I’ll admit, this one really took me by surprise. I recently visited Geumjeong-Gu in Busan. However, it was initially not for anything photography-related. The trip was actually for my mom. She, like many humans in the world, has become a big fan of the Korean boy group BTS. Geumjeong-gu is the childhood hometown of one of their members (and her ‘bias’) Jimin, and the location quickly made its way onto our to-do list during mom’s visit to Korea.
I figured we might see something along the way, so I brought my GFX 50R medium format camera and 50mm f/3.5 lens. A very simple and nimble setup for street photography. One of the areas we explored was the Seo-dong Maze Market (서동 미로 시장). It’s a traditional Korean market that has been around for about 40 years. The best thing is, it has not yet been modernized like many markets around the country. The market, especially its surrounding alleyways, are so full of character. The colors, lines, textures, and even the people make you feel like you’ve gone back in time. I honestly think I could have spent the whole day exploring the market’s alleyways.
But alas, it wasn’t only me on this trip. After an hour or so of street photography, I had to go back into tourist mode with my mom and sister. As we tucked into some egg dumplings and tteok-bokki at Matna Bunsik (맛나분식, Jimin’s childhood snack stop in the Maze Market), I felt thankful for the few moments I got with my camera.
Below are some of my favorite images from that day.
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