Picking up from where we left off in Part I, we continue our Year in Review in the month of July. Things typically slow down in the summer due to many people going on holiday, as well as the hot and humid weather in South Korea. I did get to work with some great clients before heading off for my own summer holiday.
The month started with a shoot with Alka and family at Changdeokgung. The family wore modern versions of the Korean traditional Hanbok and Korean accessories, which was a very thoughtful touch to enhance our shoot in the palace.
Then it was back down south to work with Shanthini and her family in Busan. The kids’ grandparents came along for the shoot as well, which always adds some nice photo opportunities.
In between family sessions, we also did a couple of Foot Locker e-commerce shoots, as well as a shoot for Volvo CE in Changwon. During these shoots, we always try to get out and shoot a bit for ourselves as well.
The last session before heading back home to the Philippines was with Barbara and family at Yeouido Park. Even though we shot pretty early in the morning, I believe this was my hottest, most humid family session to date. Our shoot was in the middle of a very long stretch of extreme heat warnings in Korea. Fortunately, we got through it and captured some beautiful moments with the family.
Then it was off to the Philippines in late August. I did the usual spending time with my folks, meeting up with friends, and riding my bike. I was also able to go and spend some time in Manila after several years of not doing so.
The days flew by and it was time to go back to Korea. But not before one more quick shoot at the airport while waiting for my flight.
In early September, I got to work with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise during their trade mission in Seoul.
The next day, it was off to the Four Seasons Seoul to work with MergerMarket for their annual AVCJ Forum. It’s our second year working together and it was great to see the team again.
Speaking of familiar faces, up next was a multi-day shoot with Lions Clubs International. I worked with them a lot in Busan a few years back when their International President was based there. This time, their current president Fabrício Oliveira was in Seoul for a few days to visit with Korean Lions and attend various functions around the city. Big thanks to my friend Greg Samborski for coming on board for this one as well.
Then it was back to the British Embassy for the annual BCCK Garden Party. I’ve been covering this and all their big events for a few years now, and as much as it feels like work, it also feels like going home to see old friends. Always a great time!
During this busy stretch, I also made sure to do a bit of shooting for myself. I was staying in the Euljiro area for the week, and I took my camera out one night to walk around the block and explore the currently popular “Hipjiro”.
Up next, it was time to fly back down to Jeju Island to work with Rhea and her extended family. We chose the picturesque Hyeopjae Beach as our location, which proved to be a great choice.
During the Jeju trip, I met up once again with my buddy Dylan Goldby, who is in Jeju quite a bit for proposals and portrait sessions. We had an excellent barbecue dinner, then met up for a morning landscape shoot and coffee.
Then it was back up to Seoul for a shoot with Kevin Choo and family. This was another session that included some beautiful interactions with the grandparents.
The next shoot in Busan was a pretty memorable one. We were supposed to do an outdoor shoot with Tracy and her extended family, but a sudden change in weather jeopardized the shoot. Thanks to some quick thinking and flexibility from all parties, we were able to turn the situation around and have a cozy and unique shoot indoors at their AirBnB
In October, I had the chance to travel to Tokyo for the very first time. As a lifelong fan of anime and Japanese culture in general, this was a big event for me. I was wide-eyed and so excited to experience the city, and it did not disappoint. Of course my camera was always with me. I’ll definitely make a separate blog post dedicated to the Japan trip soon.
After a week in Tokyo, it was back to reality and back to work. I met up with Michael and Mona in Seoul to do their engagement portraits at the palaces.
Then it was off to Andaz in Gangnam to cover an event for Julius Baer. The dinner and award ceremony’s back-to-school theme was especially fun.
A few days later, I made my way to the Banyan Tree in Seoul to cover the KGCCI Innovation Awards. This is another event I’ve been a part of for a while now since Dylan Goldby brought me onto the team a few years back.
The next day, I got to work with the US Embassy in Seoul, covering the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball. It was my second year doing so and I look forward to next year as well.
Then it was back to the British Embassy to cover an event for Scottish Development International, in partnership with the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
The next event brought me to the Park Hyatt Busan, where I covered an event for game analytics company ByteBrew.
A couple of days later, I was off to Busan again to do a shoot with YC and family.
Keeping the ball rolling with Busan shoots, I went over to the Westin Chosun to shoot an event for the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), in connection with the UN plastics pollution treaty negotiations that were going on that week in the city.
The last week of November and beginning of December was also filled with events, starting with several shoots for Dulwich College Seoul, as well as some work for Trade and Investment Queensland during their mission in Korea.
During this time, I also had the pleasure of working with Carly Anne West, who needed some new author portraits. We were initially supposed to do some outdoor portraits, but the heaviest snowfall Seoul had seen in 100 years changed those plans. We decided to keep the shoot (mostly) indoors and got a wide variety of portraits around her lovely home. Below is a preview of one of the images. I’ll share the rest of the images as soon as I can in a separate blog post.
Then it was back to the Grand Hyatt Seoul to cover the British Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Lunch. It was a grand event as usual, and a great way to end my year of events with a bang.
Before I knew it, I was down to the last two jobs of the year. I headed back to the Park Hyatt Busan, where my friends from the BCCK were holding their annual offsite meeting. We had actually been discussing doing team headshots since earlier in the year, and we were finally able to make it happen during their time in Busan. Below is a quick preview of their team photo. You should be able to see the full set of images soon on their website.
Then it was off to Gyeongju, one of my favorite places in Korea, to do a couple session with Dhennice and Christian. It was their first time in Korea, and I was impressed they had included Gyeongju as part of their itinerary. We chose the picturesque Woljeong Bridge and Gyochon Village area for our location.
And that’s pretty much it for 2024 at Roy Cruz Photo. It was a really great year overall! I got to work with some wonderful clients, met some great people, and experienced some amazing places. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2025 has in store for us. Thanks again to all the clients and colleagues who I had the great pleasure of working with in 2024. And thank YOU, dear reader, for joining me on this look back at the past year! I wish you all the best in the year to come!
See more Year in Review posts here.
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