Caleb Bear Honsbein - Newborn Photography in South Korea

World, meet little Caleb Bear Honsbein. Caleb is the happy baby boy of one of my special friends here in South Korea. Caleb's mom went to the same University as both Farmboy and myself and we've spent many happy weekends together (including for her Winnie the Pooh baby shower). It has been so wonderful being able to celebrate the arrival of her little boy.

Here are some photographs from Caleb's newborn shoot which we did at their house in Yeosu. Granny was visiting and I was able to also capture a few special moments between her and Caleb too.

If you're looking for a photographer to capture some special moments, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. You can see more of my work by hovering over the Photography menu bar above.

Enjoy!

x

Bridal Inspired Fairytale Styled Photo Shoot in Buan, South Korea

A few weeks ago a group of really awesome creatives arrived at my house in Buan, South Korea to work on a bridal inspired photo shoot to showcase a beautiful set of wedding stationery made by Bohemian Mint.  

This is the second styled photo shoot I have done with Marketa (the talented lady behind Bohemian Mint). Our first shoot was a wild flower, bohemian bridal inspired shoot (click here to see the photographs) with a very light and feminine feel. That shoot was so much fun and has even been featured on a number of wedding websites. After it's success we have felt inspired to continue creating more. These styled shoots are also a lot of fun and working with likeminded creatives to create something beautiful is what I love doing.

Marketa and I 'met' over Instagram, and with the help of a group of local creatives here in South Korea, we were able to bring to life our next idea of utilising the changing seasons into another bridal inspired theme. We created a Pinterest board and Marketa used all of our ideas to create the beautiful wedding stationery set pictured below. Before the stationery arrived I worked on finding a model, stylist and makeup artist who would all share our same vision.

Once the stationery had arrived from the USA, the idea behind the shoot changed slightly and Sam (our stylist) and I started leaning towards something a little more fairytale like. What we ended up with was a loose Red Riding Hood fairytale theme with a twist. After lots of brainstorming with Farmboy, he gave us the idea of incorporating a few apocalyptic shots to make use of the stunning Autumn harvest setting surrounding my town here in Korea . After a late night of creating flower crowns and persimmon baskets (persimmons are in season right now here in Korea) Sam and I created a story board for a shoot. I'd love to hear from you in the comments below if you are able to follow the story we created through my photographs!

The shoot would not have been possible without the following incredibly talented ladies. Thank you to all of you for all your help, for all your talents and for being so easy to work with:

• Model: Stephanie Hedger from Hedgers Abroad 
• Stylist: Sam Gross from There She Goes Again
• Makeup Artist: Aimee Klass from Aimee Klass Makeup
• Stationery Designer: Marketa Forstova-Horton from Bohemian Mint
• Photographer: Roxy Hutton (me!) from CityGirlSearching

And now the end result of our Fairytale Bridal Inspired Styled Photoshoot.

Enjoy!

x

Thank you again to each and every one of these ladies:

• Model: Stephanie Hedger from Hedgers Abroad 
• Stylist: Sam Gross from There She Goes Again
• Makeup Artist: Aimee Klass from Aimee Klass Makeup
• Stationery Designer: Marketa Forstova-Horton from Bohemian Mint
• Photographer: Roxy Hutton (me!) from CityGirlSearching

Where to see the Autumn/Fall Leaves in Korea 2015

Typically, mid-October into early November is the peak time to see the leaves turning here in Korea. But this year, the leaves have begun to change earlier than expected. 

Just as wonderful as the spring blossoms (click here) the Autumn/Fall foliage is breathtaking. For us South Africans, we just don't get sights like this back home. The trees turn of course, but it's just nothing like the sea of red and yellow that greets you here in Korea.

The four most popular mountains (and therefore the busiest!) places to see the Autumn colours are Naejangsan (내장산) just outside of the town of Jeongeup, Jirisan (지리산) which is close to Namwon, Seoraksan (석악산) in Gangwon Province and Gwanaksan (관악산) which is closer to Seoul. 

