September 26, 2012. Little People in a Little Land

The universe is huge, and in it we are very small creatures with very big heads. For the many thousands of years humans have been around, it is relatively very recent in their history since they (most of us) began to accept the universe doesn't revolve around them. Yet we still believe the world does.
I find the shadows of the people in sunset lighting as a metaphor for our ego. They are large, stretched and distorted beyond our real figure like the images we have of ourselves in this world...

September 25, 2012. Twenty-First Century Desert.

What a sleepy day today. My first class was alright but spent the rest struggling with sleep. I feel bad because my second class only has about 8 students in it, and the teacher would often look at me while speaking, as I drift in and out of consciousness. I would see him for about 10 seconds before sight would begin twisting, falling out of focus, my eyes losing orbit...
Yet when I go to bed it's so hard to fall asleep!

September 24, 2012. Fall Has Started

Finally, the heat has gone and the leaves are turning yellow. My favorite part of the year is about to begin!

September 23, 2012. Leading Lines

A small living area behind Kyung Hee University, I felt the shape of the buildings leading my eyes toward Crown Hall. 6pm lighting is always the best, and many photographer's favorite.

Sunrise Hike Photos

Here's a slideshow of the rest of the pictures I took on the 22nd, but go to flickr if you want to see them a bit larger!

September 22, 2012. Skyrock

Staying out all night, hiking in darkness, hauling camera equipment. It's all worth it. I couldn't choose which photo I'd put up today out of so many I took of the sunrise, so I decided to go with this one and put up the rest elsewhere and share them later. A great view, the farthest corners of Seoul looked close. Cold breeze and a silence you don't find very easily anymore. It certainly wasn't the largest of hikes I've ever taken, but it was exhausting to pull off at 4am without having slept (subways don't start until around 6am so there would be no way to get there in time without staying out unless I paid for a taxi, which is expensive). The change of seasons has brought great skies and weather, and I'd really like to go up again soon.

September 21, 2012. You Can't Just Have Any Other Photo

Really, I just needed wanted a new profile picture for facebook. Of course I want to make myself look good, but it's also a chance to get some practice with lights and portraiture. It's incredibly hard to work without even a living room that could stand in as a studio, and not even having a stand for my flash I am pretty ill-equipped. Well those are just excuses, I had to pile things up to hold up my flash, use shirts as diffuser/reflectors, tape a bed sheet to the wall as a background, and hook my camera up to my computer so I can see what I'm doing, but it was all still possible. Yet the hardest part out of the whole process is the modeling. It is so easy to look awkward in-camera, trying a million different head-tilts, mouth shapes and eye expressions... I have to put up some outtakes so you can see what I'm talking about!

September 20, 2012. Fading Into Nostalgia.

It's Thursday, and I don't have much to say.
Just an afterthought on the nostalgia of cool weather during a long sunset, side lit classrooms, and good memories.

September 19, 2012. When We Lose The Mountains

I glanced out the window to enjoy the view on a great day, and saw this mountain range off to the right. I found it interesting how it contrasted with the rising apartment buildings, as if humans were trying to mighty the mountains. I'm sure you could see those mountains from anywhere below many years ago, until these buildings were put up. Maybe, one day, the buildings will be so tall people will forget the mountains are there, and only those who lived long ago will remember.

September 18, 2012. Night of Fire

It wasn't until then that he realized all of the money that got him where he was was not going to give him the world... because he destroyed it. Standing on the tallest floor of his last tower allowed him to see the black clouds of soot in the sky set afire, and the rotting ground he went so high up to escape. It was terribly hot and the air stank even hundreds of feet in the air. It was only a matter of time until he too could no longer breathe.

My only regret about this photo is that most screens will probably be unable to show all of the detail in the shadows, especially on the internet.