It was my birthday yesterday. I tend to forget. They kind of just happen. I’d asked people on my Instagram in the morning what I should have for dinner. It seemed a fine enough idea. The choices were raw beef or sushi. I’d put on shorts and paint stained t-shirt to go out. Since renovating […]
Tag: Portrait
Darkroom, Eggleston, and Upcoming Wedding Post
I’ve been busy. Busy getting married, finishing my house. I had guests in the house until yesterday. Not much time for anything. That doesn’t even include dodging the construction dust long enough to write a post. I don’t do this often. Post in colour I mean. This is my darkroom light. My wife said she […]
The Wall
There is this wall. It isn’t a particularly interesting wall. In fact, it is a very normal one. That being said, I think it is my favourite wall. It is kind of beige or off-white. The wallpaper is fairly typical for Korea. I can’t remember the first photo I took against it. I think it […]
The Ricoh GR II and Why I Always End Up With a Ricoh
So, I just wrote about the Fujifilm X-Pro 2. It is a nice enough camera. I used it over the past six months. The fact of the matter is though, I never felt much of a connection to that camera. It worked just fine, but it never made me want to take photos. It was […]
Guest Blogger: Dong-bin
First off, I want to thank everyone for sticking around over the past couple months even though I have posted so infrequently. I wish I had a good excuse, but truth is I’m just lazy. I have ideas for posts but never manage to sit down and write them. After some thought, I’ve decided to […]
Off the Wagon
I haven’t written for a while. I would like to say the main reason is that I’ve been moving and having had any time. While the fact of that is true, it isn’t the real reason for not having made a new post. As many of you know, or could see here, I had been […]
Contact Sheet: Eric Kim Profile Photo
I’ve been working a little bit on this series of “contact sheets.” So far, I talked about a couple of my favorite photos from the past year or so. This one, ha, is a bit funny. The story behind taking Eric’s current (at the time of this writing) profile photo. The story starts in the […]
October 31st, 2014.
People may or may not know, that I am a teacher. Deciding I didn’t want to pursue law in Canada, I originally came to Korea to teach and have loved every minute of it. I don’t talk about it much, but I do really have fun teaching.
Ramen, Mobiles, Coffee and Drink.
I’ve been busy. Busy with what? I am not even sure I know. Cooking ramen? I’m a big fan. This one is of the black noodle variety.
Connections
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Eric came to town to visit and teach a mini workshop with me here in Seoul. He stayed for a couple of days, and somewhere during the couple of days I really had to have a think about photography.
Contacts: Hongdae Portrait
The second in a series of mini contact sheets. In this case, it was a portrait I took near the Hongdae District of Seoul at a pretty dingy little bar I happened into. This guy, was sitting on the side of the table opposite this poster. I’m not sure why, but I thought the lines […]
외국인
In 2007, I first left school to come to Korea. I had no idea what to expect before coming. I’m not sure I cared really. I just wanted out of the stress I was feeling at school. I spent my first month in Korea with other foreigners (외국인). I spent it with them because it […]
감추다
My buddy Eric once did a a project on Korea called “The Presentation of Self.” While I’m not sure he really dug that project as much as his other work, the idea was a good one. Korea might be one of the most superficial countries in the world with self presentation being of utmost importance. […]
Project: The Culture
After much thought, I’ve started to move everything into WordPress. The Projects page at the top will be updated in the upcoming weeks with projects that would previously have been found on my portfolio. The first project to appear is The Culture. It follows a family of Korean tattoo artists in Toronto over the course of several […]
Winter
The season of change. “Trees withstand the hardest things nature throw at them and never waver. Trees loose their leaves in winter, but they never loose their gumption. When winter comes, they stand strong as they know winter is just a part of a cycle that will once again bring spring.” (From my project, The […]
Simple Things
Better times. Always searching for something better. Miss the times you had. Look forward to the times you’re going to have. Hard to live in the present. Nights at the cages after work. Drinking. Simple things. Hard to live in the present. Never feels as sentimental as the past or as hopeful as the future. […]
Project: The Culture
Finally, after a lot of hard work my project “The Culture” is live on my portfolio. It was a long process, and it’s bittersweet to be finished. http://www.jtwhitephotography.com/projects-the-culture Brad and his family are some of the best people I’ve ever met and I can’t thank them enough for taking me in as if I was one […]
Project update: The Culture
I’m really excited that my project, The Culture, is just about ready to go live on my portfolio. The project follows the life of a Korean tattoo artist over the course of half a year in Toronto. Brad, the “master” of Soul Train Tattoo is one of the most genuine individuals I’ve ever met. He […]
Friends
I love being back in Korea. Love it. Love Seoul, all of it. I haven’t felt at peace like this in maybe, ever? That being said, I miss the people in Toronto. I miss the time I spent there. Relationships, I’ll cherish forever. It’s during the hardest times you see the reality of your friends […]
Imperfection
The perfection of imperfection. A series of imperfections, any life or person. Perfect, isn’t reality. Memories are always of the imperfect. The quirkiness of a person is often the crux of their charm. The imperfections of anything is often it’s strongest catalyst for interest. A person’s inner struggle is often related to their perceived imperfection. […]
Newfoundland: Coming Soon
My project, based on my trip back to Newfoundland this summer is almost ready for print. Hard to go through these photos, in fact. A beautiful place, my homeland. The land may very well be cold, the sea breeze bristling the senses of even the toughest man. The people, however hearty they may be are […]
Friends
Good friends aren’t easy to come by. They aren’t readily available and certainly don’t grow on the proverbial tree. They do tend to stick around, though. And the really good ones always got your back. Seoul, South Korea.
In Yourself
In Yourself. The human condition of wanted and needed success often dictates the pressures that inherently follow such wants and needs. We want to be successful. We want to be rich. A great job, a nice car, a house. We covet these ideals as they seem the only road to happiness. “In order to be […]
Hatch
Was great today to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends after a couple of years. Got to spend a half and hour listening to his band jam in a cool little studio in Hongdae. Thanks buddy! It will also be the start of a new project. I’ll spend some time following this group […]
Stray Dogs
“I’m like a stray cat or dog, or an insect…” “…Main streets are nice, but I dare not linger.” – From Diary of a Stray Dog. I’ve missed this. Missed the walk. Different scenery. Different people. Different smells. Different light. Different me. Only a compact camera and some film, I’m not much for process anymore. […]
Newfoundland
I won’t be posting much for the immediate future. Probably not at all. Coming back to Newfoundland has hit me hard in a lot of ways. The memories. The place. The people. I will shoot and live. A project of sorts.
The Culture: Choices
Nothing but a series of choices. For better or worse. Good or bad. Nothing but choices. The last four months I’ve sat on the periphery of a family. Watching from the outside has given me a different perspective. A decision made today is tantamount to both an opening and closure. Not mutually exclusive every decision […]