24 hours on an island
The first boat is comfortable and fast. The second boat is slow, loud, and doesn’t even have chairs. At the end of that second boat ride is Gureopdo - 굴업도. One of the furthest inhabited islands off the coast of Incheon - 인천.
This image is actually from the boat back but you can see the island and the “trident” rock (at least that’s what I called it!). This rock was visible, in the distance, from the place where we stayed so I remember it very vividly.
The weather is perfect, cloudless, deep gradient of clear blue skies fill the top of our vision, the temperature is around 28°C - 82°F, and a seagull flies along us as a welcome gesture. This trip is starting in the brightest way possible. It is noon, our boat is about to reach the modest pier, only connection to the world. Tomorrow, at that same time, we will have to be at that very same pier to leave the island.
This post is about what my wife and I saw during those 24 hours.
We’re almost there… rotate your phone to see the panoramic photos bigger.
Most of the islands in the area look very much like a cut-off part of the mainland; mud flats, beaches, and variations of pine forests growing on mountains. This one is different. The forest parts are mostly not pines, they are some species of multiple thin trunk trees. There are a handful of beaches, whose sand gets blown up the hills by the wind, creating desert-like areas.
This is part of the view you are blessed with getting off the boat. Seagulls welcome newcomers to the main beach, in front of the second-highest peak. That beach is surrounded on both sides by water, wonderful!
The rest of the higher land is covered in hip-high grass, a heaven for crickets and grasshoppers that generously created the soundtrack for this trip.
You are allowed to camp almost anywhere here, and who wouldn’t want to camp with a view like this one, under the mysterious stars and with a soothing background symphony of cricket songs…
All in all, helped by the lack of human activity, it feels as if we weren’t in Korea but a unique place somewhere on Earth.
A beautifully simple new world…
We were here on a mission, recording our podcast on the beach and taking our monthly photo. It meant that we brought our wedding clothes and recording gear with us and that we spent half of the first day working on that, so we actually had little time left for exploration.
Nonetheless, we did explore. I will rearrange the order of events to structure this post as if it was a full day. And a full day starts at sunrise.
These are from a creeping plant that grew on the sand, higher up the beach. The whole plant has grown to an impressive size, to the point where we had to watch our steps to access the beach, lest we’d crush a flower.
The sunrise was a peaceful time. I was alone on the beach, not a bird sound either. The tiny village’s electric generator noise didn’t quite reach me, so my soundscape was mainly made of waves, crickets and a slow humid breeze. Calm.
The sun, somewhere under the horizon cast a pink light on the whole sky. I looked for foreground interest and found flowers we had been careful to avoid stepping on so far. I loved how the pink tones of the sunrise complemented the purple flowers perfectly so I set my mind on capturing that fleeting moment there.
They are minuscule so I had to flatten my tripod entirely to the ground for this image. A very good morning exercise for my knees! This composition isn’t particularly well balanced but I love the tones and the soft light so I’m sharing it anyway.
As I lost my gaze along the beach I noticed crab holes punctuating the sand. As I approached one I realized how elaborate they were. It’s almost as if some of the crustaceans were trying to create a piece of sandy art. I became fascinated. These little hardworking temporary sand creators deserved a place in this post so I’ll show you some of their work that I collected that morning.
The light isn’t directly hitting this one so it is very soft. However, the shape reminds me of that of an exploding star. It even has some swirling movement that compensates for the dull light.
The artist in this hole decided that there was a no-create area on the beach. A perfect opportunity, for me, to work on negative space.
This artist didn’t create a particularly captivating work but I was inspired by how its surroundings created a story. In particular the fish bone, I wonder how it got there…
Unfortunately, I will never know because the tide was coming in quickly and the wave after this one submerged everything. Yet another piece of art that finds its beauty in its temporary nature…
As the sun rose higher in the sky photographic opportunities decreased significantly, so we just spent time exploring the wonderful grasslands and forests, finding red-clawed crabs hiding in tree holes and under streambed rocks, making crickets fly away from us at our every step, being on the lookout for the deer that live here (we heard some but never saw any), etc. It is an enchanting world.
Finally, the sun started the last leg of its downward race to the horizon. The landscape became more 3 dimensional, more colorful and contrasted. In a word, more alive.
On our way to our sunset spot, we met these dead trees on a grassy ridge. They were perfectly side-lit by the decreasing sun, in front of a spotless blue sky. I felt it was a fitting subject to try my hand at black and white photography. What do you think?
Our goal for the sunset was a massive rock that stands tall on a small beach called the Elephant Rock - 코끼리바위. To reach there, we followed the path that transitioned from generously green grass to a pastel yellow sand dune. The sand had been blown up the hill by the strong wind coming from the beach below. Nonetheless, this very place feels closer to a sandy desert than anywhere else in Korea. It reminded me of the searing hot plains of Morocco, an endless expanse of rough sand and dry-to-the-core trees…
If there are other places like this one in Korea they will be tough to find! The overall contrast was spectacular. The island of light on the dune top is so textured it caught my eye the very instant I saw it.
A different crop where I meant to emphasize the dry trees facing the empty space on the left. I prefer this composition, how about you?
Our luck with the weather and the landscape, so far, had been outstanding. With the tide, however, we weren’t so lucky. The small beach the Elephant Rock is on was entirely submerged. The elephant had its feet in seawater, and we had nowhere dry to stand and admire it, forget shooting it! So our plan for the evening being drowned, we opted for eating our dinner while watching the sunset over the calm sea instead. But I couldn’t just sit and watch… so…
I was drawn to that dune on the hill so I shot that. Then I found these 3 dead branches arranged as you see and decided they would be a good foreground subject. This image is mostly about the environment, how that V-ish shape break in the cliff allowed us to see the sunset, and how washed-off human (or deer) steps remained on the sand.
This image is about the sun as it just completes its day and the tiny branches on the sand. I really wish the sand was smooth but I guess I’ll have to come back after a rainfall for that.
The sun had now set. The view of the island that I am presented with is that of a Neverland, but in real life. I could not stop turning my head left and right to try and see it all. We were both so blessed to be here that evening.
Part of the view from my dune, it doesn’t need much explanation, it’s a really special place!
So we finally decided to head back to our (truly crappy) room and when, 30 minutes later, we arrived there, it was entirely dark. There, we saw one thing that, if you live in Seoul, you will never see: the Milky Way. Cameras see it better than our eyes so the following image gives a much-improved version of what we saw, there on the beach, but it was still a fabulous moment, under an infinite star ceiling…
Last shot for this month, I am no astrophotographer but I am satisfied with this photo because it allows me to dream of what is beyond my home, beyond 2 ferry boats, dream of all the beauty I am still to see, and hopefully capture and share… Though our short trip ends here, staring at the deep space above me I felt calm and fulfilled. This is what this image represents to me, I hope I managed to convey, not only the awe at such a stunning light show but the peace I felt about the present and the future.
Map of Gureopdo - 굴업도
Thank you so much for reading about this short trip to the end of Incheon. I did not expect such a place existed in Korea, so I might have created this blog more out of excitment from discovering it rather than an end-to-end artistic creation. But I hope to have conveyed the uniqueness and diversity of this island, along with my wonderment at being there.
For updates a week before everyone when I post a new blog, subscribe below.
I have finally found a way to sell prints, so if you are so inclined to support my work that way, please get in touch or check my etsy page. Thank you very much.
If you want to see more images of natural beauties in Korea, or talk to me directly, follow me on instagram @romainphoto_outside.
If you have any questions about landscape photography or Korea’s nature let me know in the comments section below. Also, please share my blog so that, one day maybe, I can meet you on a hike!
A bientôt!