The worst snowstorms in 32 years hit Jeju this past weekend. The three days of blizzards and gale force winds shutdown the airport for the weekend, and most schools were closed on Monday. Perfect time to step out into the Jeju winter and get some cool photos. Having lived half of my life ten minutes…
First of all, the featured photo above is not one of my 12 meaningful photos from 2015. Itâs meant more as an attention grabber because of its quite ridiculous scope. Itâs also meant to hopefully contrast 2015 with 2016 because this year Iâm hoping to take meaningful photos of other people, not meaningless photos of myself. Saying that,…
You’re from Ohio?! That’s where I’m from!!! Anyways I love setting expectations and goals every year. Your photography is great and I loved reading about the meaningful moments you captured.
Beautiful photos! More power to your plans for 2016! đ
As for us, 2015 was an emotional year. I gave birth to my second daughter, a very joyous event, but months later (right before we were finally going back home) my grandmother passed away. Then during our stay in the Philippines we were able to attend three weddings. Lots of happiness in 2015 but still, I wish my grandma and my daughter could have met. đ
Thanks Megan! I (mostly) grew up in Avon Lake, west of Cleveland. What about you? I see a @kent.edu in your name, are you from the area near Kent University?
Eric, love the pictures….your little Lila is simply adorable! Been along time since the old neighborhood in Avon Lake….kinda miss those days.
Look forward to seeing your 2016 pictures!
Your meaningful photos are from very meaningful events! Congrats on all those life celebrations you have had the honor to document.
Eric, I enjoyed this group of photos with happiness and sadness. We miss Maya, and we also miss our Avon Lake home sometimes. We are anxious for you to visit us in our new location. A lot of your stuff is here! We had a really good time with you and Yeoju and Lila, and we hope to see you all in a few months. We are proud of you and your talent and enthusiasm for your photography and life in general. Love from Mom
Love these pictures! My family is from Canfield, Ohio and I have some loved ones in Columbus as well. I love the midwest. Thanks for sharing!
I really love the “grandparents first meeting” and “Lia’s first birthday”. I hope all your 2016 photography goals can be met with ease this year đ
I love the photo of your family in hanbok for your daughter’s birthday!
As a photographer and blogger, you should make it a tradition to summarize your year with your twelve favorite photos. Your daughter Lila is lovely! And all this talk of Jeju is making me really regret not carving out the time to see it. Hopefully I will make it out to island soon enough! Here’s my year in recap, I did something similar: http://thenextsomewhere.com/2016/01/02/2015-travel-roundup/
I grew up in Lodi and went to Kent State… I am just so used to this email now that I haven’t stopped using it – plus its linked to my gmail account anyways haha – My entire family is back in Ohio, but if I move back to the states I will probably go back to California for the weather and beaches đ
Beautiful.
2015 was a good year for me with regards to Jeju Island photos. It was only good, not great, because I simply didnât get out of the house enough. Having a daughter limited my free time and I often spent golden hours on weekends playing sports or being social.  I still managed to check off a…
Wow! Those are some beautiful photos! We can’t wait to visit Jeju and your photos are making us more anxious to go. My favorites include Darangsqi Oreum at sunset, Seongsan Ilchulbang morning peak, and Yeongnuni Oreum morning light. Absolutely stunning!
Happy new year! These are all such lovely photos! I’ve loved Jeju Island more and more both times I’ve visited and your photos definitely do it justice. I’ve only seen Hallasan’s summit in the winter, but I wish I’d done it during the spring or summer or even fall! If I ever come back to Korea I’ll certainly conquer it in the warmer months. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Megan! I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time when you do visit Jeju. If you’d like any advice or information about sites, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Thanks Laura! The winter hike must have been tough, I’ve only managed to reach the summit in the spring. I keep trying to hike when the fall foliage is in its prime, but I always time it poorly! Hope you get to come back and hike in the warmer months someday!
All of your fantastic photography and stories make me want to visit Jeju even more. I’m really interested in history, especially the lost families of Goneul. My other favorite shot was Sunrise Peak. I would love to see it myself!
Amazing shots! I really enjoyed the write-ups of how you took each shot/ the memories tied to it. Photography is something I’ve always said I’ve enjoyed, but have never really taken the time to study. Hearing how you set up these shots and tweaked them to get what you’d envisioned really makes me want to up my game a bit.
