Six Iconic Shots: the heart and Seoul

Korea is a country of contrasts – a place where centuries-old palaces sit quietly beneath the glow of LED billboards, and morning temple bells echo between glass towers. When I travelled to Seoul in September 2023 with my husband and toddler, I was searching for that harmony: the interplay between past and present, city and stillness, tradition and reinvention.

Seoul immediately revealed itself as a city of movement. Skyscrapers shimmer above narrow lanes lined with steaming food stalls, while the hum of the subway meets the hush of hidden teahouses. Each neighbourhood feels like a story unfolding – the curved rooftops of Bukchon Hanok Village, the glow of night markets, the rhythm of footsteps tracing palace courtyards. For a photographer, it’s a city alive in every frame: texture, contrast and humanity woven together.

The quiet majesty of Seoul’s palaces

Changdeokgung Palace is a lesson in balance, where architecture, landscape and light seem to breathe as one. The Secret Garden unfurls like a painting, with pavilions mirrored in still ponds and sunlight filtering through ancient trees. Here, photography is about patience: waiting for the breeze to ripple the water, for shadows to stretch across stone. Elsewhere, the courtyards of Gyeongbokgung Palace echo with whispers of ceremony and time. These palaces aren’t just monuments, they’re living compositions, with each doorway a frame, each corridor a line of symmetry. Their beauty lies in restraint, in the spaces between grandeur and quiet reflection.

Find stillness at Jogyesa Temple

Stepping into Jogyesa Temple feels like crossing into another rhythm entirely. Lanterns sway in the soft wind, stones crawl with moss. The gilded statues and ritual chants are striking, but it’s the subtle dialogue between nature and structure that lingers – a reminder that serenity lives not in spectacle, but in the spaces where life and light meet gently.

Time travel in Bukchon Hanok Village

In Bukchon Hanok Village, time seems to slow. The curved eaves of tiled roofs and weathered wooden beams speak of generations who shaped the city long before glass towers rose around them. Between narrow stone alleys, the past and present coexist in quiet conversation. Taking photos here is less about composition than observation – catching the warmth of a local’s smile, the soft echo of footsteps on cobblestone, the resilience of a heritage that continues to evolve.

Whimsy beyond the city: Petite France

A short drive into Gyeonggi Province leads to Petite France – a whimsical French-style village inspired by The Little Prince. Its pastel facades, cobbled paths and bursts of colour feel almost cinematic against Korea’s mountain backdrop. It’s playful and slightly surreal, a reminder that travel can still surprise us, even in an age of curated itineraries. Here, photography becomes pure joy – bright, spontaneous, unguarded.

A universe of stories at Starfield Library

Inside Starfield Library, the hustle and bustle of Seoul fades into silence. Towering shelves spiral upwards like cathedrals of paper and light. Warm bulbs glow like constellations, illuminating rows of books that hum with unseen stories. It’s more than a library – it’s an act of wonder, a space that celebrates curiosity itself. Standing beneath that canopy of stars, time seems to suspend and you feel both small and infinite.

Where the city breathes: Cheonggye Plaza

At the heart of Seoul’s frenetic downtown, Cheonggye Plaza offers a rare moment of stillness and is very much a place where the city exhales. The stream at its centre, Cheonggyecheon, cuts a silver line through the concrete, its gentle current reflecting the glow of office towers above. What was once an overpass now feels like a living artery, carrying both water and quiet through the metropolis. As dusk falls, couples linger along the bridges, their silhouettes framed by the shifting lights that ripple across the surface. Office workers trade screens for evening air, shoes clicking softly on the smooth stone paths.