Sajik Baseball Stadium – Busan, South Korea

One of the problems with watching live baseball in Korea is the amount of netting they put up around the field. One time at a game, when I was sitting next to a Korean who could speak English, I asked him why all the netting and whistles with every foul ball. He told me that a video of a fan getting hit in the eye with a foul ball (and subsequently losing eyesight in that eye) in the USA made the rounds in Korea and it freaked people out. At the KIA Tigers games I purchase seats a little above the netting so that the net doesn’t obstruct my view. That wasn’t possible at Sajik Baseball Stadium as nearly every seat has a net-obstructed view. I couldn’t take it anymore after a few innings so I headed down to one of the first few rows far down the foul line which were the only seats without a net in front of them. There was an usher checking tickets to get into this section, but I just walked past him. He figured it was easier to let me go then try to have a conversation with me in English.

Posted on August 12th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: baseball, busan, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, sajik baseball stadium. Comments Off on Sajik Baseball Stadium (사직야구장)

Red chilis at the Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장) in Busan

My biggest problem with Korean food has to do with these guys. Don’t get me wrong; I like spicy food. However, many dishes in Korea have an inordinate amount of red chili peppers, red pepper flakes, chili pepper paste, or some sort of hot pepper sauce. Rather than enhance the flavor of something and give it a kick, I find the amounts used to overwhelm everything else. Frequently it comes out as hot as it went in if you know what I mean. I can’t taste the meat, the veggies, or anything but the hot pepper flavor. Even the instant ramen here in Korea is impossible to find in any flavor other than hot red pepper.

Posted on August 4th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: busan, food, Jagalchi Fish Market, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Korean red chili peppers

Panorama (photomerge) of Gwangan Beach and Gwangan Bridge at night (Busan, South Korea)

I spent last weekend in Busan on the southeast coast of South Korea. The sun never came out, and the sky was never blue during the day. However, the “blue hour” still happens even with an overcast sky.

I didn’t have a tripod and there was nothing really easy to set my camera on for a long exposure so I climbed a lifeguard tower and set my camera on the floor of the lifeguard station in order to take the photos that were photomerged together into today’s final pic.

You’ll be able to see a lot more detail in this image if you click on it while viewing it on a large screen.

Posted on August 3rd, 2013 under Korea. Tags: blue hour, bridge, busan, East China Sea, night photography, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge. Comments: 1

May 18th National Cemetery

Last week I got on Bus 518, near the front gate of Chonnam National University (where the May 18, 1980 events began in Gwangju), and rode to the final resting place of many of the individuals who took part in the Gwangju Democratization Movement. This tower, to the left of center, is known as the May 18 People’s Uprising Memorial Tower (5·18민중항쟁추모탑).

Posted on July 21st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: clouds, gwangju, May 18 5.18, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, skywatch. Comments Off on May 18th National Cemetery (국립 5.18 민주묘지)

Chonnam National University track

The track near the front gate of Chonnam National University isn’t used much during the day this time of year as the heat and humidity make outdoor exercise more work than fun. However, once the sun goes down, hundreds of people can be seen circling this track in the evenings. When I took this photo the sun was setting. A couple hours later there were probably three times as many people on the track.

Mudeungsan can be seen in the distance of today’s image.

Posted on July 20th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: chonnam national university, gwangju, Mount Mudeung National Park, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on CNU track (전남대학교)