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Korea Herald

Exhibition explores evolution of photography in Korea

An exhibition of some 200 photographs taken in Korea dating back to the late 19th century is running at the National Folk Museum of Korea through July 27. The exhibition 'Say Cheese' explores what photography meant to the photographers and those pictured, according to the state-run museum. The first part of the exhibition, titled 'Changes in Photo Studios,' looks at how photo studios have changed over the years, starting with the introduction of photography by the Japanese in the early 1880s. On display are photos of the Cheonyeondang studio, which opened in 1907. It initially served the royal family and later expanded its services to the general public. The later part of the section explores how photographers and their studios struggled with the disruptive advent of digital cameras, with photos showing the diminishing role of traditional photo studios. 'The Golden Age of the Photo Studio,' the second part of the exhibition, zooms in on the heyday of conventional photo studios from the 1960s to the 1990s. The section features photos of everyday Koreans going to markets, celebrating family events like birthdays and anniversaries, and posing on trips. The exhibition also focuses on the level of artistry photographers sought when developing their photos. Skills like retouching to eliminate scratches and adjusting tone, color, brightness and contrast increasingly mattered as customers looked to sharpen their images, according to the museum. The exhibition comes to an end with a quote from an 80-year-old unnamed photographer: 'This is what I've done all my life. When a customer enters my shop, I can never tell them 'no,' because I'm the only one in this vicinity who does this now.'