We made it to Naejangsan (pictured below) in 2013 and and last year I took some photographs at Seonunsan, just outside Gochang (pictured at the bottom of this post).

As with many outdoor activities here in Korea, be prepared for the crowds! We were stuck on a bus for 2 hours making our way to Naejangsan, due to the hoards of people and cars, and eventually jumped off the bus and decided to walk the 5km road from the base of the mountain to the actual main viewing. It was a logistical nightmare. But, as long as you know it's going to be chaos and you are prepared for that, you will be rewarded with stunning sights. Seoununsan is much quieter, and offers just as much beauty as Naejangsan.

Here is a map of the expected Autumn/Fall foliage here in Korea:

Naejangsan (Jeongeup, Jeollobokdo)

Seonunsan, Gochang Jeollobokdo

Do you have any recommendations of places to see the foliage here in Korea? Any secret spots you've been to? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

Forest Fairy Styled Shoot in Buan, South Korea

Last month I got together with Rachel from KIT Makeup to work on one more styled shoot before she left Korea to go back to the UK. Rachel did the beautiful bridal makeup for the Wild Flower Boho Bridal Inspired shoot I did a few months ago, and so I was very happy to work with her again. 

For this shoot, the initial idea was for a forest fairy using an inspiration board of cream, white and blues. Then our ideas changed when our gorgeous model (Rhea) mentioned that she had a black, lacy slip that she wouldn't mind wearing for the shoot and we decided to go for a darker, almost nymph like fairy. We then used the forest nearby my house as inspiration for our makeup palette and I am so happy with how it all turned out. I was very nervous about the light in the forest as I knew there would be a lot of shade and dappled light and I don't like using flash. The light ended up being much easier to work with than I had expected. We chose two slightly different looks and had so much fun playing with the ivy. After a near disaster (whereby I formatted my memory card without checking to see if I had backed up the RAW photographs first...blog post to come soon on the amazing recovery software I found!) here are the results of our collaboration.

If you're here in Korea and would like to book me for you own styled or themed shoot, please do get in touch! You can email me using the contact form above or using citygirlsearching(at)gmail(dot)com. 

In the mean time, here are the photographs of our Forest Fairy shoot.

Enjoy!

x

All photographs taken with my Nikon D700 and 50mm 1.4.

Edited gently in Lightroom.

Cherry Blossoms in South Korea

Spring in South Korea has got to be one of the most beautiful seasons, and my absolute favourite time of the year. Although, I must say that Autumn is also beautiful in it's own way with gorgeous red and yellow hued leaves falling gently to the ground (click here to see photographs of Autumn in Korea). It's Autumn right now, but it's Spring for everyone in back home in South Africa and so I wanted to share these pretty flowers with you today. 

These photographs are a selection of blossoms that I have taken over the last 2 Springs that we have had here in Korea. The gloomy & wet photographs are from an afternoon wondering around Gaeamsa Temple, just outside of Buan (Jeollobukdo, Korea) in the rain. It was pouring but I was really happy with the effect the rain gave to my photos. The last set of photographs are from the first day after that rain where the beautiful sunshine meant I was able to do a styled shoot with my friend Alysha. 

Enjoy!

x

Photographs all taken with my Nikon d700 and 50mm 1.4 & 85mm 1.8 prime lenses. Edited gently with Lightroom.

Buan, South Korea. A glimpse into our small town.

Farmboy & I have been living in Buan, South Korea for the past 2 & a half years and have really enjoyed the change in lifestyle from our first year in Korea where we lived in a huge city (Daejeon). This time around we are in 'rural' or 'countryside' Korea, but if you were to walk the streets of our town you would find it hard to declare rural. It looks like almost ever other city/town in Korea apart from the fact that we only have 1 main street lined with stores. 

However a 2 minute drive out of town and you'll find wide open spaces, tractors & four wheelers driven by old men with their old lady(ies) riding shotgun. Every street corner and square inch of open space is cultivated and tended to with loving care. 

Here are some photographs from an early evening drive around my town. The nights are getting cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees. I can't wait to photograph the red and yellow colours of Autumn, and of course the crisp, white snow of Winter still to come.

