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Esports: The Daily Life.
April 29th, 2009 06:50 GMT
The Daily Life of an Esports Journalist:
Introduction:
~ My typical view @ OGN. ~
I recently celebrated the anniversary of the first time I photographed a live StarCraft event using my DSLR camera and thus entered into the world of semi-professional Esports journalism. April 13th marked a turning point for me in my travels around South Korea. I've lived in two very different places since I left England in July 2007 - a small, rural town in Southern Korea with one main street to speak of and the capital itself - vibrant, noisy Seoul; the hub of Esporting events.
I used to travel for three hours via train to reach the COEX MBC Hero Centre. The last thirty minutes of every single Saturday from November 2007 until September 2008 were spent running headlong through Samsung subway station and COEX mall's crowded corridors to beat the rush of Korean fans and secure one of the tiny number of black seats inside the cupboard of a venue.
I remember accidentally bumping into Song Byungoo, Lee Sungeun and other faces I've come to know so well and asking for their signatures or presenting baskets of oranges and kimbap. Those were the days of video taping Saint as Light forced him to dance for the screaming girls gathered, of hugging Kim Taekyong during a fan meeting's free hugs day and accidentally walking straight past Lim Yohwan because at that point to me he was just another gamer amidst the crowd.
~ Kim Taekyong - hugging victim ~
Times have really changed for me now though. I've photographed over fifty gamers in solo photoshoots from Lim Yohwan himself to lesser known names such as Woo Jungho (Violet) I have attended more live Korean events than any other foreigner (including former progamers and anyone currently living in Seoul from the foreigner scene.) I am entering triple figures for the amount of events I have recorded via photos and video by now. To date I've shot everything from the Club Day MSL finals to the members of the eSTRO team at home in down town Seoul.
There's not a day that goes by where I don't consider these events to be utterly surreal. I am grateful for the chances I've been given by Kespa, OGN, MBC and other companies such as IEG and Nexon to get really involved in Korean Esports. I might complain about my sore limbs and tired mind, but when I look back over a year's worth of photos and memories - it's all worth it.
Daily Life:
~ Winners League Finals ~
So, what is it like to be a foreign journalist working in Korean esports?
From my humble beginnings as a fan (probably the worst kind of playing-chasing, gift-giving type if I'm honest.) I've worked my way up to photographing live events from the side lines, moving into the press area of venues and aquiring special photoshoots as well as doing press work for eSTRO, Nexon and foreign sites such as Team Liquid.net and SCforALL.com.
I used to report absolutely everything - Monday to Friday (with the exception of early Proleagues on a Wednesday.) I still don't usually get a weekend off due to Proleague (with a sprinkling of Special Force Proleague, Kart Rider and other FPS live events.) I realised that not all events have a necessary story to be told in photos - at least with time quality decided to win out over my desire to simply provide quantity.
So now I cover mainly proleague and finals only. I still don't have a weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Weekend proleagues are my personal favourite event because due to their early time they provide ample opportunity to photograph players in a more intimate fashion and also to record the subsequent fan meetings.
I've been randomly interviewed for several Korean programs from KBS World reports on Esports to websites covering esports on a weekly basis like Afreeca. I never know when to expect these interviews (the Make a Wish Foundation one was surreal to say the least.)
Below, I'll share my daily routine in a condensed format just to give people an idea of how I go about my business.
The Routine:
~ Backstage with eSTRO ~
It's a widely known fact that I dislike the LOOX MBC Hero Centre intensely. I am disheartened by it's terrible lighting set up and the fact that the two main pillars displaying utterly superfluous video screens block any chance normal fans have of seeing the players sitting on the benches. The shop which once sold MBC Heroes merchandise is now dark and closed off more often than not. The only up side of going to this venue is the chance to bump into random members of the MBC Heroes and STX Soul teams.
I have visited LOOX twice to photograph the STX Soul and MBC Heroes training rooms (and to interview JulyZerg, Kal and Hwasin.) I can't count the amount of times I've bumped into Yeom Boseung in the elevator or had a quick chat with Thezerg on his way back to practice time. It's nice to see the players out of context from time to time and I've found the majority of them polite and welcoming (if a little shy in cases.)
Therefore, my guide focuses almost exclusively upon my second home - the venue I've frequented for months now upon a weekly basis and for which I hold a very special place in my heart. The crew are some of the nicest people I've ever met in my stay here. They ask if I'm sick or hungry and invariably I'll be presented with a little bottle of vitamin C drink or a roll of kimbap before the event is over.
