Yesterday, I packed up my camera essentials and headed up to Seoul to participate in the 500px Fuji Film Global Photo Walk. Over 70 people came to the photo walk, which was quite impressive considering it was a national holiday in Korea. To celebrate the thanksgiving holiday called Chu-seok, Fuji Film invited several models to wear the traditional Han-bok at the Gyeong-bok-gung palace. Most of my photography is either street photography or heavily focused on architecture, so it was an interesting opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and work with models.
Now, there were three major challenges that I faced during the photo walk.
- The photo walk took place between 2~5pm which was when the light was strongest. Sometimes the models were standing in direct sunlight so the lighting was very harsh. I decided to wait until the models were posing in shaded areas, rather than bother trying to take photos while they were baking in the sun.
- Because there were a large group of photographers, it was rather tricky positioning myself to get the shot I wanted. Moving to a different spot meant having to sidestep other photographers without interrupting their shots. If I wanted to get closer to my model, I’d have to run in and quickly snag a shot before running back out as there was usually a half circle of photographers surrounding them.
- This was my first time photographing models, so I initially had no idea what kind of poses to ask for. Some of the more experienced photographers asked the models to pose a certain way or to look in their direction. I found that I felt much more comfortable asking for a pose when there were fewer people around and when the lighting and background provided inspiration.
This was the last shot of the day and it was my favorite shot. I had to rush past a few folks and bend down to snap the shot, but it was just this golden moment that reminded me of when I was a little girl walking between my parents. They’d hold my hands and swing me forward, and everyone was happily laughing. I was extremely lucky that my camera settings worked out with the lighting, and also that it didn’t come out blurry. After a day of photographing people I felt more comfortable taking photos and started to get a feel for what kind of photos I like to take. I like when the sunlight isn’t too strong but is behind the subject so that it gives this nice rim of golden light on their hair. It’s also nice to get a photo of a relaxed, natural sort of smile as opposed to a ‘smile for the camera.’
Your turn ♥ Have you ever been on a photo walk before? What are some of your favorite childhood moments?
