Seoin and been trying to convince Kwangwoo for months to get some pre-wedding images done, and he had refused continuously to visit one of the cookie-cutter style studios that are the norm here in Korea. Finally, Seoin discovered my site and showed it to him. He gave in as he liked the light-hearted, free-form style of shoot that I provide.
Taking the bus down to Jeonju, where they live and work, is a beautiful ride through the Korean countryside. Once the bus leaves the capital area, it speeds by rice paddies and hilly terrain all the way down to the small city. We roll in just after sunset and check into our Hanok for the night. We’re right on the edge of Jeonju’s Hanok Village, the perfect spot to start our shoot on Monday.
The sun rises at 7:05am, and we’re waiting for Kwangwoo and Seoin to arrive by 7. It’s going to be a long day ahead, but we’ve opted to use both of the most beautiful times of day, and skip the harsh light of midday. We begin in a pagoda at the end of the road that had seemingly been used as a party spot the previous night, and grab a few frames as the warmth of the sun crests the fog encased hills that surround the city.
We had decided to make a mix of romantic, fun, traditional, and modern images throughout the course of the day. So after a turn on the Korean traditional swing, we jump on the exercise equipment in the park next to us before borrowing a couple of beer cans from a corner shop for our next frame.
Now that the light has started to spill over the mountains, we make our way into the side streets of the Hanok Village for some more “Korea-focused” images. The gorgeous Korean fences, houses, and persimmon trees make for a spectacular hour of shooting before we change into our second set of Hanbok and move over to Gyeonggi-jeon, with it’s beautiful royal architecture and forest of Korean pines.
Unlike Seoul, we’re greeted with open arms by the staff here, who watch on with interest from the sidelines, and even ask to see a few of the pictures when we’re done. Given their blessings, we’re able to move about the complex, and even into many of the buildings during our shoot here. This gives us a lot more freedom to spend time getting the shots right.
We then break for coffee to revitalise a little and change for our next set of pictures. We shoot a few frames in the restaurant as we wait for lunch, and then break for the early afternoon. For the first part of our afternoon shoot, we make our way up to the observatory cafe to make some cute frames looking out over the Hanok Village. Again, the staff here are more than obliging as long as we don’t disturb the other customers. This is one of the things I love about shooting with the Fujifilm X system; it really is quiet and discreet.
After this, we make our final change and head back into the side streets for some classic frames in semi-formal wear. The juxtaposition of their modern western clothing and the traditional Korean fences and roof tiles works extremely well, and we spend about an hour wandering through the alleys.
Our final shot was to be at Jeonju’s famous Jeondong Cathedral. At this time of day, the cathedral is absolutely filled with tourists, so I employ a few tricks to ensure the final image will only have Seoin and Gwangwoo featured front-and-centre.
Thank you again to this wonderful couple. If you would like to enquire about having your own pre-wedding session in Jeonju, please get in touch using my contact form.