blog
A month or so ago, I wrote a long post talking about a Sony digital compact camera I had that died. I wrote about how much I loved that camera. Wrote about how it taught me more about photography than almost any camera I had every used. I talked about how it cured me of […]
This may seem a repost. Might seem a bit of dejavu. It feels that way for me too. You know when you pull off a band aid or jump into a cold pool? Better to do it in one shot. It hurts less. This brings me to the death of a friend: my Sony DSC-W100. […]
Strange. When I was in Canada the one thing I thought that I wanted to photograph in Korea was the cherry blossoms. No particular reason, aside from the fact that I had never photographed them before. I’ve been back for two seasons of them, and this is the closest I’ve been to them. Through the […]
I don’t know how to choose the photos I think are best anymore. I am not sure what I like or what is good. So I post all of them. For better or worse, until I figure it out. Seoul, South Korea. April 4th, 2015.
Just one of those nights. Nothing wrong, really, just invariably being abroad like I am there are moments like this one. Missing the family I’ve barely seen, missing the father I can no longer see. It is hard. I rely on external things to fill voids. I rely on other people. I shouldn’t do that, […]
I don’t feel inspired much lately. I don’t take my camera with me very often, don’t take photos often even if I do. I don’t get a chance to travel much. This weekend though, the arrival of a friend from Toronto gave me the excuse to head into Busan.
Its been a while since a post. In fact, my posts are coming less and less lately. It is hard to find the time to take photos, and even harder to find the time to post them. I realized that 90 percent of the photos I take are on the underground. I suppose it is […]
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Too busy to take photos, so, certainly too busy to post photos. Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I decided to clean, ha, thinking it would make me tired enough. I stumbled across a couple of rolls of film from four or five years ago that I had […]
We were on the metro and she blew me a kiss. Like a boyfriend does, I took a picture. “Why’d you take a picture?” “I dunno, it felt right..” “Okay…” It sometimes just feels right. To take a photo. Maybe a fear that I won’t always be able to remember walks in the rain. Maybe […]
I’ve been working a little bit on this series of “contact sheets.” So far, I talked about a couple of my favorite photos from the past year or so. This one, ha, is a bit funny. The story behind taking Eric’s current (at the time of this writing) profile photo. The story starts in the […]
People may or may not know, that I am a teacher. Deciding I didn’t want to pursue law in Canada, I originally came to Korea to teach and have loved every minute of it. I don’t talk about it much, but I do really have fun teaching.
A couple of days ago, I wrote about not identifying with being Canadian. I wrote about being a Newfoundlander first, a Canadian second. I wrote about loving Seoul and Korea. Yesterday, Canada experienced something that it hadn’t at least since I have been alive. I studied about a similar event in the 70s during school […]
Hard not to miss a place like this. I love where I am and what I’m doing. I love being in Korea. I love the bustle. I love the hustle. Everything about this place screams at me to stay. And I will.
I’ve been busy. Busy with what? I am not even sure I know. Cooking ramen? I’m a big fan. This one is of the black noodle variety.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Eric came to town to visit and teach a mini workshop with me here in Seoul. He stayed for a couple of days, and somewhere during the couple of days I really had to have a think about photography.
Been a while since I’ve posted anything, and will probably be a while before I do again. I often say I’m going to take a break and rarely do, ha. Definitely needed this time though. Working on too many things and not nearly enough time. No time to shoot, no time to post, no time […]
The second in a series of mini contact sheets. In this case, it was a portrait I took near the Hongdae District of Seoul at a pretty dingy little bar I happened into. This guy, was sitting on the side of the table opposite this poster. I’m not sure why, but I thought the lines […]
An article I did for my buddy Eric, on his website. The original article can be found here: The Benefits Shooting Both Film and Digital in Street Photography This guest blog post is by JT White, a street photographer based in Seoul, Korea. JT: I get asked a lot about film versus digital. I use both […]
More fish. After spending the previous weekend in Busan I found it hard to get away from the couple of photos I took there. I feel like I figured something out about myself there. I’ve always found it really hard to explain why I like the photos I take with small, compact cameras more. It […]
I was packing for a one night trip to Busan on Friday and I had a problem that I hadn’t had in a while. I couldn’t figure out what camera to take with me. To travel, or to take photos, ha. It is a difficult question as I feel like too many people can’t distinguish […]
A shitty, rainy day in Seoul. Still reminded of home with the rain sliding across the cafe window. I don’t often miss home, not really. That said, sometimes I feel like Newfoundland is a kind of oasis for Newfoundlanders. A trip back is needed every so often to cleanse the mind. The Soul.
