Vincent Lau Photography » Korea

Korea – The Final Details

Vincent — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:38:13 +0000

As I finish up my one year adventure in Korea and I look back at all I’ve seen and experienced, I am floored by how much beauty and culture there is in this small country. It’s amazing reflecting back on all that I’ve encountered in Korea and realizing that 365 days have flown by in no time at all. It’s just like the saying goes I guess, but it’s funny to me that the things I’ll treasure most about my time here are the small things. The palaces and huge markets were great, but it’s the details that make a place truly unique to me. The glisten off a freshly fried fish stick, running into people when I forgot to walk on the “correct” (left) side of the path, the smell of kimchi in the morning… ah, the details I’ll never forget! As I say goodbye here, my new adventure begins, but before I go, a few more details to commit to memory…

My Kimchi Dream Ride

Vincent — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:20:21 +0000

Many of you have been bugging me for pictures of the schweet ride I use to cruise around Seoul in. Honestly, I’ve been meaning to, but I couldn’t find the time with all the fun I was having pushing every single one of its 75 hp to the limit. Man, with all the attention I was getting while driving around town, you’d think I was driving a Ferrari — either that or it could be the sparks coming off my dragging busted muffler.

In any case, by popular demand, the long awaited unveiling of my original edition 1994 Daewoo Cielo in Crinkle Chip-Flake White!!

Now I’m not one to pour salt on the wound, but if that picture above isn’t making you jealous enough, then check out the video below. And yes, I also pull off power slides and Knight Rider turbo boost jumps in my Cielo. Hey, “Don’t hate, APPRECIATE!!”

Comida Bizarro

Vincent — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:08:51 +0000

… perro no sé lo que es. Man, I can’t believe I still remember some Spanish from high school.

Seoul Comic Convention

Vincent — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:48:09 +0000

A few friends and I went down to the Seoul Comic Convention today because we heard there would be some serious Cosplay action going on. Never heard of Cosplay? Well, neither had I until today. It’s short for Comic Roleplay and I guess it’s quite the phenomenon in Asia. People come to these conventions completely decked out as their favorite anime characters. Some folks had really good outfits on and probably spent quite some time getting ready for the event. I wonder how awkward the subway ride would have been for them?

Some of the characters we saw throughout the day:

Seoul Motor Show 2009

Vincent — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:33:16 +0000

I love car shows. You always get to see the latest and greatest new rides coming to the market and you get plenty of drool factor when the big companies bring their concept cars. Oh yeah, there’s also the car show “models” and the ever present crowd of guys with cameras. I always get a big kick out of the number of guys who seriously push and elbow each other out of the way for a better position. It’s like the paparazzi… only worst because almost none of the guys are getting paid to do it and some of us are actually trying to take photos of the cars.

Never been to a car show? This is what the crowd looks like (note the red to green arrow ratio):

It’s also amazing to see the amount of equipment these guys bring to the show. Check this guy out (face blurred for his protection). That ladder he’s standing on was brought by him (note the shoulder strap attached to it), and by many other stalkers photographers too (great idea by the way, I’m just mad I didn’t think of it first… just kidding). Note the out-of-control dual-flash setup. I think the model even thought this guy was over the top, after he took about 30 shots of her in rapid succession (blinding the poor girl), she shook her finger at him and said no more. He walked away dejected with his head down and the ladder under his arm (poor guy).

Ah, even I couldn’t avoid it (so ashamed)! It was like group-think/mob mentality. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? Cars, what cars?

It’s too bad there were so many people milling about, it made for some awfully distracting backgrounds for photos. At least the models were kind enough to pose in the midst of all the madness.

Signs of Spring

Vincent — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:06:49 +0000

Warmer weather, birds returning to the skies, hay fever, and Cherry Blossoms! Queue the Kill Bill music and whip out the Samurai swords, it’s the perfect backdrop for some good old fashioned sword fighting. Where are the ninjas when you need them?

Crunch Roll

Vincent — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:58:16 +0000

Okay, I admit that I “may” have an issue with food, more specifically, a slight “obsession” with photographing food. Why else would I have so many blog posts on yummy grubalicious good eats?!?! Hey, at least I’m just taking pictures and not eating everything in sight, right? Maybe I need to start a separate food blog like Chez Pim. Nah, nobody wants to read posts about the great new nachos at Taco Bell (eh hem, $0.89 Beefy 5-layer Nachos, try ‘em you won’t be sorry). Well, until I get a psychologist and she figures me out, add another one to the ever growing list… a candy bar for all the peanut lovers out there.

DROOL… CRUNCH… YUM!

A Rainbow of Lamps…

Vincent — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:36:45 +0000

… for Buddha’s birthday. Spotted at Jogyesa Buddhist Temple in Downtown Seoul.

Another Diet Killer

Vincent — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:19:35 +0000

First there was this Korean diet killer, then comes this greasy, noodle stuffed delight. What will they find to stuff and fry next?

A Tough Job

Vincent — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:11:04 +0000

Went to the Noryangjin Fish Market yesterday… got touched by some fishmonger lady with her wet, fishy gloves on my now, wet, fishy jeans. The place smelled gross, but looked cool. Saw this old lady selling a single item: Sea Pineapples — one of the the weirdest looking foods on the planet. No wonder she looked so sad and lonely. I wouldn’t want to bet my livelihood on this alien creature either (click the link to be grossed out).

Korean Universal Studios (Sort of…)

Vincent — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:26:47 +0000

Today we headed down to a “theme park” built around the filming set of a very famous Korean drama series called Daejanggeum (대장금). I put the theme park in quotes because it was just like Universal Studios Hollywood minus all the fun rides, characters in costumes, overpriced food, and long lines (come to think of it, it’s not like Universal Studios at all). I just never realized how popular this show was throughout Asia. There were tourists there from Japan, China, Korea and the U.S. I swear I heard Vietnamese spoken by someone there too.

Anyway, they had the whole park setup in the same way it was used during the filming of the show. There were lots of cool props and replicas of artifacts found during the Joseon Dynasty’s reign in Korea spread throughout the fake palace grounds. Lots of fun stuff to shoot.

And just in case you forget that none of the stuff above is real, check this out (yes, that is a Styrofoam brick wall.)

Quick Seoul Shoot

Vincent — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:39:56 +0000

Errol is looking F-I-E-R-C-E as usual… we played around with a single strobe and my friend Ted’s eBay triggers today. Strobist rocks!

National Museum of Korea – Part 2

Vincent — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:15:08 +0000

Continued from a previous post… more from the National Museum of Korea. Man, I might have to find a job shooting for the Smithsonian.

A beautiful wood carving with Chinese characters:

The following items were from a special Southeast Asia exhibit, absolutely beautiful:

More Korean Snacks

Vincent — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:02:41 +0000

In my Seoul Tower Death Hike post, I mentioned that cold beer was waiting for me at the top. I forgot to mention these other goodies too…

Who knew cotton candy was so popular in Korea? There was a line of 50+ year old guys queued up for that stuff. Weird…

Check out the old school power supply for the cotton candy cart. Pedal-power baby!

No death hike would be complete without a cup of fresh, hot and steamy silkworm larvae. Yumm-o!

Of course, no tourist trap would be complete without Churros!! Errol would be in heaven…

The… Best… Tea… Ever

Vincent — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:31:08 +0000

Janna and I discovered this little gem. Iseul Cha (aka Snow Dew Tea) grown only in the mountains of Korea. A very light and fragrant tea, it surprises you how sweet it is. Tastes like it’s packed with natural Nutrasweet (oxymoron, I know).