photos

The Camera that Changed My Life

 

Casio QV100A bit of personal site building history here.  Six months ago, Pusanweb was getting less than 10 visitors a day and the internet cafe it was originally designed to promote was in terminal condition.  I planned to abandon the site and started to think about finishing my contract and finally getting around to my long delayed learning excursion to Guatemala. Then, I visited my folks in NH and gave them a Casio QV100 to celebrate the renewal of their vows.  As I got to know that camera, I knew I would have to have one of my own.  
(2013 Note: That QV100 was cutting edge - capable of taking 320x240 pixel photos)

    I returned to Pusan on a steamy August day. Those of you familiar with the scene here know that there is always a lot of coming & going that time of year.  That particular night we were bidding farewell to one of Pusan's most colorful residents, Nick.  Out came the camera and the era of being known as "the guy with the camera"  began.  

     The response from people (mostly partiers and their parents) was enough to re-energize my sense of potential for this site and to awaken me to the amazing possibilities of combining the latest multimedia recording technologies with all this internetting going on.  An old school project, Worldbridges, returned to life in the form of an internet based multimedia broadcasting network dedicated to exploring cultural diversity.  So, six months after planning to abandon the world of website creation, I now plan to  make it my life's work (at least for the foreseeable future) and  I don't think this would have happened without the camera. Once again plans for Guatemala have been delayed but I'll get there eventually and when I do, you'll probably see it posted somewhere on the Net. 

    Since that night at Nick's, I've taken over 3,000 pictures.  A lot of them have been too dark, or too blurry, or just not that interesting, but some of them I've grown quite fond of.  Here are my favorites - some for the sake of aesthetics, others for the sake of remembering the moment. Lots of others are in the Pusanweb Photo Section.  Thanks to all those who have participated in creating and sharing these moments.

-Jeff
My Very Favorites 
978031.jpgcelt020.jpgchuso018.jpg

 
 Other Favorites
 
1108009.jpgCame out of the health club one day and these adjumas were banging away on some drums and dancing wildly. I was later told that this was a traditional Korean exorcism.   piff055.jpgA clown overwhelmed with reaction to his own creations.  Hmmm, that has a familiar ring to it. Taken at Pusan's premiere event of '97, PIFF.
1010009.jpgKwangju & Yoon Hee are the English Dept. secretaries at Sungsim, where I work.  They have a been a great help in many ways.  This was taken in back of a bus on our way to visit Dave, an injured coworker.   978041.jpgJust a perfect Ron and Liane picture. I wouldn't be where I am without Ron's camaraderie in dweebness or Liane's social helmsmanship.
xmas010.jpgChristmas '97 
I'm not exactly a churchgoer, but the energy and warmth of this service truly filled me with the Spirit of Christmas.
  906053.jpgAlthough Mondo Pepper has faded from the scene lately, they provided some of 97's best music, fun, and photo ops.
927023.jpgWhat a mix - Dried squid (the movie munchie of preference here), the Golden Arches, and a fallen soju soldier.   103154.jpgGranted, this was a posed photo, but it captures a victorious moment of connection with this student after a somewhat depressing midterm conference.
1297251.jpgLooking at life through a soju glass - part of the Pusan experience.   1297386.jpgThe beer cases of Happy Marts have probably heard a lot of interesting conversations.
919027.jpgNever pour your own. Receive and pour with your right hand, two hands if you're younger.   qvlin022.jpgVinnie is going to be a star.  I think the Expatriate is going to do pretty well for itself too.

 
1297525.jpg927071.jpg927068.jpg1297522.jpg 
Ritualized Demonstrations are part of the social fabric here.  
I don't pretend to understand all of the dynamics involved, but 
they make for some very interesting  photos.

ThesBest of the Rest

1108178.jpg 1297201.jpg 906076.jpg
india060.jpg
qvlin017.jpg stroll.jpg sung034.jpg sung012.jpg
927034.jpg 912043.jpg piff085.jpg 919016.jpg
927052.jpg 927047.jpg tnxmas018.jpg ahrin028.jpg
piff2022.jpg hllwn044.jpg india054.jpg
mondo080.jpg india096.jpg india101.jpg mondo070.jpg
piff2081.jpg ahrin094.jpg nickj039.jpg sungs084.jpg
 

Camera Love

 

It's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a camera.  First there was the camera that changed by life, then the SuperCamera Era.  Since that fateful piece of birthday cake, there have been a series of mediocre camcorders, none of which took crisp photos or particularly great quality video.  As the time to get another video camera was drawing near last fall, Nicki showed me her Canon at one of those awesome Busan Veggie group potlucks. A few months later, I had purchased a  Canon Rebel T3i DSLR online and picked it up during my trip to the States in February.  I chose the camera for its video abilities, but along the way, I have rediscovered the joy of trying to capture a moment with a photograph.  I'm never going to be a guy who can talk about the finer points of aperture and iso or who spends more on a lens than would on a new suit, but this camera can take some fine photos on Auto and provides me with as many options to fiddle with settings as I'd ever want.  The swivel viewscreen allows for some stealthiness which definitely helps in trying not to spoil the moment.  The photos are sharp enough and hi-res enough, so that I can do some serious cropping and still have a decent image.  It even worked pretty well as a makeshift slide scanner.  

As I was in the past,  I'm still drawn toward faces, but enjoying 'outdoor activity' this session with our trainees has provided plenty of other scenes and dishes to shoot as well. Below are some of my favorite pix, a couple of galleries and a 'beautiful day' slideshow.  More to come...





Class #1's Beautiful Day @ Igidae

Subscribe to photos