Traffic Mirror

 

Traffic Mirror, Yongchon

A couple of weeks ago I rode my bicycle around a flooded reservoir and in places found myself halfway up to my spokes in muck. The mud dried, but, as I live in an apartment complex, I had no way to wash the tyres after I got home.

A few days ago I was out in the countryside and went to have a look at the weir on Yongchon Brook. I noticed that the water on the lower side of the barrier was about the depth of the mud on my bicycle tyres so I went across. The rushing water took away most of the dirt. 

Neither the brook nor the weir is in the photo above. The traffic mirror is at the top of the path that leads down to the water and I stopped there to check the state of my bicycle and see what sort of composition I could make with the reflection. 

Autumn Rice Fields

Yongchon is not far from my apartment and I can take side roads there to avoid the maniacs in cars. The area is mostly rice fields and I rarely see anyone on the narrow concrete roads built for tractors and cultivators. It's a great place to ride my bicycle, enjoy the silence, and make a few photos.

Autumn is an especially beautiful time to be in the area. The ripe rice plants are golden-green and even the cut fields are photogenic. Most people head to the mountains to enjoy the autumn foliage, but I prefer to avoid the hiking crowd. Why would I go up the mountain with hundreds of noisy people when I can have acres and acres of fields to myself?

Raw Fish

 

Outside a raw fish restaurant, Sokcho

Some years ago, the faculty and staff of the middle school where I worked had lunch at a raw fish restaurant. Sitting uncomfortably cross-legged at a floor table with a bowl of white rice in front of me, I searched the many side dishes for something that didn't have any seafood in it. Although I tried to avoid looking at it, my eyes couldn't help be drawn to the fresh-from-the-aquarium fish lying on its side in a central platter garnished with leafy vegetables. The fish was intact, but its flesh had been thinly sliced to allow easy eating with chopsticks. Its round eye seemed to be looking straight at me. I felt guilty, even though I wasn't going to eat it. The young dimple-cheeked teaching assistant sitting across from me was also looking at the fish with her hands folded benignly in her lap.

'It looks so pitiful,' she said. When I grunted my assent, she took a sesame leaf from the platter and covered its face. Then she picked up her chopsticks and looked for the plumpest bits.

Beached Swimming Platform

 

Lighthouse Beach, Sokcho

I haven't been in Sokcho long enough to know if this is a swimming platform or a platform for something else. I may never find out because I avoid the beach and tourist areas during the summer. At the moment it's just a place for a small bird to have a rest.

Waves

 

Public Sculpture, Sokcho

Two From Seorak Harbour

 

Seorak Harbour, Sokcho.

Driftwood Caught in Breakwater

Second Roll of Kodak E100

 I only have three pictures worth sharing from my second roll of slide film. It's not the film's fault - it looked good even under harsh light with bright spots and deep shadows. There are few keepers because I was careless. I didn't choose times of day or weather that was suited for slide film photography and at some point I was rushing to finish the roll and send it off to the lab. Not a great mindset for using expensive film. 

Some construction materials under a bridge. I went back to this spot with a digital camera a few days ago and couldn't get a similar result, even after screwing around in Lightroom for a while.

An alley near my apartment. This style of chair often has a chair connecting it to another seat. The university where I taught until recently had them in several student lounges.

And, of course . . . .
You can probably see that the film captures both highlights and shadows quite well. Any faults with the photographs on a roll are completely my responsibility.

Seorak National Park and Shinheung Temple

 A couple of weeks ago I put Ektachrome 100 into my F6 and made a visit to Seorak National Park with the goal of photographing the temple there. It was a great day for it; overcast, but not too dark. My talent as a photographer can certainly be cast into doubt, but there is no denying that the E100 produces great colours and tones.

Every roll of film must have a picture of a pet on it.

On the way to the temple there is a cable car that goes up to one of the mountain tops. This is an old one on display that's been painted in green and yellow. Much better than the grey of the cable car currently in use.

