Photo Essay: Beautiful Jeollanamdo

Photos and words By Nathaniel Merz

This year, I decided to give myself an easy New Year’s resolution. Losing weight, getting to bed earlier or exercising more are definitely difficult to do in Korea. For a resolution to travel more, however, I cannot think of a better place to live.

In planning my first trip to make this resolution a reality, I set my sights on South Jeolla Province. As a photographer with a primary interest in nature and landscapes, this area has a lot to offer, and unlike Gangwon Province to the north, getting to some of the best spots is easier by bus thanks to the major transportation hub located in Gwangju.

For my first trip, I decided to head to one of the most popular landscapes in the country, Seryang-je. Every spring and fall, this man-made reservoir is swarmed by a literal wall of photographers lined up along the water’s edge in hopes of capturing its famed crystal reflection and soft fog radiating off the water as the sun rises behind the surrounding mountains.

The thought of wedging myself into such a crowd was definitely not attractive, but I knew it was a scene I had to see for myself. My enthusiasm was further dampened when I learned that in order to get a decent spot along the lake I would likely have to line up as early as 2 a.m. Seeing as the last bus heading there was in the evening, my photographer friend and I decided to head there at 6 p.m. the following day, scout the location and simply wait 12 hours until sunrise.

Well, turns out waiting 12 hours in the cold early spring air is not as simple as it sounded in my head before I left. After a sleepless night spent sitting along the water’s edge, the first signs of light brought me back to life and the sight of the hundred or so other photographers along the lake filled me with more inspiration than annoyance.

As for the sunrise that morning? Well, the sky slowly brightened, but I do not recall seeing the sun, and the famed steam only teased for a few moments, well before the sun ever made it over the mountains. Not to be deterred after all our efforts, my friend and I got shooting while those around us mostly waited for a more representative scene that never showed itself.

My second trip back to this beautiful province was unexpected and quite a different experience. After chatting with a small group of photographers while waiting for sunset at another location closer to home, they invited me on a trip the following week back down to the southern part of South Jeolla Province to explore Jeung-do’s expansive salt farms and the flowers that bloom in the surrounding mud flats.

After a midnight bus ride all the way down to Suncheon, I met up with my travel buddies at 4 a.m, and we carpooled our way for the more than two hour drive to Jeung-do. Much like my morning in Seryang-je, the sky was “high overcast”, but luckily the first spot on our trip was an overlook of the field filled with blooming flowers and red plants sprouting right out of the mud flats.

It was clear to me that not only was the landscape of this area beautiful, but even a short walk along the boardwalk provided a variety of photo opportunities for any photographer. Some photographers were using the beautiful scenery as a backdrop for portraits, some were focusing on the macro opportunities at every turn and still others brought out their long lenses to capture the Mud Hopper fish and crabs that call the mud flats home.

As evening rolled around, the heavy cloud cover rapidly broke up and we were treated to some of the best light I have seen in my time in Korea. The variety of the area provided a challenge with deciding what to shoot, but the fact that everything was within a few minutes walk meant that I did not really have to.

After leaving the overlook, I walked down to the boardwalk and got a shot just as the clouds opened up, illuminating the flowers that this field is known for. Within the next hour, I quickly filled up my memory card and burned out my battery shooting the dramatic sky reflected in one of the pools and also of a farmer demonstrating how salt is collected in another pool.

For those like me who are looking for a change of pace and fresh scenery, I definitely recommend giving South Jeolla a serious look. Much like many places in Korea, just about anywhere you want to go is a bus ride or two away and there really is a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you want to spend a few hours in the morning checking out Seryang-je or a whole weekend exploring the beaches, fields and salt farms around Jeung-do, you will not go home disappointed.

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