Korea Herald 20090318
1
The Photo Challenge is spon- sored by Hyosung Camera (English: 010-7203-9599) and Babo Shirts (www.baboshirts. com). Winners of the weekly com- petition receive a 50,000 won store credit at Hyosung Camera and a Babo Shirt. To take part in the competition, simply upload your photo at www.flickr.com/ groups/seoulphotoclub — Ed. By Aaron Raisey The film or digital sensor in our camera reacts to the light that falls on it to produce an im- age. We all know how important this is, as without light there wouldn’t be any photography. This week we will try to shed some illumination on one facet of the topic by focusing on the area of sunlight, how it affects our images at different times of the day, and perhaps come away with a few tips on how we can use this to our advantage. Most casual photographers — and we have all been casual photographers — at times think something like “Great! It’s a beautiful sunny day, I’m going to get out there and take some nice photos.” Yes, but to the savvy photographer it’s not as simple as that. Exactly when we take advantage of that light can drastically affect the look and feel of our pictures. Many photographers know about the “golden hours” — the first and last hours of sunlight during the day. During these times, the light is soft and warm; giving a rich glow to col- ors, especially yellows, oranges and reds. It’s a good time to take some cityscape shots for exam- ple, with glowing buildings against a darkening sky and long shadows adding a dramatic aspect. It’s also the favorite time for landscape photographers, the morning and evening light giving natural colors a warm and vibrant aspect. Oddly enough, the middle of the day can often be the most difficult time to take pictures. On a bright and sunny day the light can be very intense and hard; bleaching the color out of our subjects, creating black un- sightly shadows and reflecting off lighter colors so much that it is very difficult to control expo- sure. A fill flash can be very useful during these times if your sub- ject isn’t too far away, and a lit- tle bit of shade or cloud cover can also be very welcome to alle- viate these problems. However, this situation can be turned to your advantage if you are will- ing to try your hand at a bit of black and white processing. Look for high contrast. On a bright sunny day dark shadows abound, and can often look very effective in a black and white when used creatively. You might even try looking back in your library for those photos that perhaps looked a bit too bright and harsh, and try looking at them again in black and white. When you are out there pho- tographing at different times, try to remember what the sub- ject looked like to you and com- pare that with the images when you get them home. Often an image has surprising colors or looks much more vibrant than we remembered it in real life. We can use this as feedback into our photography in the fu- ture if we encounter similar lighting conditions. However, light is useless of course if we aren’t out there us- ing it. Get out there! ([email protected]) 18 COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 2009 By Christopher Dykas Some may think F-2 and F-4 visa holders have it easy. Compared to other visa classes, though this may be true. F-2 and F-4 visas do not leave one at the mercy of employers and al- low holders to circumvent some screening processes — as in the case of some teaching positions — plus they do not require spe- cial trips to immigration to add workplaces for short-term or freelance work. They also have a longer period of validity than, say, E-2 visas. For some expats in Korea, these are dream visas. However, if you have one you can still en- counter problems. Even if you are living and working in Korea on an F-2 or F-4 visa, there are limitations that come with these statuses when living in Korea long- term. Especially when it comes to contractual agreements, hold- ing a visa status that indicates you are “returning home” at the expiration date can make you appear suspect, and can result in denial of certain applications. Take, for example, mobile phones. Depending on the com- pany, contract durations range from “no contract” — which can actually still include a mandato- ry three-month usage period — to one or two years. Many visitors who come in to the Seoul Global Center to get a mobile phone are surprised to learn that they are ineligible to sign up for a year-long contract because of their visa expiration date. Having a “one-year visa” and having “one year left on your visa” are two very different things. As of the beginning of March the rule stood as follows: if you have six months or more remaining on your visa, you can sign up for a year-long contract. Even a single day short of six months — this includes many student visa holders, an E-2 visa holder who has been in Korea for six months and one day or an F-4 visa holder who has been in Korea for 1.5 years and one day — will leave you in- eligible. Even if you have every inten- tion of renewing your visa, many companies have policies against making agreements with those who they do not know for sure can stay in Korea through the end of the agree- ment. Even if you can obtain a long-term mobile phone con- tract, some must be renewed upon expiration of the contract holder’s visa. The same can be true for Korean credit cards, certain payment plans for ser- vices, and so on. So what could be the solution? If you plan to stay in Korea long- term, roughly on a permanent basis, applying for an F-5 visa — permanent residence — might be an option. This visa is