Seoul captured in stunning time-lapse video

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

As any visitor can attest, Seoul is a place of constant movement. Cars and people pulse through the streets at a pace so rapid, it is simply known as "ppali-ppali" (quickly-quickly).

Take a step back, however, and all that motion can be stunning.



A new time-lapse project, completed over three years by Noe Alonzo, an American, provides a breathtaking view of the city and all the action that takes place within it.

Time-lapse photography requires capturing film frames at a lower rate than the one that will eventually be used to play the sequence back. Events that could take days or years can be sped up, and appear to occur over a few seconds.

Noe's "Seoulites" is a three-and-a-half minute tour of the city. Because it is shot in time-lapse, viewers see all the action that occurs over the course of a day at spots such as Gwanghwamun Square and the Han River.

For Alonzo, 28, the process was a labor of love ― and not an easy one. Whenever the weather was nice, he would seize the opportunity, hitting the streets with his camera.

"Whenever there was a good day, I would be out shooting," said Alonzo, an English teacher and freelance photographer. "I had to sacrifice my social life over the project."

Each second of the film is comprised of 100 photos.

"I actually took 200 photos for each second," he said. "Then I selected half to work on." The video is available at Alonzo's YouTube channel, "ROK ON! Life and Foodspotting in South Korea."

The project is part of Alonzo's mission to help the world better understand Korea.

The Mexican-American has created dozens of Korea-related videos for ROK ON, many of which are in Spanish.

A longtime resident of McAllen, Texas, just 10 minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border, Alonzo moved to Korea in 2011. His photography began as a way to inform his loved ones about his new surroundings.

He believes foreign residents are an untapped source of promotion for the country.

"When Koreans want to promote Korea, they think in very Korean ways," said Alonzo, who lives in Seoul.

"It doesn't grab attention. You have to think about what the foreigners like.

"YouTube is one of the most used websites outside of Korea. I thought I would pour it all out there and then many people would watch it."

Alonzo said he would continue to make Korea-related content, including a time-lapse video that covers the entire country.

That project, however, may take a while.

"It's going to take a lot more time because I will have to travel on weekends," he said.



source: ROK On! Korea Times

Noe is actually a buddy of mine I met in Seoul and I wanted to get his stunning video out there. 3 years! Dude worked hard and it paid off. It's been getting press on-line and on the news in Korea.

Comments

[charlieu.livejournal.com]

Nice video!

[jaerotic.livejournal.com]

stunning! there is so much of this city i have yet to explore

[mamamoos.livejournal.com]

wow ;__; i really have to make sure i visit seoul before i die

[chibiyunie.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous video.

I really really want to visit Seoul at least once but it is so expensive. If I go, I want to go for at least 2 weeks - so I can have some decent time to explore and go around - but it is so expensive with the flight + hotel + doing stuff there. Plus, when I go there I need enough money to go shopping for all these make-up brands, skincare and clothing brands I adore but can't buy here. T_T

[missaoki.livejournal.com]

I think South Korea is much muuuuucccchhh cheaper than Japan. I usually don't spend a lot on accommodation, and I buy plane ticket 6 months to a year in advanced so it's really not expensive. In my opinion, since I love Japan so much, South Korea is an affordable alternative.

[juhli.livejournal.com]

guesthouses are pretty cheap when you sleep in dorms...like 10-15 $ a night.

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

Don't do a hotel if it's too pricey. Hostels can be just fine. I always stayed in them when I went up for weekend trips (was living elsewhere in the country). There's some nice ones in Hongdae.

[missaoki.livejournal.com]

Awesome video! (I do think it was a little too long though)

[twicefolds.livejournal.com]

I'm literally hopping on a plane to Seoul tomorrow with my own camera so seeing this is amazing ( : just thinking about the amount of work he needed to do is mind-boggling though...

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

He was always going to rooftops to take pictures over the past few years. Sometimes he'd be sneaking up there, get caught, and have to go back down without getting the shot he wanted. I'm impressed with his dedication.

[yukahoo.livejournal.com]

Beautiful.

[weerainbow.livejournal.com]

This is very very cool. Really nicely done and a great way to get an introduction to some of Seoul!!

[misshoa.livejournal.com]

Amazing video!
I'm counting the days down to the end of this semester/the day I can go back to Seoul.