A question of style. Sitting around with a group of non-photography friends the other day one of them all of a sudden asked me why I posted a “‘normal” colour photo of them on Facebook. I thought it was a weird fucking question, considering the photo was just taken while they were just standing in a […]
In 2007, I first left school to come to Korea. I had no idea what to expect before coming. I’m not sure I cared really. I just wanted out of the stress I was feeling at school. I spent my first month in Korea with other foreigners (외국인). I spent it with them because it […]
I’ve included this photo of myself so you can imagine who you wanna punch in the face after reading this. At least I’m doing the Asian PEACE! To try and reduce the risk of my snapping on the next person that asks my advice about buying a camera when they already own too many I’m […]
“I can’t watch the news anymore. Let’s sit somewhere without a TV.” “How about just switching places so your back is to it?” “I can still hear it.” Inevitably, there comes a point when news of a tragedy becomes too much. Too much for the soul. Too much for the heart. You can only hope […]
By now, I suppose most people have heard the news of the ship filled with high school students that sank yesterday while on route to Jeju Island. As I type this some 290 people, most of which are just high school students are still missing. Hearing about this yesterday and thinking about it last night […]
I recently had a chance to put back up my project, Labyrinth, from Toronto. Really the symbolic start of my photographic journey, ha. The photos number 3/4s of the digital photos I kept after I deleted everything. All shot on old mobiles, it was also all shot over the course of a couple of months […]
My buddy Eric once did a a project on Korea called “The Presentation of Self.” While I’m not sure he really dug that project as much as his other work, the idea was a good one. Korea might be one of the most superficial countries in the world with self presentation being of utmost importance. […]
DEFINITION Gear Acquisition Syndrome (abbreviated to GAS) is a term used to describe an urge to acquire and accumulate lots of gear. TREATMENT None GAS hasn’t received any major medical attention. GAS is not a clinical condition. It can be the result of a psychological lack of personality. source: Wikipedia. A lot of people have asked me a […]
Happy to announce I’ll be teaching another workshop in Seoul with good friend Eric Kim in July! It will be our third workshop together and we’ve been friends for years. The WORKSHOPS section of my website has been updated to include all the information you need about myself and Eric as well as a way to […]
Finally after a couple of days in front of my computer I’ve managed to get my two most recent projects here. Being shit at this kind of thing it took a lot longer than I expected, and it’s still a work in progress but it is a start. For those looking for some clarification not […]
After much thought, I’ve started to move everything into WordPress. The Projects page at the top will be updated in the upcoming weeks with projects that would previously have been found on my portfolio. The first project to appear is The Culture. It follows a family of Korean tattoo artists in Toronto over the course of several […]
I don’t usually have much of a reason to come into Namdaemun Market anymore. It is probably one of the more interesting parts of 서울, but like everything else and everywhere else it becomes repetitive. I remember the first time I was here it felt like really being in Asia. It doesn’t feel the same […]
Taking a break for a while is definitely good. It was needed. Lots of pizza, TV, and an attempt to cut my own hair after it got butchered by a local shop. A good weekend all around. Funny that, when I was living in Toronto I would have hated to have stayed for more than […]
After a month where I deleted all my photos, started to remake my blog, got rid of my portfolio site, destroyed my negatives, lost a camera, and drank entirely too much it’s time for a break. I took a couple of photos this month, too. Probably gonna spend the next month working on the behind […]
Last week, I deleted just about every photo I ever took. Everything from my hard drive. My Lightroom backups and libraries. I hated it all and it all had to get rid of it. What a fucking relief. Felt like graduating high school. I went out that night and decided shit is going to be […]
With not a lot going on the past week or so I stumbled across some old photos from a trip to Jeju-do in 2011. I had gone with one of my best friends, Chad. We’d done the trip on motorcycles. I can honestly say it was one of the best weeks of my life. Just […]
Photo of me with the camera I had been using for my Records in both Newfoundland and Korea. It’s an old camera, that my aunt had asked me to try and fix for her when I was back in Newfoundland. She had left it all winter in her car and it seemed to be working […]
