Autumn Review

I love fall in Korea. It is one of the best and shortest times of the year. There is just something about the changing of the season from hot to cold here that gives me a sense of relief.

Sunrises are later and that means that it is easier to get out and shot. The weather, as mentioned before, is cool meaning that it is a heck of a lot more comfortable to shoot than in the summer. Finally, there is the burst of colour that blankets the land.

Unmunsa

This was the bulk of my fall photography this year. I returned to the valley that I rediscovered last year and really tried to capture it as best that I could. The shots from last year were fine, but I felt that I could improve on them with the new Canon EOS R.

Bomunsa itself is amazing. It is nestled in a mountain valley and the surrounding area is stunning. The trees along parking lot or beautiful and only get better as you enter the temple.

Taking a tip for a local restaurant owner, I ventured up to Bukdaeahm, which is a mountain top heritage that I have always wanted to see. I was surprised that you can drive most of the way up as I figured it would be a grueling hike up the side of the mountain to get there.

The view in the morning spectacular! Actually, it was one of the better mornings that I have had in a long time. The weather and light was perfect.

What I particularly love about this area is that it is relatively close to me but it is also in an area that is rather unique from the mountains to the lake nearby, it just feels like a mini vacation whenever I head out there.

Around Ulsan

As I wrote previously, you do need to head out to 15 different places to cover a season. If you have an idea of what you want to express the shot could be waiting for you just across the street. For me, it usually comes a little further down the road at the Taehwa River National Garden (I think that is it’s new name).

This year I took a wonderful walk around the area and pulled the drone out for a few shots as well. The frost on the flowers was quite unexpected but I was happy to snap away.

This is one area that I keep coming back to every season as it offers so much to the eye. Mornings are particularly amazings as the speed at which South Korea operates seems a bit slower there. This pace is where you can let your creativity flow.

Around Gyeongju

I visited Gyeongju a couple of times to explore and to meet up with some fellow photographers. This is one area that is absolutely wonderful in the fall and the crowds of tourists are evidence of the popularity of the fall colours.

The first few places that I went too were a little past their prime for this year and were also packed with tourists. Granted, this was my fault as well. If you really want to avoid the crowds, you have to get there early. Even as early as 8 am, crowds are starting to build.

One weekend, I decided to go from the coast inward towards the city of Gyeongju. This was a short little trip that I used to do on my motorcycle when I wanted to clear my head.

Before dawn, I drove out to the Jukseongjoli volcanic rock formations and then area to the Geumunsaji Pagodas. Then, I took the rural roads over the mountains and over to Bomun Lake. I finally met up with the guys near the Daereungwon tomb area.

There was still a bit of colour in the trees. The focus was to capture the last fleeting glimpses of fall in South Korea. Also, it was to socialize a bit more with some great photographers.


The bottom line this year was mainly to further test the new camera and redo some shots that I felt I could have improved from previous years. The overall”feeling” of fall didn’t really hit me too hard this year.

However, this just means that for the Christmas season, I will have more creative energy to come up with some memorable images. I am already in the planning stages for that. I hope that you following along and enjoy the pictures.

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Jason Teale 

Photographer, educator, podcaster

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Photographing Korea and the world beyond!