avail- able to various groups of people, including F-2 and F-4 visa hold- ers, E-2 visa holders, and even those without visas. The most upfront benefit of an F-5 visa is freedom from the stipulations of other visas. Upon switching to an F-5 visa, former F-2 visa holders may stay in Korea even if they divorce and former E-2 visa holders may stay in Korea even if they switch jobs or decide to work on a freelance basis. Other benefits of the F-5 visa include unlimited re-entry into Korea and once you have lived in Korea on an F-5 visa for two years, you qualify to vote in cer- tain local elections. Although this visa has no ex- piration date and allows you to travel freely in and out of the country, it is important to note that if you plan to stay out of the country for more than a year, you must obtain a re-entry per- mit, which allows you to stay out of Korea for up to two years. If an F-5 visa holder stays out- side Korea for two years, the visa will expire. There are various methods by which you can qualify for an F- 5. They can basically be divided into two categories: time and money. In August of last year the regulations for obtaining an F-5 visa were relaxed. Now, both F-2 and F-4 visa holders can qualify for permanent resi- dence status after living in Korea on their respective visas for two years. Professionals in some speci- fied fields (for example busi- ness management or science) who have lived in Korea for three years, or teachers, profes- sors or traders who have lived in Korea for five years, can also qualify. In all these situations, you must live in Korea for the given time period in consecutive years maintaining the same visa sta- tus and be under the age of 60. In addition to these require- ments, applicants must also prove financial capability. An example would be a proven in- come of at least twice that of the Korean GNI per capita (which the Bank of Korea estimates to have plummeted to around $18,000 for 2008), as well as other possible criteria (language proficiency, criminal record). For non-residents, foreign in- vestors who invest at least $500,000 into Korea and who hire at least five Korean citi- zens can also qualify for imme- diate permanent residency. For more information specific to immigration, the Korean Immigration Service has a mul- tilingual hotline that can be reached by dialing 1345. Also, for more information on this and other topics regarding life in Korea in general, the SGC can be reached at 1688-0120. ([email protected]) Benefits of permanent residency How to apply — It’s a function of time and money — Regulations for obtaining an F-5 visa relaxed — F-2, F-4 visa holders can qualify for permanent residence — Must live in Korea 2 consecutive years — Teachers, professors or traders who have lived in Korea for 5 years can apply — Must maintain the same visa sta- tus during the period before ap- plication — Must be under the age of 60 — Proven income of at least twice the Korean GNI per capita — Other criteria include language proficiency, criminal record, etc. — Foreign investors who invest at least $500,000 into Korea and hire at least five Korean citizens can also qualify for permanent residency By Jeremy Burks Spring weather brings out more than blossoms. Bare legs will be on display next Saturday as the new season of Touch kicks off on Seoul’s Jamwon rugby pitch. The season’s first tournament will feature 12 teams and about 150 players and is the first in the 2009 Korea Touch champi- onship. Over the course of the season, teams will be competing for valuable points at each of the six planned tournaments. The championship is an open format with men’s, women’s and mixed teams competing in the same competition and each tourna- ment has an overall champion as well as a bowl winner. “Last year’s form counts for nothing,” said Shane Lowndes, the tournament director. “And even if your team didn’t make it into the first tournament, there will be another chance on April 11th when we hold the second in the series.” Jamwon rugby pitch is lo- cated between Hannam and Dongho bridges on the south bank of the Han River. Interested players, clubs and supporters can watch the tournament from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more details on how to access the pitch, visit www.touchtagrugby.blogspot.c om or e-mail koreatouch@ gmail.com By Matthew Lamers When Emmanuelle Jourdan and Olivier Mouroux started the first expat tennis tournament in 2003, they were pleased with the response. But when they opened the Seoultennis.com Tourna- ment up to non-French players, the reaction was fervent. Since the beginning, more than 200 players have taken part, making it popular enough to attract corporate sponsorship. “More and more people have heard about this tournament and I get frequent e-mail about getting more information. The website is easy to find on the in- ternet and many expats contact me thought it,” said Mouroux. “Lacoste has been our offi- cial sponsor since the begin- ning; we also have Domaine de Bequignole — French choco- late — and we always are al- ways looking for more spon- sors,” he added. Mouroux said the idea came from a desire to build bridges be- tween the fragmented expat communities in Korea. He said the tournament is a great way to meet new people and network. “At the beginning, this tour- nament was only played with the French community, but I thought that it would be nice to have other nationalities. This is why we decided to translate the website into English and make all commu- nication in English as well. “I really believe that this tour- nament is opening many doors among (expat) communities — at the last final we had people from all over the world eating cheese fondue together. It was quite fun,” said Mouroux. “Newcomers meet many people during the tournament and we organize a nice lunch with all the players and fami- ly after the final.” Mouroux, 34, from France, has been in Korea for eight years and is the CEO of Asiance (www.asiance.com). The reason for the tourna- ment’s success is probably its flexible structure. The 16 par- ticipants are divided into groups of four. There is a quar- terfinal, a semifinal, then a championship match. Two players of the same round robin contact each other and are responsible for plan- ning their own match. This for- mula, according to organizers, allows everyone to schedule games in a very simple way be- cause dates are not imposed as they are in other sports. The next tournament, the 12th overall, is planned to start March 20. Mouroux said that despite the popularity of Seoulten- nis.com, there are no plans to expand the tournament be- cause of scheduling difficulties that come with having more than 16 competitors. He did ad- mit that registrations filled up in less than 24 hours for the last Seoultennis.com Tournament in September 2008. If you’d like to join, but March registration is already full, orga- nizers recommend joining the waiting list. They also recom- mend keeping a close watch on Seoultennis.com for news on the September tournament. There are two tournaments a year, one in March and an- other in September. Player eligibility is open to anyone. Said Mouroux: “Anyone who plays tennis; lev- el is from average to good; and yes, it is open to women, too.” Tournament champions re- ceive a polo Lacoste shirt and a trophy, which has usually been a Korean vase. For more information, go to www.seoultennis.com or e- mail Olivier Mouroux at [email protected]. ([email protected]) March tennis tournament In focus: The best time to take photos Touch season starts Saturday PHOTO CHALLENGE WINNER — The sun sets near Jongdal-ri, Jeju-do in early March. Sunset silhouettes of Hallasan and the Oreum colonies are viewed from Jimi Oreum. Mario Taradan (www.flickr.com/photos/helje) RUNNER UP — A woman waits at Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul in February. Aaron Raisey Expat Living is a section dedicated to the daily living of expatriates. It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To share stories about your life abroad, send stories or story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected] Submissions may be edited for length or clarity.
description
In Focus: The Best Time to Take Photos
Transcript of Korea Herald 20090318
The Photo Challenge is spon-sored by Hyosung Camera(English: 010-7203-9599) andBabo Shirts (www.baboshirts.com). Winners of the weekly com-petition receive a 50,000 won storecredit at Hyosung Camera and aBabo Shirt. To take part in thecompetition, simply upload yourphoto at www.flickr.com/groups/seoulphotoclub — Ed.
By Aaron Raisey
The film or digital sensor inour camera reacts to the lightthat falls on it to produce an im-age. We all know how importantthis is, as without light therewouldn’t be any photography.
This week we will try to shedsome illumination on one facetof the topic by focusing on thearea of sunlight, how it affectsour images at different times ofthe day, and perhaps come awaywith a few tips on how we canuse this to our advantage.
Most casual photographers —and we have all been casualphotographers — at times thinksomething like “Great! It’s abeautiful sunny day, I’m goingto get out there and take somenice photos.” Yes, but to thesavvy photographer it’s not assimple as that. Exactly when wetake advantage of that light candrastically affect the look andfeel of our pictures.
Many photographers knowabout the “golden hours” — thefirst and last hours of sunlightduring the day. During thesetimes, the light is soft andwarm; giving a rich glow to col-ors, especially yellows, orangesand reds. It’s a good time to takesome cityscape shots for exam-ple, with glowing buildings
against a darkening sky andlong shadows adding a dramaticaspect. It’s also the favorite timefor landscape photographers,the morning and evening lightgiving natural colors a warmand vibrant aspect.
Oddly enough, the middle ofthe day can often be the mostdifficult time to take pictures.On a bright and sunny day thelight can be very intense andhard; bleaching the color out ofour subjects, creating black un-sightly shadows and reflectingoff lighter colors so much that itis very difficult to control expo-sure.
A fill flash can be very usefulduring these times if your sub-ject isn’t too far away, and a lit-tle bit of shade or cloud covercan also be very welcome to alle-viate these problems. However,this situation can be turned toyour advantage if you are will-ing to try your hand at a bit ofblack and white processing.
Look for high contrast. On abright sunny day dark shadowsabound, and can often look veryeffective in a black and whitewhen used creatively.
You might even try lookingback in your library for thosephotos that perhaps looked a bittoo bright and harsh, and trylooking at them again in blackand white.
When you are out there pho-tographing at different times,try to remember what the sub-ject looked like to you and com-pare that with the images whenyou get them home. Often animage has surprising colors orlooks much more vibrant thanwe remembered it in real life.
We can use this as feedbackinto our photography in the fu-ture if we encounter similarlighting conditions.
However, light is useless ofcourse if we aren’t out there us-ing it. Get out there!
