Nearing the end of the trip I noticed that I didn't have enough pictures of myself. I wanted a nice collage that would show me all the different things I did on this trip. I wanted it done well, so instead of just taking some selfies, I hired a professional.

Finding a Photographer

A fellow digital nomad recommended Jazmin, and after a few messages back and forth on Instagram, we set a date. I had a rough plan going in: I wanted to capture three sides of my time in Seoul — the culture I'd immersed myself in, the remote work life I'd been building, and the more adventurous side of just exploring the city. Then, in every picture, I wanted a small reference to TWICE. See if you can spot them!

I wrote about the day itself as it happened on 2025-11-15, but I wanted to give the final results their own space here — mostly so I have somewhere to actually dump all the edited photos.

Korean Culture — Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung

We rented a traditional Hanbok and went to Gyeongbokgung for the first shoot. It was hard to find my rhythm, and the sun kept shining in my eyes, but the pictures turned out pretty nice in the end!

Working Remotely — My in my Office

For the "work" set we took pictures in the lounge at my hotel — great views, and the most honest depiction of what my day-to-day actually looked like out here. We started later than planned, which turned out to be a lucky break: we caught the sunset and the skyline lighting up right on cue.

Jazmin told me to "pretend to work." I ended up actually working on this blog instead, which made the whole thing feel a lot less staged.

Adventuring — Neon Streets of Euljiro

The final set was supposed to symbolise my going on adventures here. I wore my most touristy outfit, and got back on the metro. Euljiro's narrow alleys and constant foot traffic made it tricky to grab a clean shot. But it's exactly the atmosphere I wanted! The neon signs really made it pop!

The Results

The raw shots came back a few days later, and — as it turns out — being a good model is a lot harder than it looks. Half of them had me squinting into the sun, mid-blink, or standing like I'd never used my own limbs before. It's a strange thing, seeing yourself the way someone else's camera sees you, a mirror only ever shows you one angle. Once the final pictures came back I was elated! The editing made the scenes really pop!

I spent quite a bit of time doing some final touch-ups. I learned a lot about color theory, lighting effects and photo editing software. When I was finally satisfied I sent it off to the printers and got this big collage made, to hang right above my PC. So every time I look up, I am reminded of my wonderful time there.

Another big shoutout to Jazmin! If you are ever in Seoul, and need a photographer, hit her up!

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