I recently bought a Canon EOS Kiss X3 and was very excited to test my photography skills. I always thought that I had the creativity to make great shots but I have a lot to learn when it comes to adjusting camera settings. That same night I searched for the best locations in Seoul where I can test my new gadget. “Night sky, flowing water and dancing lights,” this is the perfect recipe for night shots!
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| The floating structures also in Han River beside the Banpo Bridge. |
The trip was scheduled this summer of 2011. At around 6:30 pm, we rode the subway. Banpo bridge is around1 km away from exit 8-1 of the Express Bus Terminal station. Go ask around from the locals for directions. After a 20-minute northbound walk from the station, we arrived at Banpo Bridge.
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| The majestic Banpo Bridge and the mighty Han River. |
A huge park awaits you right at the south side end of the bridge and it has enough space for everyone to pick a good spot and setup his tripod. You even have a choice whether to watch the light show from a distance or you can go right underneath the arc of the rainbow fountain itself. The show would last for about 20 minutes that you actually have time to take pictures from both angles.
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| Behold, the first ever man made rainbow. |
The show starts at around 8:00 pm. Lights would dance and change its colours to the beat of classical music. It was amazing! The magnificent lights of Banpo Bridge dancing on top of the mighty Han River and the Seoul Tower peeking in the horizon: the only thing I needed was photography skills so I can freeze this moment in time.
After 20 minutes, the music faded and lights went off, and yet the smiles on peoples’ faces still remained. We took some more pictures from every possible angle before we decided to pack up. It can’t get any better than this. Then at 9 pm as were about to go home, in comes the music and another show is about to start.
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| My Heart and Seoul. |
This place is a dream location for wannabe-photographers like me. And for photo-enthusiasts as well. Score 1 successful trip for the waydz. =)
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| Looking for the pot of gold under the rainbow bridge. |
Travel Tips:
- Different websites would show you different schedules of the light show. I even called the Tourism hotline just to make sure but even the schedule they gave me was wrong. So don’t be surprised if the light show didn’t follow your schedule.
- There are lots of Food shops on the way to Banpo Bridge especially at express bus terminal. So don’t force yourself to eat gravy-less fried chicken.
- The best time of the year to go is around Autumn. 8 pm in Seoul during summer is still bright, so the lights are not as visible.
- This is a place for site seeing. Enjoy the view while in a relaxing and tranquil environment. You may also visit the floating buildings in the park while waiting for the light show.
- All you need to bring is some food money, a camera, and a tripod.
Scores:
- View: 6/10
- Activities: 2/10
- Value for money: 9/10
- Repeatability: 7/10