18 COMMUNITYWEDNESDAYMARCH 18, 2009
By Christopher Dykas
Some may think F-2 and F-4visa holders have it easy.Compared to other visa classes,though this may be true. F-2and F-4 visas do not leave one atthe mercy of employers and al-low holders to circumvent somescreening processes — as in thecase of some teaching positions— plus they do not require spe-cial trips to immigration to addworkplaces for short-term orfreelance work. They also havea longer period of validity than,say, E-2 visas.
For some expats in Korea,these are dream visas. However,if you have one you can still en-counter problems.
Even if you are living andworking in Korea on an F-2 orF-4 visa, there are limitationsthat come with these statuseswhen living in Korea long-term.
Especially when it comes tocontractual agreements, hold-ing a visa status that indicatesyou are “returning home” at theexpiration date can make youappear suspect, and can result
in denial of certain applications.Take, for example, mobilephones. Depending on the com-pany, contract durations rangefrom “no contract” — which canactually still include a mandato-ry three-month usage period —to one or two years.
Many visitors who come in tothe Seoul Global Center to get amobile phone are surprised tolearn that they are ineligible tosign up for a year-long contractbecause of their visa expirationdate.
Having a “one-year visa” andhaving “one year left on yourvisa” are two very differentthings. As of the beginning ofMarch the rule stood as follows:if you have six months or moreremaining on your visa, you cansign up for a year-long contract.Even a single day short of sixmonths — this includes manystudent visa holders, an E-2visa holder who has been inKorea for six months and oneday or an F-4 visa holder whohas been in Korea for 1.5 yearsand one day — will leave you in-eligible.
Even if you have every inten-
tion of renewing your visa,many companies have policiesagainst making agreementswith those who they do notknow for sure can stay in Koreathrough the end of the agree-ment. Even if you can obtain along-term mobile phone con-tract, some must be renewedupon expiration of the contractholder’s visa. The same can betrue for Korean credit cards,certain payment plans for ser-vices, and so on.
So what could be the solution?If you plan to stay in Korea long-term, roughly on a permanentbasis, applying for an F-5 visa —permanent residence — mightbe an option. This visa is avail-able to various groups of people,including F-2 and F-4 visa hold-ers, E-2 visa holders, and eventhose without visas.
The most upfront benefit ofan F-5 visa is freedom from thestipulations of other visas. Uponswitching to an F-5 visa, formerF-2 visa holders may stay inKorea even if they divorce andformer E-2 visa holders maystay in Korea even if theyswitch jobs or decide to work on
a freelance basis. Other benefits of the F-5 visa
include unlimited re-entry intoKorea and once you have livedin Korea on an F-5 visa for twoyears, you qualify to vote in cer-tain local elections.
Although this visa has no ex-piration date and allows you totravel freely in and out of thecountry, it is important to notethat if you plan to stay out of thecountry for more than a year,you must obtain a re-entry per-mit, which allows you to stayout of Korea for up to two years.If an F-5 visa holder stays out-side Korea for two years, thevisa will expire.
There are various methods bywhich you can qualify for an F-5. They can basically be dividedinto two categories: time andmoney. In August of last yearthe regulations for obtaining anF-5 visa were relaxed. Now,both F-2 and F-4 visa holderscan qualify for permanent resi-dence status after living inKorea on their respective visasfor two years.
Professionals in some speci-fied fields (for example busi-
ness management or science)who have lived in Korea forthree years, or teachers, profes-sors or traders who have livedin Korea for five years, can alsoqualify.
In all these situations, youmust live in Korea for the giventime period in consecutive yearsmaintaining the same visa sta-tus and be under the age of 60.
In addition to these require-ments, applicants must alsoprove financial capability. Anexample would be a proven in-come of at least twice that of theKorean GNI per capita (whichthe Bank of Korea estimates tohave plummeted to around$18,000 for 2008), as well asother possible criteria (languageproficiency, criminal record).
For non-residents, foreign in-vestors who invest at least$500,000 into Korea and whohire at least five Korean citi-zens can also qualify for imme-diate permanent residency.
For more information specificto immigration, the KoreanImmigration Service has a mul-tilingual hotline that can bereached by dialing 1345. Also,for more information on thisand other topics regarding lifein Korea in general, the SGCcan be reached at 1688-0120.
Benefits of permanent residency How to apply
— It’s a function of time and money — Regulations for obtaining an F-5
visa relaxed — F-2, F-4 visa holders can qualify
for permanent residence— Must live in Korea 2
consecutive years — Teachers, professors or traders
who have lived in Korea for 5years can apply
— Must maintain the same visa sta-tus during the period before ap-plication
— Must be under the age of 60 — Proven income of at least twice
the Korean GNI per capita — Other criteria include language
proficiency, criminal record, etc.— Foreign investors who invest at
least $500,000 into Korea andhire at least five Korean citizenscan also qualify for permanentresidency
By Jeremy Burks
Spring weather brings outmore than blossoms. Bare legswill be on display nextSaturday as the new season ofTouch kicks off on Seoul’sJamwon rugby pitch.
