Members of the photography club Exposure met in Jongma Park in Gyeonggi Province one Sunday morning in May. The club members meet once a month for a photo-taking outing. It’s only been a year since the club was founded, but the number of participating hobbyists grows steadily. Here’s the club Exposure’s leader Lee Ha-na.

Our club is composed of Seoul residents in their twenties and thirties who travel together to take pictures. The club name is Exposure and was founded in last July, but the first time the members actually met was in September. We have a monthly photography outing and this is our tenth regular meeting. We have about 120 registered members and usually about forty of them take part in the outing. Today we have a little more, about 65. They take photos in groups.

Exposure is a new photography club but its online members already number 750. When there is an outing members take the opportunity to ask questions and give pointers to one another, all in order to get that one memorable shot.

- I want to get a better camera. The more expensive the lens, I can get clearer pictures. I travel a lot and like outdoor activities. I used to take only books and water on my trip, but now I take my camera, too. Now I think about what kind of pictures I’m going to take today and how can I take good pictures. My hope is to take pictures that satisfy the models.
- I want to take time when photographing something. I’d rather take a photo of a crawling ant than that of a facing car. I want to feel relaxed when I take pictures.

Photography is no longer a special activity done only by professional photographers. Manually controlled cameras used to be really costly and hard to operate. But, with the advent of mass market digital cameras and smartphones, now anybody can take pictures anytime, anywhere. It is easy to become a photographer, capturing fleeting moments of your life or beautiful sceneries or your loved ones. If you don’t like the photos you’ve taken, you can erase them and take another go. That’s the wonders of the digital camera.

People used to freeze up when they posed for the camera. They looked so unnatural, so serious through the lens. But now people act naturally in front of the camera. That’s how common taking pictures has become for us. Here’s photographer Kim Nam-yong to tell us more.

There are a lot more DSRL or mirror-less cameras than before. Photography used to be an art or an expertise, but now it has become a means to capture life’s moments. One reason for the ubiquity of cameras is that people’s standards of living have improved substantially. Also, cameras used to really expensive, but now there are more affordable models available on the market. The growth of social media also allowed people to communicate with their friends and family through pictures accompanying short messages. Now many people want to learn about photography.

In addition to popular tourist destinations and landmarks, people take out their cameras in restaurants, cafes, schools, shopping malls, and even on the streets to catch the exact moments they want. The appeal of the digital cameras lies in being able to the pictures right there and then. No wonder so many people have become shutterbugs.

- Photography is the joy of my life. I feel differently, feel joy and delight, even when I take pictures of little flowers in the apartment garden. That’s why I call photography my life’s joy.

This is a photography class held at a department store’s cultural center. The classroom is filled with the elderly. These older students listen to the instructor’s explanation and focus on the class, even though sometimes they can’t understand the unfamiliar photography concepts.

- I like taking pictures. I take pictures with my digital camera and cell phone. My reason for taking this class was because I wanted to learn about photography more seriously. I wanted to express myself through photos.
- I thought I knew a lot about photography and took great pictures. But when I started taking this class, I realized that there are lots of things I didn’t know about photography, such as how to set the shutter speed and exposure.
- I took this class, because I wanted to take better pictures. When I look at the photos I took during my overseas trips, they all look alike. So I want to learn how to take better photos.

Digital cameras may have made photography more accessible to ordinary people, but it takes certain skills to take nice pictures, the ones you want to keep and show others. It is natural for novice photographers to improve their skills so that they can perhaps leave lasting works like those of professional photographers. After taking classes such as the one at the department store’s cultural center, students say they can definitely tell that their picture-taking techniques have improved.

- The pictures I took of the trees in my garden after two classes at the center are definitely different than the ones I took before. I’m really satisfied with the course.
- My pictures used to be all blurry, but now I know how to take sharper pictures. They look nicer and people like them better. This camera’s a little heavy for me, but since I love photography, I don’t mind lugging this around.
- It helped me a lot to learn about the names of the camera components and photographic techniques.

As the saying goes, the more you know, the more you see. Learning various techniques and tips at the class helped the students see more details and take better pictures. Now the students have new goals.



