All appropriate copyright retained by the photographer. Date of publication 2026.
This section currently being edited.
The Kids Are Alright: An Evening at Songcamp
A Slice of the Underground Scene in Seoul
Originally published to substack
WarptheWarp prior to performance. Photo by Author.
Starting this Sunday off with some Shostakovich and a coffee is a far cry from last night’s basement finale to an underground music show in Seoul called Songcamp. A longer review of the event will come later, yet, to put it simply, it rocked and the stage was filled with talent.It is interesting to find myself in with the old hats these days. Life has a funny way of spitting folks out on the other side of the world.
Various acts take the stage for soundcheck. Photo by Author.
Having long neglected my French speaking practice, I got a few moments here and there to chat with the musicians from Burkina Faso in Korean. They were real cool. With home court advantage, their opening set was a real jam that filled the scene with a vibrancy akin to smashing the glass bottle on a shiny new boat.Yet, one thing also stuck out to me. The kids are alright. They play instruments, they jump around in basement shows, and while the world continues burning as it has for a thousand years… yea… these folks grew up alright.Joyeux noël, or something like that.
(Top) Our hosts, musicians from Burkina Faso, pose for portraits
(Bottom) An 80s rockstar mentors the next generation. Photos by Author.
A charming way to cap out the year, I came early to get the kind of photos I like. It worked and was a nice way to wrap up December. Maybe I’ve got one more event in 2025, I’m not sure. Jeez. Is it really almost 2026?The pure variety of genres made for eclectic listening, but far from being distracting, it felt so fitting. How captivating it is to see musicians from four continents come together in a small show, and how awesome it is to grab access.
(Top) A member of Kaebeehyong peeps out from their prep room
(Bottom) A stacked set list. Photos by Author.
Of course, I must send my thanks to Tasha, who put together an amazing event. It was well-organized and the folks running the show well cared for the minor details that churned out a success. It is always great to see how the haphazardness of warmup and practice sessions turn into the polished event.As always in life, the early bird gets the worm. Thus, I have risen early to push out a few images to let folks roll their social media feeds up in the capital. Of course, I have a lot more editing to do, but perhaps the teaser is sufficient for a few days.Back to the countryside for now, back to the peacefulness of slow life…looking outside, yes, the sober and cold winds are blowing. That all means more Shostakovich is in store now.
Don't be a Chicken, call ahead next time!
Sunday afternoons on the quiet side of town
Originally published in tandem with Full Frame on Medium
Chickens “Tongdalk” on the roaster. Photo by Author.
My eyes have glanced towards the chicken more than thirty times. Always, I mean to stop inside. Finally, it was my chance. The owner smiled as we came and sat down.The shop is small. There are three or four tables for patrons. Eight chickens sit outside rotating in the barbecue. In my memory, I can’t remember if there was a sign. There was, however, chicken. What more sign is needed?By now, I have documented hundreds of restaurants. These are my favorite. Slow-moving, and somewhere you can have a conversation with the workers is a different vibe. A little bit of talk goes a long way to compliment the meal.As a bonus, I never feel too much of a burden when I step around the shop to take some photos. In a busy restaurant, I will stealthily take pictures. Pre-visualization is always key. I have taken some great images in places like that, but they often end up less intimate.
The radio blares some tunes in the background. Photo by Author..
“Auntie, you’re from here?”“Yes, but I’m old enough to have gone to gender-segregated schooling here in town.”She lit up a little bit as we talked, getting comfortable speaking a little more slowly and carefully. Her use of Korean was kind, and she patiently told me complicated things in simplistic language.The menu lists three things available for purchase. Two of them, you have to call in advance to eat. “Call anytime,” she prodded. Twenty minutes for the duck and one hour for the pork neck. It is added to the list for the immediate future.Inside the shop, the radio swung back and forth between Korean classic ballads, rock, and some British rock influence. The subtly fuzzy sound fit the scene. A beer or two down, we were livin’ it up.For a moment, I was reminded of old days. It has been a while since I’ve seen a radio rigged up with a wire to extend the antenna to receive a better signal. That was a throwback. I get the sense auntie uses the radio a lot. Maybe, if I show up at the right time, she will sing along.
Birds wait for customers to take them home. Photo by Author.
Proudly, she presents up the chicken unto the table. She slowly pulls it apart in the way that experienced hands know how to do. Scissors and single-use plastic gloves release a burst of steam. The smell is savory.Rotisserie chicken in Korea is often stuffed with rice. That helps to keep the moisture in the meat over time, I think, as long as it’s done right.This chicken was done properly. Its extended rotating funeral was well executed. A little nub left where the head was, Korean traditional chicken reminds you what it once was. The quiet market, a bit more for restaurants and butcher shops than the produce and fish market across town, is not so busy these days.Still, the kitchen is well used and cared for here. I hear the occasional beep of a takeout order buzzing in; meanwhile, an uncle walks in to buy. The owner tries to persuade him to take a second bird. He laughs; no, he isn’t that hungry today. Smiles exchanged, he is on his way with a bird in his hand.