After taking a long time to think about a small, but emotional project I did this summer it is finally live on my portfolio website. No words, just 13 photos from one of the most important trips I’ve taken in my life. The essay is here: http://www.jtwhitephotography.com/projects-newfoundland
Yesterday, I was going through negatives I hadn’t yet scanned. The first shot on one roll was this one. I hadn’t noticed it before, because it was the only photo I took on my trip home with this camera. A Leica M5, someone had given me months before I’m not sure why this was the […]
The season of change. “Trees withstand the hardest things nature throw at them and never waver. Trees loose their leaves in winter, but they never loose their gumption. When winter comes, they stand strong as they know winter is just a part of a cycle that will once again bring spring.” (From my project, The […]
After watching a couple of disturbing videos today, I’m fucking astonished at what’s happened to the kids of this generation. Astonished. Seeing kids act out video games on the streets. Knocking out unsuspecting teachers and laughing about it. Really fucking funny. Whose to blame? Probably all of us. This generation is defined by fine lines […]
A project I’ve always wanted to do in Korea. “The Kids” will examine the lives of students in Korea and the pressures they face. The pressures of being perfect. Strong enough and smart enough. Innocent enough and cool enough. The project will be shot over the course of this next year. I will update the […]
No matter how much one plays, drinks, fucks, talks, smokes, whatever.. They end up like this. One can only count on one’s self. There’s no forever. Only, for now. The only bond one has is with one’s self. The man that is happiest is first happy with himself. The man most at peace is the […]
Better times. Always searching for something better. Miss the times you had. Look forward to the times you’re going to have. Hard to live in the present. Nights at the cages after work. Drinking. Simple things. Hard to live in the present. Never feels as sentimental as the past or as hopeful as the future. […]
“Smile” Seoul, South Korea. November 2013.
After finally completing my project, The Culture (http://www.jtwhitephotography.com/projects-the-culture), I’ve started working on editing the next of the photo essays that will appear on my portfolio. This one, is simply titled Newfoundland. It follows my trip back to my home province this summer and the month I spent there. I hope to finish it by the […]
People have been emailing me asking me questions about the different equipment I used to shoot the project, The Culture that recently appeared on my portfolio. I’ve decided that instead of writing the same thing over and over again in emails I would just make a short blog post outlining the equipment I used for […]
Finally, after a lot of hard work my project “The Culture” is live on my portfolio. It was a long process, and it’s bittersweet to be finished. http://www.jtwhitephotography.com/projects-the-culture Brad and his family are some of the best people I’ve ever met and I can’t thank them enough for taking me in as if I was one […]
I’m really excited that my project, The Culture, is just about ready to go live on my portfolio. The project follows the life of a Korean tattoo artist over the course of half a year in Toronto. Brad, the “master” of Soul Train Tattoo is one of the most genuine individuals I’ve ever met. He […]
I love being back in Korea. Love it. Love Seoul, all of it. I haven’t felt at peace like this in maybe, ever? That being said, I miss the people in Toronto. I miss the time I spent there. Relationships, I’ll cherish forever. It’s during the hardest times you see the reality of your friends […]
The perfection of imperfection. A series of imperfections, any life or person. Perfect, isn’t reality. Memories are always of the imperfect. The quirkiness of a person is often the crux of their charm. The imperfections of anything is often it’s strongest catalyst for interest. A person’s inner struggle is often related to their perceived imperfection. […]
My project, based on my trip back to Newfoundland this summer is almost ready for print. Hard to go through these photos, in fact. A beautiful place, my homeland. The land may very well be cold, the sea breeze bristling the senses of even the toughest man. The people, however hearty they may be are […]
For no one. I do this for no one. The battle is all internal. As is the gratification. I used to care about opinion. I used to give a fuck. Used to wait on flickr favorites and facebook likes. Superficial bullshit. I don’t do this for anyone else. I’m looking for something deeper than the […]
Good friends aren’t easy to come by. They aren’t readily available and certainly don’t grow on the proverbial tree. They do tend to stick around, though. And the really good ones always got your back. Seoul, South Korea.