- I’m going to make a photo book, a story with the pictures I’ve taken.
- My goal is to acquire more skills and hold a photo exhibition. When I take pictures, I tend to focus completely on the object and no other thoughts enter my mind. I’m going to keep trying.

Emboldened with classroom knowledge, they go out to the field to test out what they’ve learned. Hobbyist photographers are easily spotted in places with beautiful scenery. Photographers’ clubs are a great way to exchange ideas and tips and admire other people’s works. The number of photography clubs has increased exponentially with the burgeoning population of part-time photographers. The club Exposure’s May outing took place in a horse park in Wondang, Gyeonggi Province. The park features ponies and the expansive green fields, which is why it is one of the most popular destinations for photography club members. Early summer when the leaves turn brilliant green and the air is still refreshing is the best time to take photos. Even though the background is the same, the photos taken by the club members all emit different feelings.

- He is a member of my group and I’m taking pictures of him taking pictures. He looks passionate.
- I’m taking photos of the vast green land. Seoul feels stifling with all the tall buildings, but here I can see the wide expanse and feel my mind opening up. I still haven’t taken any pictures I like, but I’m going to keep trying with different compositions.
- I want to capture the vastness of the field, but it’s not going the way I wanted. I’m trying to make the space look larger by changing the compositions, but it’s not working that well.

Taking pictures with other club members has many merits. It is not boring, and you can also get objective critiques on your work and learn what is missing from your photos. It is a chance to upgrade your skills through the opinions of your fellow photographers.

- Books can teach you only so much. It’s better to learn from other human beings. I searched the internet and found out about this club. I thought it would be fun to indulge in my hobby with other people. The club sets certain goals whenever we go on a picture-taking outing. For instance, club members tell me about the places where I can take the best shots. I learn a lot from more experienced members of the club.

Mr. Kim In-ho, who used to be in the retail business, is now a photographer. He has participated in a number of art fairs.

I participated in the Seoul Photo Fair, Seoul Open Art Fair, and even the Korea International Art Fair, Asia’s largest photo show. I was invited to the Ulsan Photo Festival and sold some of my photos to collectors. The most memorable experience for me was the Seoul Photo Fair 2011, which was held right after my solo show. Only a limited number of people come to a solo show, but the Seoul Photo Fair draws a huge crowd. Spectators are usually those interested in visual art and, since the fair is held in a big venue like COEX, tens of thousands of visitors come to the event. I met with a curator from New York there and he invited me to Ulsan. I wanted to communicate with people through my photos. I enjoy photography and love sharing it with others.

Kim transformed from an ordinary businessman to a professional photographer when he started taking pictures of the scenery reflected on the water. This is the so-called water surface drawing.

I used to take so many shots without any theme. Photographs are a very democratic medium, which means it bars no one from taking pictures. But it’s very difficult to make those pictures your own. You have to have your own color, your own identity in the photos. It is very hard to take photos that reflect your unique color, and I came upon the water surface drawing as I was trying to incorporate my personality into my photos. In the water surface drawing, end products vary by the wind strength, the intervals of the waves, and even temperature. My pictures are easy to understand. You just see it and feel it.

In the dark and silent early morning hours, when you can hear the flow of the water, Kim In-ho captures the world reflected on the water. The moon and the stars and even the sharp lights escaping from the city and streetlights provide the background light for him. When he works in the hours before dawn, at the water’s edge, the sound of shutters snapping reverberates in the still air.

As with so many hobbyist photographers, photography means healing for Kim In-ho. He sees the world through the camera lens, focuses on the good and beautiful, and feels momentary bliss when he snaps a picture. A camera takes pictures, but it is a person who controls that camera. That means a person’s emotions are shown in the pictures. No matter how beautiful a vista, a picture cannot capture its true beauty unless you are happy inside. Here’s photography instructor Kim Nam-yong to tell us more.

The way you view an object determines the end product. If you look at an object with affection, you can convey that warmth through the pictures. I want to tell everyone to see an object with a tender heart.