Picking a favorite would be tough, but I think I’d have to go with that 12-shot panoramic of Sunrise Peak. WOW!
Thanks Nathan! Photography is incredibly fun and if you do put in some time studying both the technical and creative side to it, your skills and images from your travels will improve. I would recommend http://davidduchemin.com to you, as it seems you’re mostly into travel photography. His books and thoughts on photography are excellent. Check them out, and if you’d like more specific recommendations, I can help you out!
Beautiful photos. Thanks also for putting in all the details. Sometimes when I try to get photos, I research on the settings first to get the output I want. And for someone who has a daughter, you still found time to go around and take those photos. Me, I have put my photo walks to a rest for awhile. From time to time, I try to. First thing I learned to do in basic photography was light painting. That photo reminded me of good times with my photography classmates back in the Philippines.
These photos are lovely. I just recently purchased an ND filter. I wanted the 10 but the stores in Daegu only had the 8. đ
Which tripod do you use? I hate carrying them around but always regret when I don’t. I really love all of these photos. I want to learn how to stitch photos together in photoshop to make a panoramic image.
My gosh your photos are incredible! Love the long exposure shots and the cherry blossom is beautiful! Looking forward to seeing more from you đ
I’ve always heard Jeju is very beautiful.
I have to get out there this year. The views and photos are really, really awesome!!
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rafiqua, I use a carbon fibre Feisol tripod nowadays, but all of the photos you see that were tripod mounted were taken using a Sirui tripod which I bought in China 4 years ago. I know what you mean about regretting not taking the tripod out when you think you won’t need it. There are some good tutorials on the digital camera world website to learn how to create a panorama, among other things. (http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/09/16/panoramic-photography-tips-for-making-high-resolution-panoramas-from-multiple-images/). Good luck shooting in 2016!
Awesome and Beautiful pictures Eric! Congratulations!
For Halloween this year, I attended and photographed a Halloween party for kids. It was lots of fun. My friend Ryan and his wife Yeojin own and run an excellent hagwon (academy) called Lion English. This was their fourth year holding a Halloween party for their academy students, and I was thoroughly impressed with the activities, planning, and organization…
Wow, that bonus photo is a great shot! That party looked so fun! I really like all the creative activities made for the kids with the Halloween theme! My favorite is the miniature golf! Great looking party!
This is such a great idea. Love the ‘designated family candy house’. Also the games look amazing. So much time and effort was clearly put into this Halloween!
I love Halloween! I’m glad that Korea has slowly adopted this holiday from the US. I love to dress up and now that I have a son, it’s even more fun to dress him and take him trick-or-treating. Great photos of the kids and looks like you all had a lot of fun.
Love that creepy bonus shot at the end! I remember going to a local haunted spot with my friends when I was in high school and taking similar creepy shots… good times!
This party looks amazing… sounds like your friends knocked it out of the park. I love the level of detail they put into the games.
Wow how fun! Our hagwon had a Halloween day going on but it was all inside, fun to see that it’s also doable to go and do activities outside with the kids! Looks like you had a lot of fun and great photos đ
This party looks awesome! It’s great to see the kids enjoying themselves and to see how much effort you guys put into throwing this party. What a memorable experience for the little ones and adults a like. Everyone had such killer costumes!
That’s so awesome. I love that the Hagwon went to such great efforts to bring a western holiday to Korea. It’s definitely a great way for Korea to be exposed to a different culture. As a child growing up in Canada I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a party quite like the one in your post. I bet those kids had a great time!
Great pictures by the way
Loved your costume! It was really awesome and I like how well the party was set up! It’s good for kids to experience!
What an amazing time for those kids, and great job capturing the festivities! Events like these are missing in Korea, and it’s great to see kids experiencing it for the first time. I’m also impressed with your shots in such low light. We have the same camera, but that flash sure did a spectacular job! It looks like you and the kids had a good time and your pictures are a lot of fun.
Jeju Island is well-known for its beautiful beaches, various hiking and walking trails, and dozens of museums and other tourist attractions. But there are also numerous sports to play for the athletic-minded visitors and expats who come to Jeju. Besides regular games of soccer, ball hockey, ultimate frisbee, basketball, badminton, and table tennis, there are regular tournaments held…
Thanks for sharing this post! I haven’t been to Jeju yet, but I can see why it’d be great to live there! The beach looks stunning and the expat community looks very chill!