I was even able to get my pup #ShadowTheJindo to pose for a few shots too. Click here to read more about is story and how we found him on the side of the road last year September. 

Photographs taken with my Nikon D700 and 50mm 1.4 & 24 - 70mm lens.

Henco & Marilize {Engagement}

Henco & Marilize are fellow South African English teachers here in South Korea. They have just recently returned to Korea from their whirl wind trip back home for their wedding.

I was so thrilled when they contacted me to ask if I would capture this special time in their lives, and I had a lot of fun with them throughout the afternoon.

Marilize and Henco love and adventure, and can often be found in their car road tripping around Korea. We decided to include that in their photographs, starting in Buan and then continuing through Byeonsan National park and ending off at a secluded beach near Gyeokpo on the South West coast.

Thank you for picking me Henco & Marilize. I know your lives together will always be filled with love, laughter and adventure. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and road trips together.

For any photographers who may be interested, these photographs were all shot on my Nikon d700 with 24 -70mm 2.8 & 50mm 1.4 prime lens.

Enjoy!

x

If you're here in Korea and are looking for a photographer, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I do all sorts of shoots (pets, portraits, engagements, wedding, family, maternity and newborn). You can see more of my other work by hovering over the Photography Menu bar above. 

Water Lilies in Korea

Every month new flowers bloom here in Korea, each as unique and distinctive as the changing seasons. As this is our last year here in South Korea I am hoping to be able to capture them all with my camera.

July brings with it humidity such that I have never experienced before (I have been told Dubai is worse though so I won't complain too much) but with that humidity comes the beautiful water lilies. These photographs were taken just outside my town at around 5h30am, with one the last one being an extra special photograph of my pup, #ShadowTheJindo. 

As much as I hate spiders, they were all over the lilies and I felt I just had to include at least one of them. I'm sorry if it makes you jump!

Enjoy 

x

What's your favorite flower here in Korea? 

A Winnie The Pooh Baby Shower

One of my dear friends from university will soon be having a baby boy here in Korea. This is both a very exciting and scary time for her, being so far from friends and family back in South Africa. Even though it may seem incredibly daunting to some people, Vicky and her husband have done everything they need to stay up to date with how things work here when it comes to giving birth, and have an amazing support system, made up of new friends who have all come together to help in any way they can. Her friends threw her a very surprise baby shower a few weekends ago, and I was able to be part of the surprise, and to capture a few photographs of the special day. Everything was organised and put together so beautifully, and the Winnie the Pooh theme was just so cute. 

Vicky, you are so brave and so strong. I admire you more than words can say and I can't wait to meet your baby boy.

x 

For any soon to be moms here in Korea, there are a whole number of really great Facebook support groups created by fellow expat moms. Let me know in the comments section below if you would like me to put you in touch with them.

Korean Wild Flower Wedding Inspiration Styled Shoot

This styled photo shoot has been three months in the making and came out of an email conversation after a chance meet up with fellow creative Marketa from Bohemian Mint. I found Marketa on Instagram one day while searching for illustrations (her work is amazing!) and so began a friendship despite us living hundreds of miles away from each other. Marketa is originally from the Czech Republic but is currently living in the USA. It was after interviewing Marketa for my LifeAfterTheDress series that she asked me if I would be interested in collaborating with her on a styled wedding inspiration shoot. I couldn't contain my excitement as I love doing styled shoots (you can see more of my styled shoot portfolio here) and so began the process of brainstorming and putting both of our ideas onto paper.

As I am living in South Korea we both thought incorporating a Korean model would make this shoot very unique, and Marketa also chose to design the wedding stationery with a Korean bride in mind. We chose a soft pallet of neutral colours, with pops of pastel shades throughout. 