It looks like there used to be a tree in this ring of stones. I hope another one is planted later.

Historical temple buildings and main halls of worship are usually painted in the five colours known as dancheong. Administration buildings and the buildings that house monks or nuns are usually unpainted. Both are beautiful in their own way. 

I saw this woman enter the Samseonggak (三聖閣) to pray. I waited ten minutes for her to come out and pressed the shutter button when I saw her put her hand on the door frame for support. I cropped the photo scan in computer to get a better framing.
   A samseonggak is the building in a Buddhist temple where native Korean deities are worshipped, including the bearded mountain god who is always depicted with a tiger by his side.  

The main entrance to the temple. Again, cropped to 5:4 ratio to get a better picture.

That's it for the first roll of two I bought. I like the film a lot, but the whole time I was using it I couldn't stop thinking about how expensive it is. That caused me to slow down and think carefully before pressing the shutter release button, but I still only got six keepers. A small fortune for each frame. And I'm not working these days. Maybe I'll start using slide film again when I'm making some money, but I should probably stick to digital for now. Or use a cheaper product like Portra when I'm tired of pixels.

Space Between Buildings

 

Between Two Buildings, Jungang Street, Sokcho.

For those of you who care about such things, I used the Classic Negative simulation on my Fujifilm X-T4. I couldn't see the point of the simulation when I first tried it out, but it's pretty good for snapshots when out and about. It is supposedly based on amateur films from 'back in the day' (ugh), but none of the photos I have from long ago have colour casts like the digital simulation. Maybe it's supposed to look like expired film?

Shed and Hill

This landscape appears to be the result of the large forest fire a couple of years ago, but also the victim of commercial and industrial works.

Burnt Ground

 

Yeongnang Lake Area, Sokcho.

Geumgang Large Bridge

 

As far as I know, all bridges in English are called Something Bridge regardless of size. In Korean, bridges are called Something Bridge or Something Large Bridge. Fine in Korean, a bit awkward sounding in English.
   What natural-sounding term could you use in English to name a large bridge? D' Dirty Big Geumgang Bridge? Girt Big Geumgang Bridge? Or something similarly silly. What about Great Geumgang Bridge? That suggests an architectural marvel and Sokcho's Girt Big Geumgang isn't that special. I guess Geumgang Bridge will have to do.
   The bridge has a bicycle/pedestrian path on both sides and I was on the eastern path when I made this photograph on my iPhone. I was on my way home from the supermarket and I didn't have a regular camera with me. Luckily, the phone camera is fine for small prints and monitors. The photo got cropped a little when I straightened it, but nothing important got cut. I had to clone out a large spot at the top of the frame in Lightroom. I thought it was a clump of pocket lint on the lens, but it turns out that something has gotten inside the phone. Or the sensor is damaged. Ugh. I'll either have to stop using the phone for photography or make sure that all my pictures have something black in the top part of the frame.
   Anyway, I like the picture and hope you do as well.

 

Life Preserver Box

 

Life Preserver Box, Yeongnang Coastal Road

These boxes and warning signs are just about everywhere people might be swimming or climbing on coastal rocks. I wonder how you activate the light on top of the life preserver box. Maybe it automatically comes on when the box is opened.
   The sign says that this part of the coast has been designated a danger area and you are not allowed to enter. There is a hefty fine for doing anything to the equipment. Nothing about not making photos, so I'm fine.
   I'm pleased with this picture for a couple of reasons. One, I think the composition is pretty good and I like the colours. Two, I tried photographing this scene several times after coming to Sokcho and couldn't get any result that I was happy with. Using the 5:4 format on my Nikon D850 helped, I think.

Heavy

 

Apartment Construction, Sokcho

I am reasonably skilled at composition, but I don't think I do such a great job of conveying feeling. Mostly my pictures are about form, and I've heard them described as 'cold'. But I think the light and the placement of the elements in the frame describe how I felt when I made the photograph. This kind of apartment blends in well with its surroundings in a place like Seoul or Busan, but in a small city like Sokcho it squats oppressively upon the landscape and mind.