My typical routine runs something along these lines; (based upon a typical Saturday.)
+ 9:00 - wake up and begin getting ready. Equipment is checked (camera charged, memory cards emptied etc.)
+ 11:00 - Take a taxi or the subway to Yongsan Station (depending upon relative levels of laziness.)
+ 11:30 - drop off camera bag at the OGN press room and go for lunch (usually Popeyes.)
+ 12:00 - Wander round the shops and buy some CDs or magazines usually.
+ 12:45 - Head back upstairs to the ninth floor and get the camera ready. I have a spot behind the press line next to the right hand side's main cameras and the team bench from which I work. Sometimes I go over and photograph players setting up in the booths.
+ 1:00 - The event begins. I wait until the first shots of fans' signs have been taken and then move forward to photograph players sitting at the benches on both sides.
+ Sometime between 3:00 and 5:00 - The event finishes. I then approach the winning team's head or assistant coach to get a photo shoot. Between one and three players are requested (usually a mix between veterans and new faces.)
+ Players are then taken outside if the weather is clement for photographs. We work with between two and six different poses and players are sometimes photographed together. After the photos are concluded players go out to the fan meeting.
+ The fan meeting is photographed - it lasts between thirty minutes and one hour. KTF fan meetings last forever.
(At this point if there is a second event I stay for that and photograph until around 9pm instead of only 6pm.)
+ I then get the subway or a taxi back home (again depending upon laziness.)
+ Between 6:00 and 8:30pm - I return home and begin editing photos. Editing usually takes around one to two hours depending upon number of special photoshoots and volume of general photos. The photos are then distributed to various sites including my own.
+ Around 11pm - Sleep time! Also I prepare for Sunday's events.
Conclusion:
~ Lee Jaedong - A photographer's favourite. ~
That is a typical day for me as an Esports journalist. I have fielded many questions about my work in the past, but here are a few quick answers about my current work;
+ Do you get paid?
~ No, I'm a volunteer for all my work from StarCraft to Special Force. I do this because I adore photography and Esports has become an intergral piece of my life here in South Korea. There have been several instances of being completely penniless in Seoul for me, but somehow I bounced back and Esports was the fuel that kept me going.
+ How many other foreigners attend events (regularly.)?
~ There's been a slightly significant influx of foreign fans attending events in the last five or so months. I used to be the only person who attended COEX proleague events every single week. I'm still the only foreigner who goes more than a few times a year, but there are more people randomly turning up for proleague than ever before nowadays.
+ What equipment do you use?
~ Nikon D40X with a Sigma EX 70-200mm lens, UV filter (which is stuck on it lol.) plus bog standard 2GB memory cards. I edit using photoshop 7 and paint (for those silly macros anyway.) I'm upgrading to a Canon EOS 5D in about three months though.
For any other questions feel free to ask me. I'll be updating the live events guide myself and Elric devised with new videos and other media in the coming weeks now that I'm off my two week hiatus (for ill health -_- ) Thanks again for all the support of TL.net and beyond.
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
Wow, didn't know you weren't getting paid, I thought you were doing (not just because of your love of e-Sports of course) because of work as well. Very nicely written article, kinda inspired to do the same 
Speaking of your equipment, I'm planning to get a DSLR soon for my 18th birthday. Do you heavily recommend Nikon, or is Canon or Sony good as well? I am considering Sony's Alpha350.
Added into the articles thread 
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 29 2009 15:55 konadora wrote:Wow, didn't know you weren't getting paid, I thought you were doing (not just because of your love of e-Sports of course) because of work as well. Speaking of your equipment, I'm planning to get a DSLR soon for my 18th birthday. Do you heavily recommend Nikon, or is Canon or Sony good as well? I am considering Sony's Alpha350. Added into the articles thread
Yeah - a lot of people seem to be under the misconception that this is my only job. I work Monday to Friday as an English teacher for kindergarten level. As for the DSLR - it really, really depends upon what you want to use it for. I've had fun with my Nikon, but it is not as good with low lighting situations (90% of what I shoot.) so I'm moving to Canon because the rest of the Esporting press uses that brand. I recommend checking out photo.net and Nikonians forum for reviews and advice from people with a lot more experience than myself. I'm not sure about Sony cameras because no one really uses them who I associate with professionally.