On one of the Korean Expat groups I found a makeup artist (Rachel) who had been looking for models for her makeup course and so I got in touch with her asking if she would like to be involved in a bridal styled shoot. Rachel is from the UK and is also teaching here in Korea, so we had lots to chat about while planning the beauty aspects of the shoot. Then we needed to find a model, and after a disastrous experience with a professional Korean model I was at my wits end, resorting to a last minute group post on Facebook. A friend messaged told me that she had someone in mind, who just so happened to be on her way to Seoul the weekend of the photo shoot, and would be free to stop past my town on the way. It really couldn't have worked out better, as Jess (a fellow Korean Youtuber) was just such a delight! Both Rachel & Jess were happy to run with all of my ideas for the shoot, and both had so many good ideas to add.

I'm looking forward to many more collaborations and working on more styled shoots while here in Korea. You can find all the creatives contact details below if you'd like to get in touch with them.

Enjoy!

x 

Stationery: Marketa from Bohemian Mint

• Website: Bohemian Mint
• Facebook: Bohemian Mint
• Instagram: Bohemian Mint

Hair & Makeup Artist: Rachel Porter

• Facebook: KIT Makeup
• Instagram: Rachel Porter

Model: Jessica G. W Han

• Facebook: Jessica Han
• Instagram: I am Jessica Han
• Youtube: Jessica Han

If you're a makeup artist, model, photographer, stylist or graphic designer and would like to work together on a styled shoot, please do get in touch with me! You don't have to be professional in any sense of the word, it's all about having fun! You can also see more of my work by clicking here.

Gamcheon Art Village, Busan

I didn't know much about Gamcheon Art Village except for having seen images of multicoloured house dotting a hillside in Busan. Armed with the knowledge of how to get there, and that it would be a very different experience to most festivals and temples in Korea, I set off in search of the village with a group of adventure loving friends.

Here is a little more on the history of the Art Village as written by Jessica Steele for the BusanHaps Website (all images are my own):

"Gamcheon has long been home to the city’s poorest residents. In the 1940s, only 20 or so houses dotted the hillside, but that number swelled dramatically at the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. War refugees fled their homes for the relative safety of Busan, the only area of the peninsula that remained free from fighting. Within a year, Busan’s population grew from 880,000 to 1.4 million people, and a half million homeless refugees needed a place to live–and fast. Approximately 4,000 people moved from the crowded port areas surrounding the Jagalchi Fish Market to nearby Gamcheon, erecting some 800 makeshift homes using scrap iron, wood and rocks.

Those shanty homes were built up into the brick-and-concrete Lego-like houses that you see today partially thanks to a man named Chol-je Cho. Cho founded Taegukdo, a religion that believes that the Taeguk, or yin and yang symbol, represents the true meaning of life and the universe. Practicing again after persecution and suppression during the Japanese occupation, Cho and his followers converted nearly 90 percent of the refugees living in Gamcheon with their gifts of rice and candy. With this help, residents were then able to funnel their earnings into rebuilding, and in 1955 the area became known as the Taeguk Village when Cho moved the religion’s headquarters there.

Although better established by the 1990s, Gamcheon and the Taeguk Village remained poorer than the rest of Busan, which busied itself by erecting skyscrapers and high-rises. In 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism stepped in with the Dreaming of Machu Picchu in Busan project. Reparations were made, artists were hired to paint murals and 10 artworks were installed, some created with the assistance of the residents. In 2010 the follow-up Miro Miro project saw the addition of 12 more works, including alley paintings and path markers perfectly suited to the project as miro means ‘maze’ in Korean. These days, visitors can see trick art, sculpture, and even rooms or buildings remodeled around a singular art concept, such as the Book Cafe shaped like a giant coffee mug, or rooms interpreting themes such as ‘peace’ or ‘darkness’.

While the village’s remaining 10,000 residents are now used to the influx of tourists, photographers and filmmakers, they are still wary of them, and many do not care to be the subject of photos. The village is open from 9:00 to 5:00, and is free of charge. For more information, and to buy the illustrated souvenir tourist map, you can head to the village’s Haneul Maru Tourist Information Center and Observatory, where you’ll also get a great view of the city".