Tiled Rooves

 

Thirteen hundred years ago, the capital of the Shilla Kingdom was Gyeongju, and it was admired because all the houses and temples had tile rooves and not a bit of thatch was in sight. You can still see many tiled rooves in Gyeongju thanks to government grants and money from tourism. 
   These houses are next to the council office in my Sokcho neighbourhood. The tiles look good if you squint, but they are made of plastic or some similar material and come in sheets rather than individual pieces. Real clay tiles are too expensive for the average Joe/Kim to afford, but I'm not sure plastic tiles are more attractive than thatch or asphalt shingles. On the other hand, at least it looks traditional.

Stepping Stones

 

Near Sokcho Lighthouse

Encroachment

High-rises are going up all over Sokcho. The one going up in front of my apartment building will be over forty stories when it's finished. Across the road another tall building is going up. Tower cranes are the prominent feature of the cityscape. Behind my apartment is Dongmyeong Catholic Church. Besides being an attractive stone building, the church sits on a hill where you can look down over the harbour and see the sunrise. It's something of a tourist attraction. I like it because it's not made of concrete and polished granite. There are benches on the grounds where I can sit and relax quietly.

But as you can see, there are buildings going up around the church. The clang and bang of construction is present all day long. Silent prayer must be quite a challenge. The church has put up signs saying that they are not opposed to development, but they are opposed to so many high-rises going up all over the city and destroying its charm and heritage.

I agree with them. People come to Sokcho to see Seolak Mountain and the sea. They build tall apartment buildings to get a good view of them. In a few years, the only view will be of people in other high-rises looking out the windows. The sea and the mountains will be hidden behind concrete.

Around the Bend

 

To the right of the white line is, I think, a parking area. Odd that the owners of these scooters would park so close to the road, but perhaps they didn't want anyone to block them in with a car. I made the photo because it looks like the leaning scooters are involved in a riderless race.

I set the camera to black and white before making this photo, but it wasn't a good choice. The sky was overcast and grey and there was little contrast. After I got home I switched the film simulation to Velvia on my Fujifilm X-T4 and got better results. The photo is still a bit flat, but at least there is some colour to break the monotony.

The Things That Remind You . . . .

Towels Drying Near Boulders, Sokcho.

Sometimes I see things in Korea that remind me very strongly of scenes I might see in Newfoundland, where I'm originally from. I don't feel homesick, but it's nice to be around something that is deeply familiar. There are many sandy beaches along the east coast of Korea, something that Newfoundland is not known for. What Newfoundland is known for is rocks, and when I see a rocky coastline in my adopted home, it feels comfortable.

   Warm fuzzy feelings aside, I think that rocks are much more interesting to look at and photograph than sandy beaches. Sand brings the tourists and it's bloody hot under the feet in summer. Rocks have crashing waves, interesting formations, and uncleanable towels.

Down at the Harbour

 

There is a famous pavilion called Yeonggeum Pavilion next to Sokcho Harbour. This isn't it. Yeonggeum Pavilion sits on top of a large hill, but this one is down by the water. I can't recall what the name of this one is. People visit the pavilions in Sokcho to see the sun rise. Mad bastards. Better to sleep in.

A bit cliché, perhaps?

A fishing boat heading into Sokcho Harbour.

I don't know who these guys are, but I see them almost every time I visit the harbour. They like buzzing around in their fast stubby boat.

From the breakwater I can see the southern part of Sokcho. It's where most of the new development is happening and most of those apartments are probably owned by people from Seoul and the surrounding capital area. On the left you can see a ferris wheel. It's called, wait for it . . . Sokcho Eye. Where do you think they got that name?

I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo, but the front boat is giving the other boat a tow into harbour.

This is Yeonggeum Pavilion. I can't find any information on when it was built. Maybe it's not that old? I haven't been up there yet, but it's on my list. To tell the truth, I would rather be below looking up at it than in it and looking down on the sea.