I spent the weekend at the Seoul Motor Show. Having driven a Honda Legend until last year, I’m not all that interested in ordinary cars, but I still wanted to see with my own eyes what would be worth buying if I got a car, and I wanted to shoot the models too, so I happily made the long trip out. It was my first time using the 85mm lens since buying my new camera, and I was really, really happy with it. I hope I get chances like this more often so my portrait skills improve by leaps and bounds.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance concept car: the Twizy Z.E., an ultra-compact electric vehicle
Ever since I saw a real Tesla Roadster in Japan, a genuinely cool electric sports car that’s actually been on the road for a few years now, and was blown away, concept cars like this just don’t move me at all. On the car side, this motor show was nothing but dull models.
SsangYong New Chairman H
Really nice lighting for photos. As most of you know, all my photos are unedited, resized only.
Kia
I don’t really know the models’ names. I have no idea which of them are famous, either… It’s been a while since I shot models, and apparently there were about 500 of them. Honestly, this is the first motor show like this I’ve been to.
Toyota
She was really into posing. I saw a lot of women who seemed less like race queens and more like proper professional models.
Toyota
Toyota cars are pretty middle-of-the-road. Comfortable, but not really my taste.
Hyundai
Hyundai… not a brand I particularly like, but they’re making good use of their home-ground advantage.
Chevrolet
This was the booth promoting itself most aggressively.
Lexus
Along with Mercedes-Benz, this was the car I liked most.
Land Rover
You don’t see many of these on the road.
Volkswagen
I’m not sure, but somehow I get the feeling she’s someone famous… my photo skills aren’t great, so I couldn’t get a proper shot.
Volkswagen
She was incredibly tall, which is why she stuck in my memory.
Citroën
Pretty glamorous.
Volkswagen Phaeton
The only model wearing glasses.
Nissan
Her ribbon looked like cat ears.
Overall the models were of a high standard, and the outfits weren’t over the top either. The mood for shooting was calm too. I thought the level had gone up compared to before, but other people didn’t seem to agree. Well, everyone sees things differently.
After looking around at the cars, Mercedes-Benz seemed to have the best design, and Lexus’s entry-level model was well made too. Among the Korean cars, I liked Chevrolet. Japanese cars didn’t seem popular in Korea, and European cars are so expensive it’s hard to know what to buy. I’ve still got plenty of time before I actually buy a car, so I’ll think it over a bit more before deciding. First I need to decide whether I’ll drive in Seoul at all, and whether I’ll even live here. Ugh, it’s hard~