Photographer Jeremiah Gilbert is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this street documentary photography. From the project ‘ Busan in Black and White’. To see Jeremiah’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Busan is South Korea’s second-largest city. Located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, it is renowned for its dynamic blend of modern urban life and traditional culture. As a port city, Busan has long been a crossroads of trade and culture, and today it continues to attract visitors for both its economic significance and vibrant atmosphere.

This is especially true of BIFF Square, the cultural heart of Busan’s film and arts scene. Named after the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), this pedestrian-friendly area was renovated in the mid-1990s to coincide with the launch of the film festival, and it has since become a popular destination for movie lovers and tourists alike. The square features handprints of famous international and Korean filmmakers, along with street food stalls, cinemas, and theaters.

While it is filled with color, I find myself drawn to capturing the city in black and while. The city’s restless energy, its stalls alive with movement, and its narrow alleys steeped in quiet history all take on new dimensions when stripped to shadow and light. Black and white distills the city to its essence, allowing texture, shape, and emotion to speak without distraction, and in that distilled language, Busan tells its most candid stories.

Biography:

Jeremiah Gilbert is an award-winning photographer and travel writer. His travels have taken him to over a hundred countries and all seven continents, while his photography has been published internationally and exhibited worldwide. He is the author of four travel books, including Can’t Get Here from There: Fifty Tales of Travel, From Tibet to Egypt: Early Travels After a Late Start, and On to Plan C: A Return to Travel, which documented his return to travel post-COVID and was the first to include his photography. His most recent, Around the World in Eighty Photos, is out now.

All images and text © Jeremiah Gilbert