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
Ah I see. Thanks for your advice.
And I knew you had an other job (I thought covering e-Sports was something like your hobby+odd job thing), but didn't know it was being an English teacher. Pretty cool!
One of my path I am considering to take in the near future is teaching English in Korea, Japan or China, as I can speak English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese
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Nevergg's pure passion for esports photography and SC per se is pretty much unrivalled. Anyone who has met her will understand me instantly. Props!~
My Q: I guess you are planning to become a paid photographer in the future. How difficult is this? Can you do any freelancing work etc.?
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So English teacher is your day job eh.
I was wondering about that for a while. I didn't think you got paid for the photography.
I still wonder how Artosis earns his daily bread.
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So you don't need a press pass to be able to go up to the Progamers and get interviews and photoshoots? That's pretty interesting. Especially when I think of all the pictures you've shown us! Unless eStro and Nexon get you press badges because you've worked for them?
If not, do you just go up to the players or coach and say: "can a I get a few pictures to put online?" Or do you explain that your pictures go to fansites abroad etc...? Just wondering how hard it is to get some time from the pros, and I'd imagine it's extremely difficult 
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
I thought she did get Press Passes or something from the KeSPA folks? (CJ vs Hwaseung finals)
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 29 2009 16:11 Elric wrote:
Nevergg's pure passion for esports photography and SC per se is pretty much unrivalled. Anyone who has met her will understand me instantly. Props!~
My Q: I guess you are planning to become a paid photographer in the future. How difficult is this? Can you do any freelancing work etc.?
Aww thanks hunnie I think most rational people would call my devotion excessive, but someone's got to do it! I'm not sure about becoming a paid photographer to be honest. I love photographing esports and sometimes other things (like my floral work and Seoul city photos.) but I'm also paranoid as heck about having a 'regular' income (mainly because I spend so much money lol.) so for now it's really not an option. I'd love to devote more time to my non-esports photography in the future. So, for now I just plan to research and do day trips to photograph other interesting elements of living in Seoul (I'm an architecture junkie!)
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you'll get paid eventually
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 29 2009 18:05 Hammy wrote:So you don't need a press pass to be able to go up to the Progamers and get interviews and photoshoots? That's pretty interesting. Especially when I think of all the pictures you've shown us! Unless eStro and Nexon get you press badges because you've worked for them? If not, do you just go up to the players or coach and say: "can a I get a few pictures to put online?" Or do you explain that your pictures go to fansites abroad etc...? Just wondering how hard it is to get some time from the pros, and I'd imagine it's extremely difficult
Actually this isn't technically true (the part about not needing press passes.) For day to day photography of esports - proleague etc. I have permission granted to work behind the press line. I only tend to go backstage along with eSTRO because they are my home team so to speak. For finals you always need a press pass though - I am fortunate enough to know the head and assistant head of proleague planning at Kespa who have been wonderfully helpful and provided me with not only press passes for all finals, but also spots in the press areas so I can work properly during each event.
As for getting photo shoots - through my work for IEG I've been introduced to all the head coaches etc so most of them know I am legitimately working to bridge the gap between the Korean scene and foreign fans. They've all been very accomodating of my frequent requests for photo shoots. The first photo shoot I ever did was with Lee Sungeun (Firebathero.) - this was a personal request from me to him as a big fan of his and he graciously helped me out. Since then I've gathered the contacts and confidence to get photo shoots with eleven out of the twelve teams.
Admittedly working with certain people still makes me nervous. I was a jibbering wreck after my photo shoot with Lim Yohwan (hearing him tell me I did a good job was one of the best motivators EVER!) However, I try to do my best with each shoot and make sure the gamers enjoy it as well. I've had feedback from several gamers who have seen my work by now (including one of my favourite boys - Violet who is a team liquid fan!) and it's always gratifying and nice to know I'm doing a decent job for them as well as fans.
TBH it's not hard to get time with the pros at all - fan meetings provide that connection between fans and players. I've seen everything from players dancing for fans to a Hwaseung coach running round playing tag with the girls. It's this personalisation of the experience that I think keeps so many people coming back for more.
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Your dedication is unparalleled.Keep up the good work and as always you bring out the Korea Esport to life for most of us.
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On April 29 2009 16:03 konadora wrote:Ah I see. Thanks for your advice. And I knew you had an other job (I thought covering e-Sports was something like your hobby+odd job thing), but didn't know it was being an English teacher. Pretty cool! One of my path I am considering to take in the near future is teaching English in Korea, Japan or China, as I can speak English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese
Konadora: He's not just awesome, but he's really freaking awesome.
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On April 29 2009 16:03 konadora wrote:Ah I see. Thanks for your advice. And I knew you had an other job (I thought covering e-Sports was something like your hobby+odd job thing), but didn't know it was being an English teacher. Pretty cool! One of my path I am considering to take in the near future is teaching English in Korea, Japan or China, as I can speak English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese
how the heck can you speak all those languages.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 29 2009 21:25 Zurles wrote:Show nested quote +On April 29 2009 16:03 konadora wrote:Ah I see. Thanks for your advice. And I knew you had an other job (I thought covering e-Sports was something like your hobby+odd job thing), but didn't know it was being an English teacher. Pretty cool! One of my path I am considering to take in the near future is teaching English in Korea, Japan or China, as I can speak English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese how the heck can you speak all those languages.
I think he's really a cyborg. Good luck konadora - you sound like you have plenty of options. Japan is pretty expensive, but fun to visit, Korea is....well Korea and I've heard China is great for living really cheaply and saving tonnes of money.
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
Uh, I'm born Korean, so I speak Korean.
Singapore's main language is English, and I study there sooooooo yeah.
Singapore's education system is really a bitch, they force you to take 'Mother Tongue' as a subject, and I didn't have a choice but to take Chinese (I didn't want to take Malay or Tamil lol)
As for Japanese, it's out of my own interest :D
On April 29 2009 21:28 NeverGG wrote:Show nested quote +On April 29 2009 21:25 Zurles wrote:On April 29 2009 16:03 konadora wrote:Ah I see. Thanks for your advice. And I knew you had an other job (I thought covering e-Sports was something like your hobby+odd job thing), but didn't know it was being an English teacher. Pretty cool! One of my path I am considering to take in the near future is teaching English in Korea, Japan or China, as I can speak English, Korean, Japanese and Chinese how the heck can you speak all those languages. I think he's really a cyborg. Good luck konadora - you sound like you have plenty of options. Japan is pretty expensive, but fun to visit, Korea is....well Korea and I've heard China is great for living really cheaply and saving tonnes of money.
Haha, thanks. I find Japan very interesting as a whole, plan to live there once I get a good job (I plan to work for Sony rofl). China sounds interesting, always want to visit it someday
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So who's your favorite player to shoot? (Don't answer backho, I know you have a fetish for him)
Do you consider some of the players in eSTRO (or any players for that matter) your personal friends? In that case who?
What was the wackiest photoshoot you've done so far? Stuff that went wrong etc.etc
Have you ever noticed anything wierd progamers do before a game? Flash's twitching is well know, but other players? Some wierd rituals maybe? (Heard roumors about JD telling himself "I'm going to fucking kill him" over and over again before games)
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
On April 29 2009 21:41 SnowFalling wrote:
Have you ever noticed anything wierd progamers do before a game? Flash's twitching is well know, but other players? Some wierd rituals maybe? (Heard roumors about JD telling himself "I'm going to fucking kill him" over and over again before games)
Well, TheMarine mentioned that Boxer 'talks' to his units during game, and sometimes even swears (this was mentioned in one of the matches, forgot which), such as "Move, you fucking tank!" or stuff like that lol
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On April 29 2009 21:41 SnowFalling wrote:(Heard roumors about JD telling himself "I'm going to fucking kill him" over and over again before games)
If this was true it would not surprise me in the least. That face still gives me chills.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 29 2009 21:41 SnowFalling wrote:
So who's your favorite player to shoot? (Don't answer backho, I know you have a fetish for him)
Do you consider some of the players in eSTRO (or any players for that matter) your personal friends? In that case who?
What was the wackiest photoshoot you've done so far? Stuff that went wrong etc.etc
Have you ever noticed anything wierd progamers do before a game? Flash's twitching is well know, but other players? Some wierd rituals maybe? (Heard roumors about JD telling himself "I'm going to fucking kill him" over and over again before games)
It's usually split for me between a few people. I've really been enjoying shooting Park Jisoo (ForGG/Never V.) because despite how shy and uber polite he was to begin with he's more playful now and knows how to pose. Ma Jaeyoon is always a pleasure - he knows exactly what I want from him for every pose and he's cheerful and calming. I also like working with Sangho from eSTRO - he has good english skills and is very up-beat and funny. The best person by miles for projecting emotion into photos is newcomer Horang2.
I don't really see the players often enough to consider any of them proper friends. I do consider the eSTRO boys to be my doted-upon dongsaengs though. They call me nuna and we have a good laugh backstage. I tend to mainly talk with Suny, Puma and the lovable Sangho. They're lovely kids with great senses of humor.
The funniest one so far aside from the time I ran off holding Gorush's doughnuts hostage and yelling 'You can't eat them!' was when I shot Lee Yunyeol for the first time. I sat him down on a patch of grass and he pointed up to my camera as I raised it to shoot and said 'Dark, dark!' To my eternal shame and his amusement I'd left the lens cap on.... The only other thing that really springs to mind is the time Sungeun (Firebathero.) knocked over Frozean's drink at a shoot - I've never seen a gamer try to stop something from falling over with such tenacity.
Yes, Jaedong psyches himself up before each game. When I've gone up close beforehand during the 'setting' period as it's called when players enter the booth to prepare their equipment I can usually see him mumbling to himself. The best (bad pun...) example of this eccentric behaviour for me is Do Jaewook (BeSt) who has an obsessive need to touch his own hair. Once we saw him at a fan meeting bowing and shaking hands with his fans and after each bow he smoothed down his hair whether it needed it or not.
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
On April 29 2009 21:58 NeverGG wrote:
Ma Jaeyoon is always a pleasure - he know exactly what I want from him for every pose and he's cheerful and calming.
<3
And haha, Nada must have had a laugh there XD
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Calgary25980 Posts
Nice. I didn't know your photos involved such a time commitment. Wow. Thanks for everything you've done for us, NeverGG.
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Hey don't be hatin' on a man for lovin' his hair! ;D thanks for the replies
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Hahaha~ being a professional photographer is both a blessing and a curse : D
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Wow thx so much for all the effort you put in this =D your awsome ^^
Dark, dark!... LOL XD
I've never seen a gamer try to stop something from falling over with such tenacity. HAHAHA damn i would have love to see that XD
Really thx so much for your work and plz keep going =D
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Reading about your life and why you do it even with out a pay is inspiring, at leas for me, everytime I feel like quiting my attempts to create a SC community at my city/country... thanks for that. Thanks for that TL.
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United States17042 Posts
you have got to be one of the most interesting people on teamliquid.net who is lucky to be so involved in the starcraft scene. Thanks for writing this up so that regular people like me can get a good look at what's involved in getting all of the fantastic photos that you capture on a regular basis.
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On April 29 2009 16:40 iLoveKTF wrote:
iLoveNevergg
iLoveKc
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On April 29 2009 21:43 konadora wrote:Show nested quote +On April 29 2009 21:41 SnowFalling wrote:
Have you ever noticed anything wierd progamers do before a game? Flash's twitching is well know, but other players? Some wierd rituals maybe? (Heard roumors about JD telling himself "I'm going to fucking kill him" over and over again before games) Well, TheMarine mentioned that Boxer 'talks' to his units during game, and sometimes even swears (this was mentioned in one of the matches, forgot which), such as "Move, you fucking tank!" or stuff like that lol
Yeah, in his last game before he joined the army (vs Silver on Tau Cross) when he bunker rushed the camera got on him and you could see he was talking, maybe something like "gogo marines" ^^
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thanks NEVERGG for your contribution!
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What do you look like? Any photos of yourself?
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Calgary25980 Posts
On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself?
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I enjoyed the read. I as well didn't know u were a volunteer doing this. It suits you well if you enjoy it which it seems you do. Thank you for the write up.
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
On April 30 2009 00:50 Chill wrote:Show nested quote +On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself?
LOOOL
CHILL! ROFL XD
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Nice read, thank you very much.
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On April 30 2009 00:59 konadora wrote:Show nested quote +On April 30 2009 00:50 Chill wrote:On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself? LOOOL CHILL! ROFL XD
that picture is scary.
Who is the dude with the makeup
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I found it really admirable that some one could actually pursue their lifes passion, being able to do what you are happy doing the most... sure beats pointless materialistic pursue every one is crazy about these days (day jobs/cash)...
Thanks for all the great photos you have brought for us, and i bid you good luck in your life in korea and continue bring us coverage on the korean e-sports scenes!
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amazing life
how did you learn about progaming and what brought you to Korea in the first place?
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Many thanks for all your wonderful pictures and I hope there are many more to come~
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So you work for them, they give you work to do, and you are in with the staff but they don't pay you?
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NeverGG <3
By the way, I don't know about your exact reasoning on buying the 5D, maybe you can get it cheaper etc... But as a matter of fact, Nikon D700 (Nikon small body fullframe, basically equivalent to the 5D) has better low light capabilities still, in fact the best yet (along with D3) of all DSLRs.
(can be seen for example here http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond700/page17.asp )
And with the body, you could continue using your Sigma I believe, before buying something along the lines of nikkor 70-200 f/2.8G.
But anyway, good luck, I believe you could make good pics with a point & shoot
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On April 30 2009 00:50 Chill wrote:Show nested quote +On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself?
Lol. Now I'm even more intrigued...
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Physician
United States4146 Posts
wow stranger in a strange land ; nevergg ur a legend in ur own merit : )
something inside you is wired different, u got cojones girl
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respect for nevergg +10 upgrade: completed
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself?
You know I have to say this question always provokes mixed feelings from me. I find myself having to ask - why is that even relevant? My physical appearance has nothing to do with my photographic skills and I just don't get why anyone feels the need to request photos of me. I'm not pretty like MnM or lilsusie - I don't know if that might affect some people's judgements of me (if it does then I feel sad for them being so shallow.) I'm not here to be 'pretty' or to look good for people - I'm here to take the best photos I can and to bridge that gap between the Korean/Foreign scene. So, I'd kind of appreciate it if people stopped asking for photos - it's just not relevant to my work *at all.*
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 04:10 SlayerS_`HackeR` wrote:
So you work for them, they give you work to do, and you are in with the staff but they don't pay you?
I'm freelance essentially - so I work when I like and for whom I like these days. I do feel loyalty towards eSTRO and producing work for them. Although I mainly produce photos for their Korean home site recently. I'm not looking to get paid - this has never been about money for me. If it was I'd have gone home the first time I ran out of it (lol.)
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 05:41 antiq wrote:NeverGG <3 By the way, I don't know about your exact reasoning on buying the 5D, maybe you can get it cheaper etc... But as a matter of fact, Nikon D700 (Nikon small body fullframe, basically equivalent to the 5D) has better low light capabilities still, in fact the best yet (along with D3) of all DSLRs. (can be seen for example here http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond700/page17.asp ) And with the body, you could continue using your Sigma I believe, before buying something along the lines of nikkor 70-200 f/2.8G. But anyway, good luck, I believe you could make good pics with a point & shoot
My reasoning is mainly it's the set up Mr.Kang - the best Korean esports journalist uses. I admire his work and I know from seeing so many examples of it that his equipment can produce much nicer photos than mine in the exact lighting conditions we have at OGN studios. I'm making the transfer from Nikon to Canon specifically because of that. Thanks
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Awesome guide. You always do great work, always love checking out your pictures.
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How come your photos of progamers have like red eyes?? like they came out of a swimming pool or got maced.
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TL.net says it's april 30th, but in america it's currently the 29th. does the site run on korean time?
On topic: I really admire your passion for esports, something I doubt i'll ever be able to do. Although, i'm thinking about being a transfer student in japan just for the heck of it, so things arn't all bad. Good luck in the future NeverGG!
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Oh NeverGG what would we do without you :D
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 08:25 anch wrote:
How come your photos of progamers have like red eyes?? like they came out of a swimming pool or got maced.
Care to provide some examples? I don't think I've seen a photo of a gamer from me where they have 'red eyes.' Some of them might look a little less than sparkling, but it's not up to me to make sure the gamers take care of their sight.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 08:46 Twilight Templar wrote:
TL.net says it's april 30th, but in america it's currently the 29th. does the site run on korean time?
On topic: I really admire your passion for esports, something I doubt i'll ever be able to do. Although, i'm thinking about being a transfer student in japan just for the heck of it, so things arn't all bad. Good luck in the future NeverGG!
Yeah it's already 9:27am on the 30th for us. How odd. I still find time zones a strange concept - especially when I chat to my Mum back home and it's the middle of the night for her. Go for it - I've only been to Fukuoka three times, but Japan is really interesting. From what I've seen it's super, super clean and there are some really good shops. I had lunch in a lovely little temple garden in the middle of Tenjin's shopping district and there was a woman there with a cat which was behaving like it was a puppy - so odd, but intriguing.
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wow...
NeverGG u r amazing... i wish i could be in korea ritee now =/
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3861 Posts
You know what else? She spends all her OTHER free time photoshopping and making the 800+ pictures she took look pretty for you people. She's a nut. Quite possibly one of the craziest people I know. ^^
PS, With some bribery, I can produce pictures of Neggy.... the ones that the public has never seen before.... >.>
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konadora
Singapore66161 Posts
Hoho, I wonder what kind of bribe people can think of >
NeverGG puts soooo much dedication into her works, very admirable. I'm a photoshop noob 
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 10:35 lilsusie wrote:
You know what else? She spends all her OTHER free time photoshopping and making the 800+ pictures she took look pretty for you people. She's a nut. Quite possibly one of the craziest people I know. ^^
PS, With some bribery, I can produce pictures of Neggy.... the ones that the public has never seen before.... >.>
Hahaha thanks Susie (I think...) And oh God - I hate to think what you have stored on your camera >.<
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Artosis
United States2140 Posts
On April 30 2009 10:35 lilsusie wrote:
You know what else? She spends all her OTHER free time photoshopping and making the 800+ pictures she took look pretty for you people. She's a nut. Quite possibly one of the craziest people I know. ^^
PS, With some bribery, I can produce pictures of Neggy.... the ones that the public has never seen before.... >.>
yep..
gw ur the besT!
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Does the SkyHigh picture in here remind anyone else of Gorax from "The Ewok Adventure"?
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NICE JOB MISSING JAEDONGS FACE IN YOUR DOF LOL
Um seriously though, your shots are great. Keep it up~
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Wow, I have a D700 myself but your photos are just way better than mine . Well done and it's really a good read.
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Thanks so much for this writeup, it was a great read ^_^
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Great read. Thx.
What I realize after reading about pro-gamers and pro-gaming world is that I would probably prefer spending my life cleaning the floor than being a pro-gamer, even a successful one. Seems to be a really hard and somehow completely uninteresting life.
Don't ban me plz, it's just my opinion, kekeke.
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Mexico1178 Posts
On April 30 2009 08:03 NeverGG wrote:Show nested quote +On April 30 2009 00:43 latent wrote:
What do you look like? Any photos of yourself? You know I have to say this question always provokes mixed feelings from me. I find myself having to ask - why is that even relevant? My physical appearance has nothing to do with my photographic skills and I just don't get why anyone feels the need to request photos of me. I'm not pretty like MnM or lilsusie - I don't know if that might affect some people's judgements of me (if it does then I feel sad for them being so shallow.) I'm not here to be 'pretty' or to look good for people - I'm here to take the best photos I can and to bridge that gap between the Korean/Foreign scene. So, I'd kind of appreciate it if people stopped asking for photos - it's just not relevant to my work *at all.*
THEN HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO KIDNAP!?!?!
joking aside, i have seen your face many times.. and im sure EVERYONE else have too (they just need to pay attention)
BTW: im a big fan of your work.. and dont forget you must take me as your assistant when i go to korea =D
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Saint dancing ^^
Great article.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On April 30 2009 20:39 Biff The Understudy wrote:
Great read. Thx.
What I realize after reading about pro-gamers and pro-gaming world is that I would probably prefer spending my life cleaning the floor than being a pro-gamer, even a successful one. Seems to be a really hard and somehow completely uninteresting life.
Don't ban me plz, it's just my opinion, kekeke.
I'm not going to get you banned for something like that! In some respects I actually agree that the life of a progamer isn't all kittens and rainbows. They are separated from their families and friends for the majority of their time and large blocks of practising just don't suit everyone. I think those who have the motivation and dedication to follow such an unusual daily life learn to cope with the down sides of being progamers.
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Really nice article!
