Beautiful Marlborough Sounds

December 7, 2016December 7, 2016
by Zhi Lee

If you ever have the chance to visit Marlborough Sounds, take a camera with you. It’s beautiful in any weather, 24/7, 365 days a year!

Marlborough Sounds is located just North of New Zealand’s South Island. It is easily accessed by boat from Picton. Picton is a 3-4 hour cruise from Wellington, or you could fly there via Sounds Air in 25 minutes from Wellington.

I wasn’t sure if my larger Manfrotto tripod would make it through as carry-on luggage, so I packed light with a cheap $30 tripod from Dealextreme. The problem with light tripods is even the smallest amount of shake (from ground movement even through walking!) will manifest in your image. At these smaller resolutions they look OK, but click on the images to view the camera settings and view the images in high resolution. These are my first attempts at astrophotography. What do you think?

M42 (better known as "The Pot" or Orion), according to fellow astrophotographer Greg Stevens — M42 (better known as “The Pot” or Orion), according to fellow astrophotographer Greg Stevens

Aperture: ƒ/7.1
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Exposure bias: +2/3EV
Flash fired: no
Focal length: 24mm
ISO: 640
Shutter speed: 1/40s

Travel

3 Day Seoul Itinerary

May 17, 2015May 23, 2015
by Zhi Lee

3 Days in Seoul

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Seoul for 5 days. We wanted to share our Seoul itinerary and tips because of the lack of English resources around. As a photographer, I wanted to get as much in as possible in a short time. This itinerary presents many colourful photographic opportunities, with a mixture of street, food and landscape photography. I hope you enjoy these images!

Hot Tips

Seoul’s subway is a myriad of easily 200-300 stations. Any time spent counting I’d rather be writing this blog post. In the next few hours, a new station would probably be being built as we speak! We were lucky enough to be given an oldish (what looked to be) 2 year old map from a relative. Already it was outdated and we identified a couple of new lines on it!

Korea Travel Hotline and Subway Map

To help you get around the subway, you need an up-to-date map from one of the many visitor centres, or the airport. We found that the best map is one produced by the Korea Travel Hotline. It comes in a small-ish format without too many folds and doesn’t flop around like the cheaper massive town map. The Korea Travel hotline is a free service for tourists – dial 1330 from a mobile or landline, or Skype them free through this account – “kto1330”. They’ll help you with translations, directions, food, anything!

The next essential must-have time-saving life-saving website you absolutely need to bookmark is this subway map that will allow you to plug in the name of a station and have it highlighted on the screen. Trust me, it will save you tons of time especially if you’ve got a train to catch!

Useful bookmark to have while travelling in Seoul http://subway.umka.org/map.php?find=&city=seoul

Changing Money

The best place for currency exchange is in Myeong Dong – the best rates are on the street where the Chinese Embassy is. We hunted around multiple shops and found the rates around Ewha Women’s university pretty favourable too.

Travelling to the Boseong Green Tea Plantation

The Boseong Green Tea Plantation is well known for its luscious green fields. We did really want to visit it during the week as we had blocked out other activities for the weekend. Fortunately we realised (through the 1330 Korea Travel Hotline) that the express bus from Seoul Station only runs once a day at 3.10pm during the week. Take note!!

I found various sources of bus timetables such as this, and they had conflicting information so your best bet is to call the 1330 hotline directly. There are other less direct ways to get from Seoul to Boseong, but we didn’t want to spend more than 10 hours in a day in transit – it was either a direct express bus or nothing! There is a direct bus we’re told that runs from Seoul Bus station to Boseong at 8.10am on Saturday. Do note that it will not take you straight to the green tea plantation – you’ll still need to take a cab or local bus.

Making the most of a short trip

You’ll find the best of Seoul through day trips.

Day 1 – City Tour

Myeong Dong Shopping District

However if you’re a metropolitan city shopper and foodie, there’s lots to see and eat around Myeong Dong (think Made-in-Korea sock shops, dessert shops, restaurants with very cheap Soju ~ US$2. And we did have an interesting encounter with restaurant staff protecting us from a gentleman who had one too many to drink!).

Try the Milk Shaven Ice desserts at Sul Bing in Myeong Dong — Try the Milk Shaven Ice desserts at Sul Bing Korean Dessert Cafe in Myeong Dong

Ewha Women’s University

This is THE area for cosmetics, makeup and trendy clothes, obviously targeting the young demographics in the area. You’ll find great food, and even a little cat cafe nearby in Shinchon (within walking distance).

