adrenalin rush.  And I'm happy to shoot the same way (albeit more informed) from other places.  But I'm satisfied with what I got, that I decided to submit one of them to Thatnikonguy's competition.

Scott Kelby, That Nikon Guy, and Frozen Butt (part 2)

     Boy, was it cold!  It was my practice to prepare everything I need, photography wise, in my bag.  Usually, I try to dump as much as I can in my bag (including clothes) but this time, since I thought I'd be walking around a lot, and a huge and fully stuffed bag might get me into trouble with accommodation (some lockers are not big enough), I thought of keeping it as light as possible.  And that means, I didn't bring extra shirts, extra socks, extra towels, and toiletries.  Where which, I forgot to bring gloves and a hat.  Boy, was it really cold!

Scott Kelby, That Nikon Guy, and Frozen Butt (part) 1

    One of my pictures got the most favored (of the month) in one of the photography forums I hang out with.  It’s just a very small accomplishment but boy did it motivate me a lot!  But not only that.  My Double-Trouble photos also got some attention and, to be honest, seeing the results of that session was one of the highlights of my photography life.  So yes, I was happy with my self, my photography, and totally up for more.

Climb Every Mountain. Is it worth it?

     Frederick Mount invited me to another photo op.  Knowing what he does, I expected another enjoyable night of going through abandoned buildings and another good talk.  Boy, was I in for a different experience!

Appreciating On Technical Merits

     It seems there's a trend happening that I find quite irritating.  I welcome and appreciate technology's fast evolution and making life more easier.  What I don't like is how people hype and over advertise products when it's not called for.

Double Trouble

     I've had so much available time for the past weeks but my laziness struck me again.  Good thing I got so bored with nothingness that I finally got my butt out of bed to take some photography of my aesthetic.


    When I learned about using a snoot on flash, I had an idea and took trial shots to test it out if it works.  Unfortunately, I don't have those pics anymore.  But the idea remained in me.  Today, I got to execute these ideas and finally got to use my speedlight.

Insisting Subject

     There's another subject that's been bugging me for a long time (even today) that makes me want to keep going back to the scene.  Good thing it's not so far.  But let me paraphrase something that kept me going when I I'm about to give up:
"When something caught your eye, there must be something in there.  Don't give up and keep looking." --Scott Kelby
     Let me also add one thing that I told my friend, Frederick Mount (Check him out!), while we were talking about our media:
"Sometimes it's not what you just see in there but what you put in there (to complete the scene)" --Jackson

Gamers Night: When too many fun stuff collide.

     I know I have not posted anything for some time. But I have taken pictures once in a while. Some of them really worth writing with pictures I'm proud of. But some events have gone ahead that need to be posted first.

     But here's the thing: I'm not really good with people and spontaneous shooting. Almost all the shots I took needed work, and still I'm not too happy after all. And these shots are "moments" which can not be redone.

Lens Caps and some Yelling

     Last part of "Let me do it right this time" was just half of the last day I spent in Seoul (to take photographs).  On my quest to get a replacement for my lost lens cap, I got a bit more lessons on the street that I wasn't really prepared for.

Blame It On Lack Of Research

     So I talked about giving-in to macro photography on my last blog and took some pictures of a bottle's bottom... with a lot of blah blah blah.  I also kept mentioning that I don't get much interest out of it despite putting a lot of effort in every shot.  I also talk about using extension tubes.  There's the problem!  I used them without reading much on how to use them.

Macroteers!

     I was never fond of macro shots.  Most of the times, I get sick of Facebook pictures of close-up shots of flowers with cheesy captions in it.  People like them a lot!  I don't!

A Short Video

     It's been a while since I made a short video.  A friend of mine is a serious videographer and has been trying to get me to work with him, but I always refused.  I'm scared that I actually end up embarrassing myself.  I have a camera.  I can video edit.  But I never really worked for someone with this.

Let Me Do It Right This Time part 6

    This is the last set of pictures I took from this place.  My little adventure in Buk-Ahyeon, abandoned area for improvement.  From night shooting of the places the group spotted, to shooting indoors of other houses for the first time, then going on top of roofs for a panorama shot, to shooting in the alleys in daylight, to  shooting indoors again but in another area (and daylight), and now, just a couple more shots I took on the street while leaving this place.

Let Me Do It Right This Time part 5

     Part 5 of my still long-winded blog about this place.  It's daytime.  No more light painting.  And more challenging scenes for me.  I'm not so good with day shots, but I have to make the best of it.

Let Me Do It Right This Time part 4

     Part 4 of the long-winded photography session I had on this location.  This time, it's daylight

Let Me Do It Right This Time part 3

     This is the third installment of the story.  I have written blogs about coming to this place but failed to take pictures.  But this time, I took as much as I can.  From the first part walking around, to the second part going inside abandoned houses, and now on rooftops.

Let Me Do It Right This Time part 2

     This is part 2 of my blog about me finally getting some work done on the abandoned place near Ahyeon (아현).  A little lazy and a bit overwhelmed, I'll keep the "less talk, more pictures" theme for the rest of this particular story.