In Yourself. The human condition of wanted and needed success often dictates the pressures that inherently follow such wants and needs. We want to be successful. We want to be rich. A great job, a nice car, a house. We covet these ideals as they seem the only road to happiness. “In order to be […]
Port au Port, Newfoundland, Canada. Admittedly, I don’t know much about this topic. I don’t know enough much of what goes on in my home province anymore. I see the posts. When I say ‘see’ I mean I scroll through them. Sad, really. After reading a recent article on the matter, I’ve realized it’s something […]
In the process of starting a project in Seoul following a group of musicians as they tour the underground clubs of Asia. Just a couple of days into shooting, I can already feel the vibe coming together. It’s seeping into what I’m doing. It’s a fucking great feeling. The inspiration for the project was jump-started […]
Was great today to meet one of my oldest and dearest friends after a couple of years. Got to spend a half and hour listening to his band jam in a cool little studio in Hongdae. Thanks buddy! It will also be the start of a new project. I’ll spend some time following this group […]
“I’m like a stray cat or dog, or an insect…” “…Main streets are nice, but I dare not linger.” – From Diary of a Stray Dog. I’ve missed this. Missed the walk. Different scenery. Different people. Different smells. Different light. Different me. Only a compact camera and some film, I’m not much for process anymore. […]
“I made a decision that to me, photography had to be something that I could feel. I could feel in my stomach. I could not take pictures that were not connected to my own inner life.” – Jacob Aue Sobol Coming up to my last couple of days on the island. Couldn’t imagine a better […]
I won’t be posting much for the immediate future. Probably not at all. Coming back to Newfoundland has hit me hard in a lot of ways. The memories. The place. The people. I will shoot and live. A project of sorts.
Last week I posted seven images from a roll of negatives taken during my second to last day in Korea. These, are from my last day. It was a little disconcerting to see the 20 or so surviving negatives. As they were scanned in, I was surprised by how I felt. I’d looked at every […]
On my second to last day in Korea, I was teaching a workshop with my good buddy Eric. Usually during these things I try not to take a lot of a photos. It was a little different this time though. Being my second to last day in a country I spent four years in. We […]
Nothing but a series of choices. For better or worse. Good or bad. Nothing but choices. The last four months I’ve sat on the periphery of a family. Watching from the outside has given me a different perspective. A decision made today is tantamount to both an opening and closure. Not mutually exclusive every decision […]
5:50. I fucking hate bad timing. An offshoot of bad luck, only bad timing feels worse. At least luck feels uncontrollable. “Everything happens for a reason.” Sick of that, too. What reason? Lately, it’s a disjointed notion. Feels like running this fucked up emotional gambit full of equally fucked up ebbs and flows. 1:50. Holding […]
From my one night visa run to Japan. Only time for the airport and a shopping mall. Incheon, South Korea and Narita, Japan. December 6th and 7th, 2011. All images from the Leica M9P, 35mm Summilux.
de·tached adj \di-ˈtacht, dē-\ Definition of DETACHED 1 : standing by itself : separate, unconnected; especially : not sharing any wall with another building <a detached house> 2 : exhibiting an aloof objectivity usually free from prejudice or self-interest <a detached observer>
The last of the Japan photographs.
When you woke up this morning, you probably thought about how much better your life would be if you had a Leica M9. You probably thought about how having the Fujifilm X100 would make you a better street photographer. You should have then asked yourself a couple of questions. 1. Do you display your images […]