For the photographers out there, this is a Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro, which can focus down to 0.314 meters, or about 1 foot. For everyone else, macro lenses are great for focusing in really close – a lot closer than your average lens  I borrowed my girlfriend’s lens while my favorite lens is in the shop. I found myself meandering through the Hongdae area in Seoul – an area known for being especially artsy and craftsy.

One of the stones embedded in the plaster (?) near Sangsu station.

Part of the plastic overlay on a bunch of poles – it’s spiky to keep people from putting up posters.

One fun thing about macro lenses and being able to focus closely is the ability to turn an ordinary object into something abstract. This is one of the nets you’d hang over your boxes when you’re moving.

Luigi in a frog suit, anyone?

옥상달빛 – translates to ‘rooftop moonlight’. Maybe the chicken and gin are what’s served nearby…? I didn’t explore too much.

The depth of field is interesting – and just like you’d expect, the closer you get to the subject the less that’ll be in focus.

Fall is almost over, but there’s still plenty of leaves around…

A rather extreme example of the depth of field – basically I got as close as I could to it while it could still focus. For reference, this is the full-size thing:

Yeah, pretty tiny…

If you get the chance to play with one of these, do. It’s a lot of fun, and while the new version is expensive, an older model that auto-focuses is fairly easy to find in Namdaemun.

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