I wanted to do some camping during Chuseok, so my next destination was Goraebul Beach ( 고래불해변 ). In Korea, to my knowledge, there are no private beaches. This means every beach is fair game to camp out at.
A few weeks prior to this trip, my Lomo LC-A finally went to that great analog resting place in the sky. I put countless rolls through it and definitely got my kicks snapping away with it. I still have it lying around the house. I might have it sent off for repairs one last time, but I’m not sure. Anyhow, to satiate my need for 35mm Lomo goodness, I saved up and bought a used Lomo LC Wide. It’s very similar to the original LC-A, only it has a wider angled lens (17mm, I believe). You still get the vignetting and soft focus aesthetic of the original. There’s a bit more distortion around the edges of the images it produces, but I kinda like the look. It’s also a zone focusing camera, so quick snaps from the hip are a cinch.
The shots up above are from maybe the 3rd roll I put through her. A few of them represent my first attempt at taking night photos with this camera. Shortly after getting the roman candle shot ( which I’m really pleased with the overall look – I wasn’t sure how it would turn out until I got the film developed ), my cable release broke. It would no longer lock in place and keep the shutter open. Not to be discouraged, I tried my best to sit down as comfortably as possible next to the tripod, and press and hold the shutter down by hand for the duration of the photo – many of which were 10-15 minutes at F4.5 on ISO 100 film. Now, this is no easy task. The tripod is in the sand, so it’s not stable ground. It was a little chilly, so my hands were shivering a bit, and it’s just downright hard to keep steady for that long. Inevitably, some of my photos came out blurry. There’s one up above where it looks like there are two mountains. I think the camera shifted at some point. It looks a bit dreamy, so I have no complaints.
Beside the roman candle shot, my definite favorite from this section would have to be the long exposure of my footprints in the foreground and the restless ocean beyond. That was one where I had to manually press the shutter down for a long period of time. I had no confidence that it would turn out well without a cable release, but I’m pleased that I was rewarded for my efforts. You can even see a few star trails if you look carefully at the upper part of the frame.
I felt very much at peace camping alone out on the beach. I watched the harvest moon rise and soar over the mountain. It had been too long since I had spent so many consecutive hours outside, listening to the crash and hiss of the ocean, and the earthy side of me was sated.
The next morning, I awoke and got on the road.
Lomo LC Wide / AGFA CT Precisa slide film / E6 processed
<Side Note> The Sea of Japan is also called the East Sea, mainly by Koreans. Read more here: Sea of Japan Naming Dispute.
pj brez photography 