*click* The shutter closes and the mirror slaps down. In the next blink of an eye, the information collected by the 21 million pixels on my camera's sensor are transferred to the memory card. Photons are instantaneously converted into memories. *click* The mirror flips back up and the shutter opens, welcoming a whole new flood of photons from millions of light years away.
*click* The metallic sound of the camera is at complete odds with its quiet, serene surroundings. Minutes go by without a single other sound on top of this mountain, where my camera is trained on an absolutely stunning Buddhist temple, with a generous sprinkling of stars for the background. Aside from a handful of frogs swimming in the pond surrounding the temple and a few birds in the distance, I may as well be the only living thing left on the planet. *click*
*click* Suddenly, a sound unlike any other I've heard breaks the silence. It makes me grip the flashlight in my left pocket and my silly little BB gun in my right pocket. It surely won't kill anything, but hopefully it'll deter most things that live in Korea, a country blissfully devoid of the type of creatures I'm used to inhabiting the Westcoast Rainforest back home: cougars, bears and other unsavoury characters. This voice, however, sounds like a Velociraptor. Not just any Velociraptor...but one that's pissed off because its dinner is cold and after a hard day's work of terrifying smaller dinosaurs, it had come back to its lair and found his mate with another Velociraptor. I assert my presence by clearing my throat and stomping my feet. Yeah, that ought to scare the mouthy bastard. *click*
~~ Other parts of the complex, taken a few days before:~~
~~ Other parts of the complex, taken a few days before:~~
*click* I check my phone to see the time. It's 10:15 p.m. The camera is showing space for another 200 shots on the card (wildly underestimating the 273 I'd walk away with), at around 31 seconds per shot, this puts my initial estimate and getting out of there at just after midnight (though the last frame will actually be shot at around 12:45 a.m.). As an added bonus, the phone is showing no signal. Perfect. *click*
*click* I take stock of my equipment. Camera, tripod, BB gun, backpack, flashlight, phone, extra batteries for everything that runs on electricity, two bottles of Mountain Dew, a can of Rockstar Energy drink, a couple of granola bars and an extra hoodie, in case the one I'm wearing isn't enough (spoiler alert: it won't be). Damn...forgot my toque. *click*
*click* My reluctance to leave my camera (sitting at the edge of a pond for good measure) is overpowered by two things: One, I have to pee, and two, I need to do something other than stand around for the next 2+ hours. Going no further than within earshot of my camera, I explore my surroundings. *click*
(Here's what my camera was seeing every 30 seconds):
(Here's what my camera was seeing every 30 seconds):
*click* My roaming grounds include a sort of courtyard built between the buildings of the temple and the little bridge connecting the temple and dry land. With exposures taking 30 seconds, I know I can freely walk around even into my own pictures. As long as I don't stop anywhere and keep to the shadows, I won't show up in the picture. *click*
*click* I praise my brain for not believing in ghosts, zombies and King Kong. Immediately thereafter, I curse my brain for bringing up the subject. *click*
*click* At the halfway point I do two things: Put on the extra hoodie - apparently mountaintops start getting cold when you start nearing midnight - and I relax and do a little celebratory dance, congratulating myself for sticking with the program so far. *click*
*click* At the halfway point I do two things: Put on the extra hoodie - apparently mountaintops start getting cold when you start nearing midnight - and I relax and do a little celebratory dance, congratulating myself for sticking with the program so far. *click*
*click* As if sensing my newfound inner peace and wanting to ruin the moment, the Velociraptor roars again. I can hear it moving through the hills. Based on its quick, fluid and silent movements, I'm guessing it's some sort of a gigantic bird, like a crane. Judging by its voice, this particular bird does steroids. And has a sore throat. *click*
*click* I explore my surroundings a little more and find a cute little babbling creek, and scores of frogs happily swimming around the pond. A bird with massive wings - perhaps my Velociraptor - whooshes overhead and sets up camp in a nearby tree. *click*
*click* The counter on my camera is starting to near zero. Despite my thorough enjoyment of the process, it's a welcome sight, seeing the number of remaining images go from triple digits to double and finally into the singles. *click*
At last, I get the message that's rarely welcome by photographers: "Card Full." I pack up my belongings, take one last look at this infinitely peaceful sight and begin my trek down the mountain.
Please CLICK HERE to purchase the above picture as a print or phone case.
Thanks for reading,
T
*click* The counter on my camera is starting to near zero. Despite my thorough enjoyment of the process, it's a welcome sight, seeing the number of remaining images go from triple digits to double and finally into the singles. *click*
At last, I get the message that's rarely welcome by photographers: "Card Full." I pack up my belongings, take one last look at this infinitely peaceful sight and begin my trek down the mountain.
Please CLICK HERE to purchase the above picture as a print or phone case.
Thanks for reading,
T
