Colors in the wind and rain
I arrived in Korea to strong winds and heavy rain, which certainly dampened my spirits a bit. But on the bright side, the rain makes the leaves more vibrant in color, and wet landscapes always look more photogenic than dry ones. Yes, when you love photography, you’ve got to stay positive. To be honest, for shooting natural scenery like forests, overcast or rainy conditions often yield better results than sunny days. On bright, sunny days, the best time to shoot is usually during sunrise or sunset when the light is softest. On cloudy days, the clouds act like a giant diffuser, so you don’t have to worry about issues like leaf glare under harsh light or overly strong contrasts between light and shadow—making it a great time to shoot all day long.
▲ Entrance to Cheongwadae (Blue House) – If Hong Kong’s Government House had a row of ginkgo trees like this, I bet it would be packed with people every holiday. (Cheongwadae is the residence of the President of South Korea)
▲ With the help of red leaves, it seems like even a random snapshot by the roadside can turn into a beautiful shot.
▲ This is the path from Namsan Park to the N Seoul Tower. It was pouring rain and windy at the time, and although the scenery along the way was beautiful, few visitors stopped to take photos.
▲ At the base of the N Seoul Tower? The rain grew heavier and heavier, and my camera, completely unprotected, finally gave me an error 01 I’d never seen before – poor contact with the lens. I’m guessing some rain must have seeped into the contact points. I was really shocked—what if my camera broke on the first day? Fortunately, it seemed fine once it dried. Yep, when I took this photo, both my camera and I were completely soaked.
▲ View of Seoul from the observation deck of the tower. Due to the heavy rain, there wasn’t much to see. But watching the clouds and mist rolling in with the wind was actually quite interesting. In the distance at the top of the photo is the Han River.
▲ A view of Seoul – forest and city. How did I manage to capture such a clear photo in such bad weather? Because I used Lightroom’s Dehaze feature.
Breathtaking autumn beauty on Nami Island
This trip, my main photography focus was, of course, Nami Island.
▲ Entrance to Nami Island – I couldn’t wait even while still on the boat.
▲ Having a picnic in such beautiful scenery must be a real treat.
▲ Leaves returning to their roots – that’s the scene.
▲ There are countless scenic spots on the island, but to capture them well, you still need some basic composition skills. Landscape photography tip: any scene with a path, water, and mountains is usually considered beautiful by most people.
▲ When visiting Nami Island, it’s best to go with a friend who knows how to take photos.
▲ A section of the Nami Island sightseeing train ride – autumn scenery as colorful as an oil painting.
▲ This would make a great desktop wallpaper, right? Fallen leaves evenly scattered on a wooden table.
▲ To shoot classic red leaf photos, you need a classic landscape.
▲ Squirrels are not hard to spot on the island. There are mainly two types: one is larger and entirely black, and the other is the cuter, smaller one shown above.
▲ Turn a corner, and there’s another view.
Post-shooting thoughts? What photography gear should you bring on a trip?
I’ve barely updated my DSLR gear (here are five reasons not to buy a new camera), and all the photos above were taken with a 5D Mark II (purchased in 2008) paired with a 24-70 F2.8 (purchased in 2007). On my previous trip to Beijing, I only brought the 16-35 focal length, but later felt that the 24-70 was more versatile, so on my trip to Singapore last year, I switched to the 24-70 and added a 70-200 F4. For full-frame cameras, I find this setup satisfying. All this to say, you don’t need the latest gear. With good technique, a simple 24-70 standard zoom lens is more than enough.
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