US$1 pairs of socks in Ewha (also lots in Myeong Dong)

Streets around Ewha Women's University — Streets around Ewha Women’s University

Insadong Arts and Crafts Market

Insadong is known as the local folk flea market with lots of arts and crafts for a bargain. We scored some framed hand painted paintings for NZ$10, and hand-made muslin baby face cloths for $2.

Apart from the crafts, you will also find quaint eateries down back-street alley ways. I’m told everything’s delectable but go for the more “off-the-track” ones for the best food. We were fortunate to indulge in the best grilled mackerel we’ve ever had. It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, full of flavour!

Bosingak

A 15 minute walk from Insadon is this bell pavillion called “Bosingak”. You can’t enter it, but it’s quite a sight to walk around from the outside.

Namdaemun Market

After a day of shopping, head on down to Namdaemun market for a slightly different shopping scene – one lined with street food, ginseng vendors, textiles, bags, apparel, anything conceivable really! This is the perfect place to end your day with the food options and the nearby Namdaemun Gate (10 minutes walk from the market). If you’re asking for directions, you’ll need to refer to it by the local name “Sungnyemun”.

Known locally as Sungnyemun, the Namdaemun Gate is a sight to see at any time of the day. Note that it is not much more than a gate. You’ll be able to walk around it before it closes at 6pm, but otherwise it’s pretty much visible and lit up after closing time, and it makes a great photograph.

Day 2 – Nami Island

This is where they filmed the Korean drama series Winter Sonata. The whole place is quite gimmicky, centred around the movie, with Winter Sonata souvenir shops, Winter Sonata statues around the Island and lots of tourists. They call their ticket booth “Immigration” and you need to get a “Visa” into the island. BUT, if you wander off the touristy paths around the fringes of the island, you’ll find serenity in the leaves of Verdant Trees, and a foggy mysteriousness that surrounds the enclosing waters. For the adventurous, try Ziplining into the island!

Day Trip 3 – Korean Folk Village

It takes about 2 hours to get there by train (Suwon station) and a free shuttle bus just outside the visitor centre. It’s best to head here when they just open during a weekday. Crowds start to arrive after mid-day for the later shows. Allow half to a full-day at the KFV. There’s plenty to soak in.

Traditional Wedding Ceremony at the Korean Folk Village

Equestrian Stunt Show at the Korean Folk Village

Pottery Making at KFV. For a small fee, you can have the pots posted to you, but you’ll need a valid Korean address a few weeks past your visit.

Day 3 – Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung is one of the “Five Grand Palaces” built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. This palace is not the largest, but it’s big enough with lots to see, and you could easily spend a few hours discovering the many nooks and crannies of this magnificent piece of Korean architecture.

Nicely landscaped and scattered with flowers, Changdeokgung palace is both majestic and peaceful at the same time

Parting Notes

There’s so much to see in Seoul. It’s a vibrant city with a rich history, that has preserved it’s culture, yet it feels so technologically advanced when you look at the skyscrapers around you in town. I’d recommend spending at least 3 days here, but if you have but 3 days, this is the perfect itinerary!

For those interested, I travel light with a Canon 6D (for full-frame goodness without weighing a ton) and these lenses – 24-105mm f/4 L (for versatility) and 40mm F2.8 STM (for compactness).

Camera: Canon EOS 6D

Travel

5 Day Black and White Photo Challenge – Days…

November 6, 2014February 22, 2015
by Zhi Lee

In a previous post, I shared tips on black and white photography as part of the 5 Day Black and White Photo Challenge. 5 Days, 5 Black and White photos, nominating a different photographer each day. In this blog post, I describe the techniques used to create each image.

Black and White Asia Travel Series

I decided to pick a theme for the black and white challenge. It happens that I’ve recently been back from a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. Here are a few selections.

Day 2

The layers of toys form an almost orderly chaos. They give lots of texture and add an incredible amount of interesting detail to the image without being distracting. The light bulbs form natural centres of attention. They have been darkened slightly so as not to create to many contending elements. Even though there are a few points of attraction, this image really works for me because there is so much to explore. The expressions on the women’s faces ironically convey a sense of timelessness as they wait for time to pass.

Day 3

Shot from 105mm, more “tele-photo” than a regular portrait, this compresses the image in a way that makes the subject really stand out. A sharper depth of field was chosen so that the canvas in the foreground wouldn’t have appeared too blurry, otherwise it would have been too distracting.

Water folk at Halong Bay, Hanoi. By Zhi Lee — Water folk at Halong Bay, Hanoi. Canon 6D @ 6/6.3, 1/160s, ISO-100

Day 4

The light from the lamp naturally creates a lit up area of interest on and around the female worker. Other parts of the image were darkened slightly, to create a centre of focus around the main subject.

