Yeongdong Traditional Market

Every time Gangnam is mentioned, first that came our minds are pubs and clubs, malls and even the song of PSY which made this place so busy nowadays but have you ever wonder where do local people go for their groceries here? In this kind of place where all are fashionable and where young people come and go, there is a hidden gem called "Yeongdong Traditional Market". When I went researching on markets on the internet, the popular ones are Namdaemun, Noryangjin and Gwangjang but my friend Kim Su Mi introduced this place to me since this is not a very common place for travelers like me. 

Pig's Head

Odeng/Fish cake (This is one of the cheapest street foods you can find in Korea)

Stores are open only during the day.

People around here are so generous and very nice. When you're wandering around even though they can't speak English very well they would greet you with a very humble "Annyeong Haseyo!!" This lady who also sells ttokboki gave me a free ttokboki even though we bought just 1 tempura and its so delicious you want to go get another serving.

Tempura

Ttokboki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Korean Pig Intestines

Fresh Strawberry

Apples, Cucumber, Tomatoes

A grocery store

Ban Chan (Korean Side Dishes

I also met a relative of Su Mi who is a singer and owns a Korean Traditional Clothing Store. She's Jeon Chunae, you guys can visit her on your way to the market and she'll be delighted to show you her albums as well as her tailored hanboks.

How to get there: Nonhyeon Station (Line 7, Exit 2). First left.

Meet the new fab chic of Mountain Flowers Studio

How you see a Photo..

What I mean with how you see a photo, well have you ever seen something and think “Wow, that would be a cool photo”, Then when you take the shot it doesn’t look anything like what you had in mind.

When you see a photo in your mind try and put it in the frame of your camera as well, I know that’s sounds like a “Duh” moment, But many of us don't do that. Good photography takes a little bit more time then just taking a shot. Composition is one of the little things that can make a very big difference.

Often when a shot is taken we put the subject write in the middle of the frame, and that's ok if you doing a close up, but try moving the subject a little to the left or the right. I know that sounds like an odd thing to do, but lets just say your taking a photo of your kids at an amusement park , try this, put the kids and the park sign together in the frame of your shot.

When people see this they get a realistic view of what the photo is about. You don't have to say “That's my kids at the park”. You have just started to make great photo's with just that information.

In the photo above notice that the sun coming up in the background is to the left and in the foreground just a piece of a tree on the right. This gives the viewer more of a powerful affect then putting the sun in the middle.

Simple things like that is what makes the difference between a photo and a photograph.

10 Things you should never say to a photographer

Well not all photographers want to to be complimented but there are things that they really don't want to hear from you and these are the following:

1.Your camera takes really nice pictures!

2.Can't you just Photoshop it?

3. I wanted to invite you to (birthday party,wedding, or other important events). Bring your camera!

4.Why is the background all blurry like that?

5.The work of (Other photographer) is like this,can you make this shot like that?

6. Can you make it black and white but leave our eyes in color?

7. Geez! You charge that much? We only pay __ at ___!

8.Gosh! Your job must be easy! You just click a button all day!

9. What's the discount if I edit the pictures myself? There's so many editing softwares for pictures nowadays.

10. Can you take your watermark off the photos you posted in facebook? My mom wants to print them.

Posing in a bench?

Bench is a place where we can relax and have a good time to rest. This is a good place to think out of this world things. While I was sitting in one of the benches at school, I saw my friend then I let her join me sit in the bench. Since I had my camera back then and my friend was so eager that I should take a photo of her, I just let her pose in the bench.  The posing bench should be set at an angle to the camera. When the bench is square to the camera, people tend to sit on it with their shoulders square to the camera This puts their shoulders straight across the picture and such a pose exaggerates the width of the shoulders. This pose is obviously inappropriate for a woman. When your subject is a male dignitary (VIP), a pose like this enhances those qualities.

Very few people have positions that demand such a pose. Having the posing bench at an angle to the camera before the sitter arrives should automatically suggest to the subjects that they sit with their shoulders turned slightly from the camera. With the shoulders turned slightly from the camera and the head turned back toward the camera, a sense of motion is created. Even more motion and alertness can be suggested by having the subject lean slightly forward.

 

   

  Remember that where ever you are, you can get great pictures without putting much effort.You just have to create a little art out of it!!