This photo is of Bongeun-sa, a working Buddhist Temple in the heart of Seoul, Republic of Korea. Established in 794 by Ven. Yeon-hoe (the National Master Monk of Unified Silla at that time), the temple was originally called Gyeonseong-sa (meaning "seeing true nature"). The temple was rebuilt in 1498 and renamed Bongeun-sa (meaning "offering benefit"). In 1562 it was moved about 1 km to its current location and rebuilt. Destroyed by fire in 1592 and 1637, it has been repeatedly rebuilt and renovated. The major restorations came in 1637, 1692, 1912, 1941, and 1981. A 3-story stone stupa enshrines the Sari of Sakyamuni Buddha, brought from Sri Lanka in 1975.
The big building in the left center is the COEX mall an integrated shopping, culture, education, and leisure complex in the heart of Seoul. Connecting the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) and World Trade Tower with the Samseong subway station (line 2), the area contains over 85,000 square meters of underground dining, shopping, and family entertainment facilities, The COEX Mall offers everything from international foods to the latest books and CDs in a traffic-free and all-weather environment. The Mall also spills outside into one open-air section.
I got this idea of showing the contrast between the rich cultural heritage of the Korean people with the modern lifestyle they have grown acustomed to.
This photo was taken at about 8 pm. the skies were hazy all day so I knew I needed a later photo to get a better sky.
For post procesing, I ran the photo through Photomatix and Tonemapped it. Then I opened in CS3 and bumped the levelas for more contrast. I used the healing brush to get rid of some sensor dust that I need to clean. I then used the shadow highlight control to bring the highlights downa little bit in the lights, and then I used neat image ot remove the noise and try to blend the ever so slight haol that I don't like. I then resized, sharpened and saved for web.
I took several photosfrom diverent angles to to come up with the best idea. Below is another one that I chose not to use:
I also took a photo of the three story standind Buddha:
Overall I am happy with the Dichotomy photo. This was a tough challenge to get an idea for and I am happy that I was able to get soemthing together. I did a serach for Architectural Dichotomy on Google and was surprised by the results. From architects talking about blending form and function to people discussing a city that balances the old with the new. I think this image represents both of these ideals very well.
(Information courtesy of www.lifeinkorea.com)
Thanks again for all of the kind comments and votes. 3 straight 6.5+ votes in a row makes me do the happy jig!
Team Strangers, this one counts! STRANGERS #1!!!
Statistics
Place: 9 out of 159 Avg (all users): 6.5738 Avg (commenters): 6.9091 Avg (participants): 6.3913 Avg (non-participants): 6.6842 Views since voting: 4080 Views during voting: 235 Votes: 122 Comments: 19 Favorites: 3 (view)
WOOHOO top 10 photo. This is such a great photo, the time of day this was shot with the great balance of light. Exactly the right time to shoot a night shot. The colors are brilliant. What more can I say!!
This is a very cool shot. Have you ever used photomatix ? The right time of day I think this would be a great candidate for HDR. But, as it is an awesome shot.
Contrasts seem a bit strong - the shadows result in a smudgy/muddy effect - not sure that I am explaining myself properly. An interesting example of Dichotomy however.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