Embroidery Halong Bay, Hanoi — Disabled workers respectfully earning their keep near Bat Trang Ceramic Village, Halong Bay, Hanoi. Canon 6D @ f/4, 1/100s/ ISO-2500. By Zhi Lee

Day 5

I’d say don’t be afraid of using high ISOs, especially if you’re using a full-frame, or even cropped sensor SLR. This was shot handheld. The lines created by the building adds a lot of interest to the image without the need for colour.

La Salle College of the Arts in Singapore. By Zhi Lee — The La Salle College of the Arts in Singapore. A fine campus that has won 3 international architectural awards. Canon 6D @ f/4, 1/25s, ISO-6400. By Zhi Lee

Day 1

Last but not least, the first image of the series. The metal bars lead the viewer into the subject, which is placed on a third from the right. Subjects placed on thirds have extra emphasis according to the rule of thirds.

Aperture: ƒ/4
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 58mm
ISO: 1600
Shutter speed: 1/50s

Related Images:

Portraits

5 Day Black and White Photo Challenge – Day…

November 2, 2014November 2, 2014
by Zhi Lee

I was nominated by George Lim Photography to participate in the 5 Day Black and White Challenge. For 5 days I have to post one monochrome image each day while challenging another photographer to do the same. This is Day 1 and I’m nominating Sean Dick of Evoke Studio.

Monochrome photos pose a challenge in themselves. Being devoid of colour, you’re left with only variances in light to convey your message.

Black and White Photography Tips

Here are some tips when applying a black and white treatment.

Use composition to lead the eye

This applies to both colour and monochrome photography. Leading the eye to parts of the image helps capture the attention of the viewer. In black and white photography, you’re unable to use bright colours to lead the viewer. Fall back to using interesting shapes, tones, textures and leading lines to enhance the composition. In the image below, I placed the subject a third in from the right of the image (rule of thirds), and used the metal beams running from the bottom right to the subject to lead the eye into image.

Pay attention to the quality of light

They say that light makes a photograph. This is more so with a black and white image. Dark areas form the black parts of the image, and bright areas conversely form the lighter/whiter parts of the image. Look for interesting variances in light. Soft light adds a calming quality to the image, whereas harsh/strong light creates a more edgy look.

Use contrast to make subjects pop

Contrasting areas in an image can draw the viewer’s attention. On the other hand, less contrasting areas (e.g. a uniform area of grey) are happy to just sit back and blend into the unnoticed. In the image below, the bright spot from the welding gun naturally draws the viewer’s eye towards it. The weld gun is starkly contrasted with the man holding it. The dichotomy between light and dark around the welder makes this a very strong image.

Aperture: ƒ/4
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 105mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/400s

Related Images:

Travel

Using strobes with night landscape photography in Akaroa

August 16, 2014
by Zhi Lee

It’s a cold night in Akaroa. Violet and I decided to venture into the dark after dusk.

This would have been a pretty ordinary picture with the inside of the hut unlit.

So we placed an Orbis ring flash on a stand inside the hut to illuminate it – this draws your attention to the middle and makes the image much more interesting! I hope this shows you how you can use flash with landscape photography. Some photographers shy away from using strobes in landscapes because it’s thought to ruin the authenticity of the actual landscape, and hence taboo. But I’d encourage any photographer to break the rules, and try something different!

Travel

The Best Camera is the one you have with…

June 26, 2014June 29, 2014
by Zhi Lee

You know they say “The best camera is the one you have with you”.

Today I Googled myself. You should try it. You’d be surprised at how much of a trail you leave on the Interwebs. In my case, it was positively refreshing to see my photographic work listed on Google, including a picture of this cute Shitzu. I think its a Shitzu.

Canon 50D 50mm f1.8 — Cute shitzu on the streets of Hong Kong with sign warning passer bys to keep off!

Turns out, I entered a pet photo contest way back in 2011, and got a commendation (1 of 12 images selected from an entry pool of 7000!).

Looking at the meta data on the image reveals that it was taken with my very old Canon 1000D + 50mm f1.8 lens (a kit worth about $300 today). These days I lug around a full frame Canon 6D with a few bigger and significantly sophisticated lenses but I truly do miss having the versatility of the cheaper and more portable combination. Some of my friends like Sven Shroeter from Bokeh Monster have made the switch to mirrorless (check out his amazing street photography), and he’ll probably be sending me a message saying “I told you so” in the next 30 mins :p

Long story short – that saying yields true. I have enjoyed working with smaller SLRS, the trusty iphone camera, compacts and even the GoPro! This little short was captured completely on a GoPro camera, perfect for travel: