DJ Photography

Travel & landscape photographer in Utah
Korea in stillness – temples, coasts, quiet light
Prints & projects in progress ↓
davidpatton.co

03/18/2026

Motorcycle in a alley

I spotted this motorcycle in a narrow alley and couldn't resist capturing it for nostalgic reasons. You would’ve seen more of these scenes with commuter motorcycles like this in alleys like these.

I tweaked the photo to focus on the light and then the bike. What are your thoughts on this edit? Would love to hear your feedback!

03/16/2026

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

I woke up before the city did. We drove a few minutes and walked down the dark sidewalks leading to Yonggungsa Temple, arriving well before sunrise to capture the temple in the quiet of early morning. Would you wake up that early just to breathe in a moment like this? For me, it’s become more than just photography — it’s a ritual I share with my father. We wake up early, find the light, and watch the sun rise together over the East Sea.

The sky opens slowly, orange bleeding into purple, the temple glowing like it was built specifically for this hour. Some places are worth every early alarm. But more than that, it’s the person next to you that makes it truly memorable. There’s no better way to spend time with the ones you love than doing what you love, side by side.

03/13/2026

Seoul with Bukhansan

There’s always a reward waiting at the end of the tunnel — sometimes you just have to nearly die getting there first. After hiking up an impossibly steep hill to visit a museum filled with beautifully hand-carved stones, I made it to the top completely out of breath and slightly questioning my life choices. Then I turned around.

The northern side of Seoul stretched out below me, and the mountain was on fire — reds and oranges blazing across the ridgeline, storm clouds gathering dramatically overhead while the city hummed on below, completely unbothered. All the huffing and puffing was instantly forgotten. There’s something deeply moving about a mountain that has watched an entire civilization grow up around its feet and still manages to steal the show every single fall. Seoul, you never miss.

03/11/2026

I was actually photographing something else entirely when this one swam directly into my frame and stared me down. Full eye contact. Zero apologies. That piercing blue eye set against the pure white feathers, the vivid orange beak, the steel-grey water behind — it was one of those compositions you couldn’t plan if you tried.

I had maybe thirty seconds before she turned and paddled away without so much as a second glance, completely indifferent to the fact that she had just made my day. It’s one of my favorite reminders of why I always keep the camera ready, even when I think I’m done shooting. The best frames have a habit of finding you when you least expect them. Sometimes the subject just decides it’s their turn — and all you can do is be grateful you were there.

03/09/2026

First time putting a 400mm lens to proper use — and after a few years of visiting Antelope Island, I finally came away with a bison portrait I’m genuinely proud of.

The morning light was perfect, and I made the call to stay inside the vehicle, both to avoid disturbing them and, let’s be honest, to avoid becoming a speed bump for several thousand pounds of pure muscle.

He turned, and we locked eyes for just a second. Steam rising from his breath in the cold morning air, frost still clinging to his fur. There was nothing threatening in his gaze — just something ancient and completely unbothered, like he’d seen a thousand winters and wasn’t particularly impressed by this one either. I said nothing. I barely moved. Some subjects don’t need direction. They just need you to show up, stay quiet, and let them be exactly what they are.

03/06/2026

I’ve shared this place a few times, but this version sits in a different mood. The colors are softer here than the golden hour light I usually chase at Waon Beach, more about the curve of the water than the drama of the sky.
It felt like the scene had turned its volume down—same shape, same little island, just quieter tones holding the memory of all those brighter evenings.

03/04/2026

First time visiting the Suncheon Bay Reed Field, and my eyes kept coming back to this one tree rising above the reeds. It feels like a quiet landmark in a place that’s all soft lines and muted tones.

I kept moving through the paths, but every few steps I turned back to check where it was—almost like it was helping me keep my bearings in the field.

03/03/2026

How I envisioned it vs what I saw.

The raw files are honest, but they miss some of the little things that make us feel something. The edits are how I envisioned and remembered the scene—patiently waiting for the right moment, soaking in the colors, then trying to bring that memory back to life. My edits aren’t dramatic or overly moody; they lean toward stillness, calm, and serenity. If that kind of quiet feels right to you, I’d love to have you here.

03/02/2026

You can spend a long time in Seoul chasing energy, but views like this remind me to look for stillness instead. I like standing back far enough that the tower becomes a quiet mark in the landscape rather than the whole story.
Some evenings I stay until the color drains from the sky and the city turns almost monochrome. That soft, in‑between light is when Seoul feels less like a skyline and more like a series of gentle layers.

The longer I watched, the fewer details I wanted. Just the tower, the bridge, the faint line of mountains—everything else slowly falling away until the scene felt as simple as a sketch.

03/01/2026

My edits vs reality, Korea edition.

Eleven seconds of how last autumn really looked, and how I felt it.

I’m not trying to hide the raw files here—just showing the small choices that nudge a scene toward the memory in my head: a little more quiet, a little more color, a little more focus on the lines that drew me in. All of these frames are from last fall in Korea, just walked a bit further in post.

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Salt Lake City, UT

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