When we arrived we headed straight for the tourist help centre and bought one of the super cool Gamcheon Village maps. There is a blank page inside the map for you to collect stamps that are hidden inside some of the art rooms. This made our walk into a sort of treasure hunt adventure and was lots of fun. My tip to the art village was one of the highlights so far of my 3 year stay in Korea and I highly recommend visiting it. Perhaps in Spring or Autumn when it's not so cold and try head there for early morning or late afternoon when the light isn't as harsh for photographs.

Directions

1. Take Subway Line 1 (accessible from Busan Station) to Toseong Station.
2. Come out at Exit 6.
3. You will be facing an intersection. Turn right at the corner and walk straight. You will see a hospital on your right. The bus stop is right in front of the hospital.
4. Take either Bus 2 or 2-2 (W800 pp)
5. This will take you to Gamcheon Culture Village at top of the hill.

How To Take Better Photos For your Blog Using Your Phone + Free Checklist!

You don’t have to have a fancy camera to take beautiful photographs for your blog. You can use your phone’s built-in camera, and with a few tips, you too can produce pretty photos to take your blog to the next level. Even though I own professional photography gear, sometimes I just want the ease of snapping a shot right in the moment. And a lot of the time when inspiration strikes, I don’t want to be fiddling around with settings and then end up missing the perfect shot. A lot of the images I produce for my blog are styled and I don’t have the time to get my camera, set it up, export the images to my computer, edit and then finally upload them to my blog. I find that using my iPhone and a few, easy-to-use (and free!) apps, I am able to produce pretty pictures that only take a few minutes to put together. Today I want to share with you how you can do the same.

All the images below were taken on my iPhone 4S and edited with VSCOCam to give them a grainy, film-like texture.

1. Clean your Lens

As with any camera, if your lens is dirty, your photographs aren’t going to come out very clear. It’s such a simple tip and yet has made the biggest change on images taken with my phone. Think about where you phone goes, and now think about the last time you wiped your camera lens clean. If this gives you the shivers, like it did to me, then whip out a piece of cloth and get wiping!

2. Natural Light

Wherever possible, use natural light. I take the majority of my photographs (using both my DSLR & my iPhone) during the day and try as much as possible to maximise the soft, natural light that comes through a window. Harsh midday light is just as hard to work with as a flash, whereas natural light, the kind that streams through a window, produces soft, clean images.

3. Click to Focus

On the iPhone camera app (the standard camera app that comes with the iPhone), there is a yellow square that automatically appears when you want to take a photo. This is your focus setting. You can allow the phone to automatically adjust the focus, or you can over-ride this by clicking where you want to focus when you take a photograph. This is especially useful when you want to create a slightly blurry background, with something in the picture in focus. I often use click-to-focus when I am photographing macro-type shots of make-up and stationery.

4. Self-Timer

I only found out about the self-timer feature on my iPhone when I updated my IOS to the latest version. This is especially handy when you want to take a ‘selfie’. Don’t forget to click to focus before you take the shot to ensure that your face is perfectly in focus and not blurry. 

5. Use a Tripod

Using a tripod (or any home-made version of a tripod) will stabilize your camera and help to avoid camera shake. It can be so frustrating when you set up the perfect shot, click to focus, and then bump the phone by accident and the photograph ends up coming out blurry. I often just use a book and wedge a drinks coaster underneath the phone to adjust the angle (and then set up the self-timer to get the perfect shot).

6. Avoid the Zoom

Especially on the iPhone built-in camera, when you use the zoom it decreases the quality of the photograph. Rather use your own built-in zoom (ie. your feet!) and position yourself to be nearer, or further away from your subject. Unless you have a snazzy new phone, like the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the iPhone 6, I would suggest avoiding all use of the zoom.

7. Background

Using a white background when shooting any product produces beautiful, professional looking shots. The white offsets all other colors and is always complimentary. It looks crisp and clear and really helps to make your subject stand out. Textured backgrounds also work well for product photography, but I find they can also distract from your subject. I have yet to take a photograph on a plain, white background that I didn’t like. 

