I selected these 15 images to be my favourites for the year as they involved an interesting story to shoot and are relevant to my time spent working and traveling a small part of Asia. They are the ones that stood out and I thought I’d share them with you as 2010 draws to an end.
The end of 2010 is not a milestone or specific date that determines some kind of change or the start of something new for me. I’ve been viewing some interesting “best of 2010’s” this past week on leading news websites and thought I’d give it a go to re-publish some of my favourites too.
This blog has been my creative outlet for some time now and I hope you are enjoying the photos and stories I share.
Here are some of the images in no particular order for 2010:
1. Seokmodo Landscape
I drive past this house everyday towards school, but I never have the opportunity to stop and take a photo. One late afternoon in summer I decided to leave school and go for a walk to this view point to shoot this image. It is yet another reminder of where I am currently finding myself teaching out on a rural island in South Korea. This image will always stand out when I think back of Seokmodo Island and the commute to school.
2. Kaohsiung by Night
I stayed at my cousin Xenia and her husband Estienne in Taiwan before coming to South Korea. This photo was taken from the roof of their apartment building. Estienne and I climbed to the top with some beers and a chair each. I placed my camera on the chair for this shot as I had no tripod. I also ended up going back for more shots during the day. Estienne was my ‘Kaohsiung tour guide’ and was always keen for an adventure. It was his idea to go shoot photos and drink beers on the roof.
3. Exploring Bali’s East Coast
Clementine and I rented a scooter on our last day in Indonesia to explore Bali’s East Coast. This was one of the best days in Bali. We took the back roads through rice paddies and gravel roads and took this shot just before sunset. I took many photos here which resulted in us driving back in the dark dodging trucks and stray dogs.
4. Over Night
South Korea is growing at an enormous pace and new apartment skyscrapers seem to appear over night. I see this growth weekly when I take a bus into Seoul, but I never have the opportunity to stop for a photo. This was taken when I came back from China. An acquaintance picked me up with his motorbike and having our own set of wheels allowed me to stop on route for this shot.
5. Palm Trees and Rice Paddies
This image was taken in Bali Indonesia. It was one of the images I had in my mind of what I thought I might see while visiting Indonesia. It’s a cliché image that will probably appear on travel websites and in coffee table books, but it was still an amazing sight to witness.
6. Chained Dog
One of the first and most prominent things that stood out for me upon my arrival in March was that almost all dogs were chained to their kennel and lived outside in harsh conditions. I walked around my town before spring to shoot some of these dogs and found many to be just as cautious and curious as me. This dog at first looked as if he wanted to attack me but he soon calmed down and allowed me to come closer. This is not a common sight in the urban parts of South Korea, but here on the outskirts it is.
7. Taking Shelter While Viewing the Forbidden City
It started raining on the day that I visited the Forbidden City and hundreds of tourists took shelter under their umbrellas. I did not have an umbrella and took this shot just before the rain came down hard. I tried to capture the size and attractiveness of this palace with all its visitors regardless of the weather.
8. Carrying the Load
I took this image on Gili Trawangan Island in Indonesia. We did not stay on Trawangan Island, but had to take the ferry from there for Bali. This image was taken from the main tourist drag, though you wouldn’t think so. I tried to capture the non-tourist aspect of the famous Gili’s as I waited patiently for the women to walk past the boat with their load.
9. The Changing of the Season
This image was taken on the ferry that I commute on daily. I see these birds every weekday and have grown tired of them. The landscape changes frequently though and was what drew me to the ferry deck on this autumn day.
10. Mount Rinjani
Rinjani was truly one of the most spectacular sights ever. The photo does not do justice for the sheer size and beauty of this extravagant volcanic crater. Getting to this view point took a grueling one day hike and we camped at the top near the rim. The weather on the day before was miserable with downpours and no visibility, but on this morning we were lucky to be treated with a clear view of the crater. It was a memorable sight, though a wider lens and more time at the top could have helped to justify the size of Rinjani.
11. A View of the North
This is an image of North Korea taken at the DMZ (demilitarized zone) on one of the only clear days in April. I used to take my camera to school every day in the beginning of my contract and on this day our school took a field trip to the controversial DMZ. The soldiers on duty said that we were lucky to have a clear view of the North as the days before had no visibility. This image is not great, but it would have been useless if I didn’t have a 300mm lens in favourable weather conditions. Getting a clear photo of the north was difficult with all the photographic regulations in place. Tensions on the Korean peninsula between North and South have increased since my visit and my experience of this strong divide and sightings of the North have added to my understanding of this sensitive issue.
12. The Great Wall of China
Not much to say about his image other than I had the opportunity to hike 8km on one of the seven wonders of the world on a perfectly clear, warm day outside China’s capital Beijing.
13. Forbidden City Wall
I visited the Forbidden City in Beijing on an overcast day with the possibility of rain. I found this big red wall towards the end of my long walk through the palace grounds and waited for a local to walk past. I took this image of a man pushing his motorbike only seconds before the rain came down.
14. Clementine’s Visit (s)
I’ve been extremely grateful and lucky to have had Clementine visit me three times in Korea. I took this image of her feeding Seagulls during her first visit in May. It was taken on the ferry that I take to school everyday and I see Koreans feed these birds daily. What makes this image special is that it is not just any Korean feeding the birds. It was Clem having fun and sharing these experiences on the outskirts with me.
15. Giving Assistance
This image was taken near Ubud in Bali Indonesia. Clementine and I went on a cycle tour through the small villages of Bali and I took this image of the locals doing daily work in traditional wear. I made use of my 300mm lens and waited for them to start loading the rice.