I really like that you shared your photos and then some that your friend took. It’s always nice to see things from multiple people’s perspectives. I just MAY have to try giving my camera to a friend to shoot a few things on my next outing.
Take care and looking forward to your next post!
I love competitive volleyball! I played in high school and welcome the chance to play not only for fun, but a healthy competition is good for the sport in everyone. Great photos!
Wow! Great photos! That beach looks nice! Now another reason why we want go to to Jeju. Maybe we will just replicate your whole trip! haha
Oh Yes. This is my faculty, Sports. I love Volleyball, I love Beach Volleyball. I watch the FIVB Games almost every day as they pop on my facebook timeline. Super amazing game. On the other hand, it is good to learn that, this event is organized for charity. Good job. Helping the less privileged is something that I am always inclined to.
Wow that looks like a lot of fun! I envy you, you live in Jeju! I haven’t been there yet but your beautiful beach photos sure make me wanna go so bad! Hopefully next year!
Your photos are awesome! I particularly love the bonus photos! Pohang being a beach city has lots of beach volleyball fun games & tournaments…however I’m usually just a spectator, I’ve never actually played! Maybe I need to change this before the weather gets too cold.
Thanks Lindsay! Yeah, I’m always surprised to see the contrast in styles between my shots and others when I lend out my camera. I recommend doing it (just make sure the person puts the camera strap around their neck!)
The Jeju expat community looks very active. What an amazing time you’re all having there! Visited there for a few days and went to the touristy spots but I bet, nothing beats living there and getting those awesome views daily.
This is certainly a unique experience to have had in Korea. It looks like all involved had a great time. Your pictures are great – it makes me feel like I was there! Thanks for sharing.
I haven’t been to Jeju and sadly it doesn’t look like I’ll make it there but I got a tinge of jealousy looking through all the fantastic pictures. By the way, Jessica did a great job with the pictures đ
Are there a lot of other competitive sports played in Jeju? I’ve never been that great at volleyball
Nice photo collection. This looks like a really awesome event and I’m sure everyone had a pretty good time. Looks like a blast in an awesome place. Very jealous of the event experience and your living situation on Korea’s Hawaii!
Hey man nice pics!!
I haven’t had the chance to go to Jeju yet but hope I get the chance sometime before leaving next year. Seeing these kinds of pics definitely makes me want to go more!
I really love your photography and I had no idea about the rules of beach volleyball until you explained it! I would love to visit Jeju one day! I’m super excited for it! When does it start getting too cold to go swimming in Jeju?
Thanks Gina! Jeju is an amazing place to visit. The beach season ends at the end of August, but the best time to go swimming is in September. The water is really warm, the police-style lifeguards aren’t hounding people from swimming, and there aren’t too many tourists. I’d say by mid-late October it gets too cold for swimming.
That’s too bad you won’t be able to visit Jeju, it’s well worth a visit. There is a annual international Ultimate Frisbee tournament in April which is very competitive at the highest level, but lots of fun for a complete beginner as well!
Introduction Cycling around Jeju has been on the top of my things-to-do list since I moved here in July 2013. Iâve always wanted to cycle and camp around the island because itâs a very exciting and achievable activity considering the islandâs geography, climate, and infrastructure.  This past Chuseok holiday (Korean Autumn Harvest Festival), which ran from September 26th-30th, six…
We haven’t done Jeju yet, but my god do you make us want to do it this way!!! Scott’s friend did a bike trip from Seoul to Busan and thought it would be fun to do that….I would much rather bike around Jeju! I heard it’s kind of hard to get around the island if you don’t have a car, so the bikes would be perfect! What an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing and inspiring us with this post!
Very interesting “challenge” you took upon yourself. Jeju is much bigger than it seems, but those coastal roads were probably so beautiful! I have friends from Korea who cycled around jeju for Chuseok too and they loved it!
I love your photos! High quality photos and definitely professional grade. The biking/camping trip looks like a lot of fun! Have you ever attempted to bring your young child to any of your trips? I understand why you would opt to leave her with grandparents or babysitter for the bike portion, but have you gone camping with her? I have a 2 1/2 year old and we love to go camping and plan on taking my son on our next camping trip. Thanks for sharing your post.