The season’s first tournamentwill feature 12 teams and about150 players and is the first inthe 2009 Korea Touch champi-onship. Over the course of theseason, teams will be competing
for valuable points at each of thesix planned tournaments. Thechampionship is an open formatwith men’s, women’s and mixedteams competing in the samecompetition and each tourna-ment has an overall championas well as a bowl winner.
“Last year’s form counts fornothing,” said Shane Lowndes,the tournament director. “Andeven if your team didn’t makeit into the first tournament,there will be another chance on
April 11th when we hold thesecond in the series.”
Jamwon rugby pitch is lo-cated between Hannam andDongho bridges on the southbank of the Han River.
Interested players, clubsand supporters can watch thetournament from 11 a.m. until5 p.m. For more details on howto access the pitch, visitwww.touchtagrugby.blogspot.com or e-mail [email protected]
By Matthew Lamers
When Emmanuelle Jourdanand Olivier Mouroux started thefirst expat tennis tournament in2003, they were pleased with theresponse. But when they openedthe Seoultennis.com Tourna-ment up to non-French players,the reaction was fervent.
Since the beginning, morethan 200 players have takenpart, making it popularenough to attract corporatesponsorship.
“More and more people haveheard about this tournamentand I get frequent e-mail aboutgetting more information. Thewebsite is easy to find on the in-ternet and many expats contactme thought it,” said Mouroux.
“Lacoste has been our offi-cial sponsor since the begin-ning; we also have Domaine deBequignole — French choco-late — and we always are al-ways looking for more spon-sors,” he added.
Mouroux said the idea camefrom a desire to build bridges be-tween the fragmented expatcommunities in Korea. He saidthe tournament is a great way tomeet new people and network.
“At the beginning, this tour-nament was only played withthe French community, but I
thought that it would be niceto have other nationalities.This is why we decided totranslate the website intoEnglish and make all commu-nication in English as well.
“I really believe that this tour-nament is opening many doorsamong (expat) communities —at the last final we had peoplefrom all over the world eatingcheese fondue together. It wasquite fun,” said Mouroux.
“Newcomers meet manypeople during the tournamentand we organize a nice lunchwith all the players and fami-ly after the final.”
Mouroux, 34, from France,has been in Korea for eightyears and is the CEO ofAsiance (www.asiance.com).
The reason for the tourna-ment’s success is probably itsflexible structure. The 16 par-ticipants are divided intogroups of four. There is a quar-terfinal, a semifinal, then achampionship match.
Two players of the sameround robin contact each otherand are responsible for plan-ning their own match. This for-mula, according to organizers,allows everyone to schedulegames in a very simple way be-cause dates are not imposed asthey are in other sports.
The next tournament, the12th overall, is planned tostart March 20.
Mouroux said that despitethe popularity of Seoulten-nis.com, there are no plans toexpand the tournament be-cause of scheduling difficultiesthat come with having morethan 16 competitors. He did ad-mit that registrations filled upin less than 24 hours for the lastSeoultennis.com Tournamentin September 2008.
If you’d like to join, but Marchregistration is already full, orga-nizers recommend joining thewaiting list. They also recom-mend keeping a close watch onSeoultennis.com for news on theSeptember tournament.
There are two tournamentsa year, one in March and an-other in September.
Player eligibility is open toanyone. Said Mouroux:“Anyone who plays tennis; lev-el is from average to good; andyes, it is open to women, too.”
Tournament champions re-ceive a polo Lacoste shirt anda trophy, which has usuallybeen a Korean vase.
For more information, go towww.seoultennis.com or e-mail Olivier Mouroux [email protected].
March tennis tournamentIn focus: The best time to take photos
Touch season starts Saturday
PHOTO CHALLENGE WINNER — The sun setsnear Jongdal-ri, Jeju-do in early March.Sunset silhouettes of Hallasan and the Oreumcolonies are viewed from Jimi Oreum.Mario Taradan (www.flickr.com/photos/helje)
RUNNER UP — A womanwaits at Gyeongbok Palace,Seoul in February.Aaron Raisey
Expat Living is a section dedicated tothe daily living of expatriates. It is printedon Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.To share stories about your life abroad,send stories or story ideas to MatthewLamers at [email protected] may be edited for length or clarity.
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