Thanks a lot for all your hard work, NeverGG! =)
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interesting.. I didn't know you did that English teaching thing. with this shitty economy I can't find a job in my field so I applied for that. I happen to be a photographer too.. :O
but i dunno if TLers are up for meeting TLers like me in Korea, since I'm not really "active" and part of the "community" xD
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On May 03 2009 06:50 rwong48 wrote:
interesting.. I didn't know you did that English teaching thing. with this shitty economy I can't find a job in my field so I applied for that. I happen to be a photographer too.. :O
but i dunno if TLers are up for meeting TLers like me in Korea, since I'm not really "active" and part of the "community" xD
I've heard a lot of people are struggling to find work/keep work recently. It's times like these that I find it a shame that English teaching here isn't available to more people (you can only teach here if you come from certain countries and hold a University degree.) And of course we are - it's pretty often these days that us tl.netters in Seoul gather - recently more people have been around which is cool.
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ooh, thanks for the response :D
I found this other one called "Travel & Teach" that I'm about to apply to.. they just show up on my campus job database.. so I just googled and there is a ton of stuff. like.. recruiting centers, youtube videos on what it's like, blogposts... I'll have to do some more looking!
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How do the other [Korean] photographers react to you, are you just another person clicking away with a camera or are you treated 'differently' because you are almost always the only foreigner?
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On May 04 2009 02:41 bITt.mAN wrote:
How do the other [Korean] photographers react to you, are you just another person clicking away with a camera or are you treated 'differently' because you are almost always the only foreigner?
I'm treated differently because I work with them behind the press line where fans are not allowed to go. I'm also known as someone who works freelance for IEG (who own eSTRO.) as well as for some other Korean sites and Teamliquid. I am the only foreigner and definitely the only foreign photographer - the only other foreigners working in esports here are Artosis, Tasteless and Puertorican and neither goes to events as often as I do. (Aside from Nick who commentates GOM, but even then he does not attend OGN events at all.)
I also use the press room for non-SC events at OGN and I have used the press room in the past for SC events (but I found I actually prefer not to use it because it means you don't get to see the event itself much due to working on a laptop as well as photographing.) I've been to dinner after several finals with the main Korean journalists (from fomos/Dailyesports and Fifo.) so by now they know me and we always greet each other. None of them speak english (except Sora from Dailyesports and a lot of the Kespa people.) so there's not much communication beyond that unless someone is there to translate for me.
It doesn't matter so much after over a year of working with the OGN and MBC crews that I am a foreigner - people have now seen how hard I work so I feel very at home at both venues - although I tend to focus exclusively upon OGN due to my personal dislike of the set up at LOOX. So, no - in answer to your question - my year of working my ass off means I'm definitely not just 'another person clicking away with a camera.' If I was I wouldn't have anywhere near the opportunities I have now such as special photoshoots with players and backstage access or press pass access to all finals.
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3861 Posts
They know who she is. She gives them a little sumptin' sumptin'.
kek, even *i* can get press passes. Remember that one final when I just walked up and was like, where's the press room, gimme my pass? Haha.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On May 04 2009 10:24 lilsusie wrote:
They know who she is. She gives them a little sumptin' sumptin'.
kek, even *i* can get press passes. Remember that one final when I just walked up and was like, where's the press room, gimme my pass? Haha.
Hahaha - well you did work for GOM; you're way more famous than I am!
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NeverGG have you ever considered picking up the language? I don't know how fluent you are but you said that you can't really communicate with the main korean photographers without a translator...if you did speak Korean, you might land on a more involved job possibly?
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3861 Posts
On May 04 2009 10:28 NeverGG wrote:Show nested quote +On May 04 2009 10:24 lilsusie wrote:
They know who she is. She gives them a little sumptin' sumptin'.
kek, even *i* can get press passes. Remember that one final when I just walked up and was like, where's the press room, gimme my pass? Haha. Hahaha - well you did work for GOM; you're way more famous than I am!
Nah, half the people who work the events have no idea who's who. I'm just another asian face to them.
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NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
On May 04 2009 10:50 AzureEye wrote:
NeverGG have you ever considered picking up the language? I don't know how fluent you are but you said that you can't really communicate with the main korean photographers without a translator...if you did speak Korean, you might land on a more involved job possibly?
I've considered it and I do try to learn when I can, but I've never really had an aptitude for studying (I actually hate it.) or languages. I also feel really tired after my teaching job and often can't focus on much else except watching movies or going out post-work. I will probably at least try to practice my writing and reading in the future. Also on my current visa it's not possible to work as anything other than an English teacher - plus I prefer being freelance because it means I can share my work with the maximum amount of places possible from foreign to Korean sites. So, I'm really not looking to get a full time job working in esports currently.
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EPT![[image loading]](/staff/NeverGG/Miscwork/opening.jpg)
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