Thanks Charisse! I have recently bought a 3-4 person tent and I’ve used it to just relax at the beach during the day, but I have yet to ‘camp’ with my baby. She’s only 11 months old, so I think next summer I will definitely try it out.
This makes me want to bike and camp. I love biking but I’ve never considered biking around an island. There’s a nervous excitement I get just thinking about it. However, thanks for all the extra details as I feel like I would be better prepared (if i ever plan on doing it).
That’s such an awesome itinerary! I’m so down to do it! Thanks for sharing everything! It’s amazing!
Well I am about to do what you guys did….but in early May which may be a little on the cool side, but there is always Airbnb instead of camping, if need be đ
The pics are really inspiring and because I’m doing the trip solo this time (at least I think I am) I will probably stop a lot more often than I should to take in the scenery.
Thanks for the post, it looks like it will be an awesome trip!
Great idea Tom, actually May should be a fine time to cycle the island. I think May and September are the months with the best temperatures anyways. If you need any help/advice send me an email or message, good luck!
4 of us plan to go the the winter olympics in 2018. We thought about using a week prior to the olys to go to Jeju. I see that temperatures range from highs of 5 to 13 degrees C. Has anyone got any advice about cycling there in the first week of February. Cool temps don’t bother us too much as we’re Canadians and it’s 28 degrees below outside of my house now.
*This is not a post about how to technically make a photography website. Itâs about what inspired a procrastinator to finally be able to make a photography website. Introduction For my first blog post, Iâve decided to write about how Iâve come to create this photography website. It doesnât have much to do with photography, but it is the truth….
Thanks for sharing this article! I do know who Musk is and how his motivation has landed him his succesful companies. I never know about his metaphors and articles. I too have been delaying creating a photography site, only becuase I think I still need practice by take photos of our new home overseas. Once I think my photos are up to par, then I plan on creating the website. For now, my blog is a lot of work already. Thanks, again and so glad you joined us on Facebook.
Hi Eric, I really loves reading your blog and all your photos are amazing. Me and my family visited Jeju for 3 days last year on April and it was an amazing experience. Someday we will visit again đ
Wow, thanks for sharing your blizzard photos. It’s been pretty disappointing in Seoul this winter, it was cold last week, but we’ve barely had any snow. I had no idea that there was even a blizzard on Jeju! You’re far braver than I walking 30 minutes in a blizzard, and I’m from Northeast Ohio too… But I guess after moving to California for a few years I became a sensitive baby in snow again. Haha The photos are great, as always! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so impressed by the clarity of your photos. I know you are a professional but seriously, the photos are so vivid I feel like I was actually there! And the little pic with your daughter and the snowman, so precious! I think you might know my friend Alexis! She plugged a photo of yours on her instagram advertising your gorgeous shot of the tangerine against the white snow đ
Your photos are beautiful Eric. They let me view a world which I would never see otherwise. Your daughter is also a beauty and I love seeing herâ¤ď¸ Carol
The cutest, of course, is of your daughter Lila:-). The orange of the tangerine stands out so brightly in all of that white.
We’ve only read in the news and the net about Jeju’s snow and the stranded passengers. It must have been unexpected since Jeju is supposed to be the warmest part of Korea. We didn’t have snow during the coldest days here but we were really freezing from all those days under -15.
Thanks Izzy, yeah Alexis and I are good friends. She’s actually helped me get off the ground with social media because she’s good with things like that!
Your photos are amazing! I’m in Seoul and we didn’t suffer as much as you guys did over there, hope no one got hurt from the blizzard though. I’m amazed also that you still took your camera out, but I guess it’s part of the job. Keep the photos coming, looking forward to your future updates!
Lovely post! I hiked Hallasan in the winter of 2014. It was covered in snow and so difficult! I really love the idea of Jeju in the winter as I’m used to just seeing photos of it all sunny. It’s cool how all four seasons hit the island as well. Thanks for sharing!
Some awesome shots here! I particularly like that first one of the heavy snow falling, the one with the bokeh snowflakes, and the shot of the guy playing the sax.
Glad you braved the elements and got some good shots! I love getting out and walking around once a place is covered in snow; the feeling of the place tends to change in subtle ways.
We were so close to making a trip to Jeju, but at the last minute had a change of plans. Heard that a lot of people got stuck on the island due to all this crazy snow. Thanks for braving the weather in order to get some of these pics!! Loving the one with your two little neighbor kids. I bet they were loving this snow!