8. Angles

Play around with angles. Have fun and go crazy with high and low, close up and far away shots. Use your body to zoom in on particular items if you are styling photographs for you blog. It’s okay to cut off parts of items, and this works particularly well when I shoot make-up or stationery. Consider the two photographs below. The one on the left is the full image, and the one on the right has been cropped therefore removing parts of the image. Can you see the difference? None of the props have been changed and the lighting is the same. The only difference is the angle.

9. Apps

There are so many amazing apps you can use to really make your images pop, from overlaying text to added film effects or textures. My favourite go-to apps are:
– VSCOCam for editing the colour, brightness, cropping, straightening and adding film-like overlays.
– Studio for adding text and graphics.
– ABeautifulMess for hand-drawn overlays and creating collages
– Instagram for connecting with other creatives and sharing my images.
*All of the above apps come in Android and IOS versions.

10. Delete

There really is no point in having 10 of the same image. Be thorough and delete any and all of the ‘extra’ photographs so as to avoid wasting storage space and also to avoid having duplicates. The amount of times I upload the ‘not quite perfect’ image into a blog post and then realise I have to go back and search for the right photo is just annoying. And then I realise I often delete the perfect one and end up having to re-create my images again. Deleting all the nonsense saves you time and will make your life that much easier when it comes to blogging.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Taking photographs should be fun, and with all the great apps out there that are free and easy to use, blogging no longer has to be boring. With just a few minutes of practicing and playing around with your phone, your photographs can look just as good as the pros, and will take your blogging to the next level. I hope you found these tips useful. If you’d like to find out more about the apps I’ve mentioned above you can pop on over to my blog where I have reviewed the Studio App {Click Here} and the ABeautifulMess App {Click Here}.

To help you remember all these tips I've created a FREE printable checklist. It's in my FREE resource library, along with a whole bunch more resources AND free stock photographs just for you. Join the library by clicking the image below:

Alysha & The Blossoms....A Spring Styled Shoot

It's Spring here in Korea, and along with every other person here, I really wanted to make the most of the pretty blossoms. I teamed up with my new friend and fellow blogger, Alysha (who blogs over at The Wayfaring Heath...a stunning blog filled with recipes and DIY's to help you live a more wholesome and natural life). 

The problem with most of the blossom trees here is that the actual blossoms are all on the top branches, out of reach and even harder to manoeuvre around. We took these photos in and amongst the cherry and peach trees scattered around my school and had to do a whole lot of manoeuvring and jumping around to get these shots. Alysha, thank you for being so patient and so willing to stand in and amongst the bees. I really had a great time, thank you for being such fun to work with.

I've done a number of other styled shoots, including blueberries & temples, beaches and snow. Click here to see them.

All photographs taken with my Nikon D700 & 85mm 1.8 prime lens and gently edited in Lightroom. 

If you're a makeup artist, model, photographer, stylist or graphic designer or a fellow creative here in Korea and would like to work together on a styled shoot, please do get in touch with me! You don't have to be professional in any sense of the word, it's all about having fun! You can also see more of my work by clicking here.

How To Clean your DSLR camera lens

The last time I was editing my photographs I realised I had a few funny small blotches on parts of my photos. After wiping my computer screen I realised with horror that the marks must have been from my camera. I have since gone about finding the best way to clean my lenses at home, without having to send them in. Here are few tips I've picked up as well as a few basic things to keep your camera in tip top condition.

Use an air blower, like the one pictured above to remove loose dust particles. Simply press the bulb end and air will be forced out of the spout. This is the easiest and safest thing to try first with your lens.

When dust and/or smudges are on your lens glass, use a microfiber cloth designed for optical lenses to wipe it off. Make sure to use a clean microfiber cloth, as those cloths can hold dust, dirt and oil from your fingertips which can then be transferred to your lens. Be careful when cleaning the glass. If you do get something like sand on your lens and you rub it with a cloth, you may scratch your lens. Use a soft brush to brush off dirt or sand. Do not rub those away as they may cause scratches.

