SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE…, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

Our Fearless Leader makes a dramatic return from his vacation in Japan today to retake the thrown at Jeju Life. I’m planning on meeting with him sometime this weekend to talk about a few developments in his absence. Some are exciting, such as a request for an interview from Conde Nast Traveler. Others are more mundane (”Do we have room for an 800 word story in the next issue?”). And still others may be headache inducing, like a request by the Jeju Tourism Board which may or may not violate our ban on overtly advertising for them.

With Jim back I’ll be able to concentrate more on photography and story writing. I’ve gotten a big jump on the next issue, which already looks to be a good one.

 So with that I bid the Jeju Life Blog adieu, and take my camera bag in hand to beat a solemn path into the sunset.

JEJU LIFE’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: THE ‘JEJU BIBLE.’, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

I’m using the brief lull after going to press to work on a story I’ve been quite excited about. It has to do with a period of Jeju’s history and it’s modern day impact on the island. Jim and I believe it may be the first time a story of its kind has appeared in English. To write it I’ve been going through several books on Jeju and piecing together various bits of information. It’s been a long, but thoroughly enjoyable process.

Now, I’ll be honest and say I’ve never been really impressed with the quality of guidebooks for Jeju. The latest edition of the Lonely Planet’s guide to the island is recognized by many here as being weak and lazily researched. The Moon book is also a bit lacking in some areas (mainly photos and illustration). Information produced by the Jeju Tourism department can be very helpful, but remains all but entilrely silent on some of Jeju’s most intriguing topics (namely shamanism and Jeju’s history).

Amidst all the sub-par, lackluster English language material on Jeju is a guide so expansive, so complete, so heads-and-shoulders above the crowd that Jim and I have taken to calling it the “Jeju Bible.” Adding to its mystique is the fact that it appears to be unavailable for purchase. It contains no publishing information and we’ve been unable to locate it in stores or on the internet. The only way to get a copy is to know someone who has one. My copy came from a former Jeju resident, who in turn recieved it from a departing coworker, who himself had gotten it directly from the publisher. I believe Jim’s copy came from one of his connections at the Jeju Tourism Department.

So what information does the book contain? Everything. Every minute detail about the culture, beliefs, geography and history of the island is exhaustively covered. It’s beautifully illustrated with full color photos and helpful maps. And although its written in broken English, (and contains more than just a hint of arrogance from the author) it’s proven to be an indespensible source of information on the island. I have found no other English language source which so thoroughly details the topics of Shamanism and Jeju’s native belief system. Even as a long term resident I can say there’s information in this book I never would have known had I not received my own copy.

People often ask Jim and I where we get our story ideas and how we research them. A great deal of it comes from people on the island who come to us with news and ideas. Some of it is simply being observant and connected.  But not a small amount comes from the “Jeju Bible.”

“READING THE PICTURES”, MICHAEL SHAW, HUFFINGTON POST, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

I came across an interesting story from Michael Shaw, which deals mostly with photojournalists struggling to do their jobs in an increasingly restrictive US Military embedding program. Because the military has all but barred photojournalists from publishing pictures of extreme violence (especially injured or dead American soldiers) photographers have often turned to what Shaw describes as a sense of “ïrony” to relate the realities of war in Iraq. As an example he offers up a photo of a helicopter’s shadow sprawled over a field of grazing cows. Because the US Army has become increasingly weary of photographers, photojournalists have had to resort to become a little more “ärtsy” with their work. How they do it is a great work in study of the power of images.

This story is part of his “Reading the Pictures” series, which is well worth checking out if you have an interest in photography or photojournalism. You can read his latest post here.

Be sure to follow his link to Christoph Bangert’s photography, which is quite stunning.

A LITTLE PHOTOGRAPHIC INSPIRATION, KATHLEEN CONNALY, PENNSYLVANIA, JEJU, SOUTH KOREA

Jeju is really a great place to be if you’re into photography. Aside from having stunning scenery, there’s seemingly always something going on. Whether it’s a festival, a religious, cultural, musical or even a sporting event, there’s just tons of great stuff to shoot. It’s not surprising then that lots of people on the island are into taking pictures. I often get questions and emails from people on Jeju who are looking to invest in better cameras or want advice on how to make their pictures better. I don’t want to get into a rant about gear here, but I would like to share something that I’ve found to be personally inspiring. It’s Kathleen Connaly’s photoblog, and you can find it at http://www.durhamtownship.com/.

I think what I love about her photos so much is the fact that she’s living in a rural part of PA that most of us would find “uninteresting.” I think of it as one of those places you’d pass by on a road trip and not give much thought to. However, Conally is able to render it in such a way as to make it seem completely idyllic. The first time I saw her blog I just wanted to pack my bags and move off to Durham Township! She’s a Cannon shooter and shies away from too  much post production work. Her pictures are simple and elegant and should provide great inspiration for any of you on the island (or wherever else you may be in the world!) to create compelling images.