The kitchen is half-home kitchen and half-industrial. Photo by Author.
It is places like this that remind me of the human side of documentary photography. I am one more for scenes than I am for people or portraits when it comes to documentary photography. My purpose is to document the environments that people reside within and show how those locations respond to habitation.Auntie’s shop opens up into the market. The shop is her kitchen and dining room. You can tell by how comfortably she waltzes into the rest of the market that it is her living room. More than once she disappeared from the stool between the radio and the register to go chat with someone somewhere else.Life becomes easier in these spaces once you know the rules. I get up and grab a beer out of the cooler for us. In a place like this, trust still exists between the customer and store owner. Without knowing those rules, maybe I would be annoyed that auntie is off chatting somewhere else. Knowing the rules, we sat comfortable and unattended, slowly eating our dinner.Soon, she returns and starts asking me all sorts of questions. When did I get here, why do I speak Korean well, and so on. Perhaps, I think to myself, she really was off gossiping with the folks next door. In these quiet spaces, gossip goes a long way. These were the questions she could not answer.
A flower sits over the empty seats as we leave. Photo by Author.
When shooting such small scale documentary photography, I know a trade happens. Spending money is one half of the equation, but I need to give them the kindness back that they give me as well. While I am going to write up about the food, I know she will go tell somebody else about it from her perspective. The interaction is not one sided and I answer back the questions as well as I can.These areas are changing. There is no doubt about it. However, I have decided to change my perspective this year. No more decrying the decay of the past. I have decided to see this as a constant and conclude my years of fretting over losing the past. I shall instead celebrate it while it is still here and embrace the future well.Staying more positive in the depth of winter only seems helpful. Walking out of the market and back home, I see the neighborhood in a different light. Not only is the sun setting, but another few stores don’t turn on any lights. They have gone out of business, too.Contrasting with the shops whose windows have been blown out, trash strewn across the floors, large cranes cut into the twilight sky. Soon, in a season or two, the big apartment buildings will cross the river.
The shed behind the shop. A world of countryside back-alleys contrasts the high rises. Photo by Author.
When they do, I hope these folks who held on so long are rewarded with an influx of new customers. I hope the market is here in 2035. I already plan to be an old guy who says, “You know what used to be here, right?”Yet, these days, I see it more positively. The seed must break open to create beautiful new flowers, consuming the former life that enriched the soil.
Seoul Fashion Week and Editorial Gallery
Here, There and Everywhere
Various published and unpublished images, all featured here outside of any exclusionary agreements with publishing institutions.
Contact and Assignment
Available for assignment near and around Seoul, South Korea. Contact with proposal and rates.
Hayden (Hanz) Thomas Uihlein
Photographer and Historian
2026
Guide to Unique Photography (GUP) Fresh Eyes Prize Recipient. Paris, France
Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) "Working Class Trees," in The Message Exhibition. Gimpo, South Korea
Sobremesa Vol.6 "Dirt", Contributing Photographer. California, USA
Revoke Collective "Defiance," Contributing Photographer. Print. Melbourne, Australia.
Things Born in the Wind - 바람에서 태어난 것이다. Author and Photographer. Print. 2026. South Korea
BleachFilm Magazine, "Late Joseon Hanbok Dreams," in Diversity as Art. May 2026 ed. Chicago, USA.
Photobastei Zurich. "굿나잇 구미 : Goodnight Gumi," in Journal: The Exhibition: Fotozinegarten, Spring 2026, Zurich, Switzerland
17:23 Fashion Magazine. "Retrofantasy in Hongdae," in no. 199, March 2026. Kiev, Ukraine.2025
1994 Magazine. "Myth of the Gumiho," in vol. 18 Matilda. November 2025. Mexico City, Mexico.
Korean Image Archive. Then and Now: Pairing Kodak 5242 with the Archives. Collaborative Photographer.
Invited Guest at Negative Influence Podcast, USA.
Raamat Fashion Magazine. "Seoul Fashion Week 2025, Summer Rain," in Fall no. 3, October 2025. Paris, France.
17:23 Fashion Magazine. "Old Town Girl," in no. 155, November 2025. Kiev, Ukraine.
B.Sch. Foundation Scholarship Award for Excellence in Global History
R.Mcg. Foundation Scholarship Award in Communications2024 and before
Full Frame Invited Writing Contributor
Scholarship for Excellence in the Humanities
University Memorial Prize in Philosophy
The Department Prize in Philosophy
International Baccalaureate (IB) Educator of Distinction AwardEducation
B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Philosophy and Critical Theory
M.A. in History. (in-progress, 2027)Language Competencies
English (Native)
Korean (Advanced)
American Sign Language (Advanced)
Spanish (Low-Intermediate)