Change your lenses indoors (or in your car if you are out and about) if you can manage it. If you are outdoors, try and block the wind with your body as it can blow dust, dirt and other nasties into your camera and lenses.

Once you change lenses, quickly place the end cap on the removed lens, to prevent dirt and dust from setting into it. Also, quickly attach the new lens to the camera, to prevent dust and dirt getting into your camera sensor. And, while changing lenses, point them downward so dust and dirt don’t settle in.

Keep the lens cap on the front glass when you're not using your lens. Even better, place the lens in the protective cover that comes with it, or put it away in your camera bag.

Use a filter or lens hood to protect the lens glass from getting scratched or broken. 

Do you have any other tips for cleaning your lenses and keeping them in tip top condition?

Spring Blossoms in Korea

It's officially the start of Spring here in Korea and I couldn't be happier. Not just because of the warmer weather, but more so because I get to photograph pretty blossoms like the ones below. From these photographs you'd think that the whole of Korea is covered in gorgeous blossoms, but that just isn't so. I had to really work hard to manoeuvre myself in all kinds of ways to make sure I didn't get the ugly buildings, street lights and apartment blocks in the background of these photographs. These are just the first few signs of Spring, I hope to bring many more blossoms here soon!

In the mean time, enjoy!

x

Dominique & the Snow

During the last snowfall we had here in Korea, my stylist friend and I decided to do one last styled shoot before she left Korea to return home to South Africa. It was a freezing cold afternoon in Jeungeup, a small town in the South West part of Korea, and we broke up the shoot into two parts; one filled with snow and the other a more tropical styled shoot. These are the photographs from the first half of our shoot.

I've done a number of other styled shoots, including blueberries & temples, beaches and flowers. Click here to see them.

To Dominique our model, thank you for being so patient and for being so dam easy to photograph. Thank you for braving the old in the outfits we chose for you, and for being such so amenable to the poses we put you in. From these photographs it's impossible to guess that you you've never modelled before, you really photograph beautifully.

To Aimee our makeup artist, thank you for bringing our ideas together with our brushes and your makeup. You really are so good at what you do and I hope we can work together again soon.

And finally to Storm, your creativity and enthusiasm is limitless my friend. Cape Town is lucky to have you back.

If you're a makeup artist, model, photographer, stylist or graphic designer here in Korea and would like to work together on a styled shoot, please do get in touch with me! You don't have to be professional in any sense of the word, it's all about having fun! You can also see more of my work by clicking here.

Jacques & Susan Maternity Shoot...Imsil, South Korea.

At the end of last year, Storm and I spent a wonderful morning with Jacques & Susan for their maternity shoot in Imsil, South Korea. Jacques & Susan welcomed a beautiful, healthy boy into the world a few weeks ago and we wish them so much joy as they embark on this new adventure called parenthood.

Susan had contacted me earlier last year as she was looking for something a little different from the usual maternity shoots she had seen. Storm and I suggested we do the shoot in her home in Imsil, and had some idea's in mind of very natural settings with very little posing.

Storm and I loved working with you Jacques & Susan, and hope these photographs bring back happy memories for the both of you.

I am so happy with how the photographs came out, and would love to continue doing more of these shoots in the future. If you are looking for something a little different for you maternity/engagement/family/baby shoot then please do get in touch with me using the contact page above! You can see more of my work by scrolling over the menu above, under Photography. 

For any photographers who may be interested, these photographs were all shot on my Nikon d700, 24 - 70mm 2.8 & 50mm 1.4 prime lens.

The last snowfall

Last month we had so much snow here in Buan, South Korea that we were left wondering whether it would ever stop. The snow is beautiful, but driving in it is a nightmare. Freshly fallen snow is soft and fluffy, but the day after it's icy and treacherous. But we enjoyed the change from our mild winters in South Africa and had loads of fun playing with our pup in it (he must be part Husky as the snow is his most favourite thing, ever!).

Here are some photographs from the last heavy snow we had in December. I took a stroll up to one of the traditional temples behind my town (click here to see the styled shoot I did there in Summer last year with my very pretty South African friend, Roslyn).