Autumn is my favorite time of year in Korea. The light is soft, the colour rich, and the days sweeter for passing too quickly. Every year around this time I try get out camping at least once. It’s a tradition that started with my first group of friends here, more than a decade ago.
Most autumns I’ll get out once, and then regret not going more as winter shuts the door to other adventures. But in the last two months I’ve been out as much as I can, with another trip planned for this coming weekend. I’m writing about this because I’ve learnt that it’s important to occasionally step away from your photography habits, and a trip out of your neighbourhood is one of the most effective ways to do that.
The first of the trips I went on this season was the longest, and I filmed it all for YouTube. It’ll be a week or two until that’s ready, but until then here are some pairs made from the other trips. I always take a camera when I travel, but there’s something about moving out of my regular context that encourages me to photograph freely, without bringing along any ideas of what the images should look like. So the next time you feel stuck, repetitive or like you want to open up your practice to new ideas or insights, take some time to get away if you can. It always works for me.
Cheers,
Chris
