This is a new building for a big chain bookstore in Taipei. I just can’t get enough pictures of it. I love all the patterns it presents.
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Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: Week 40
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: Week 40
Have you seen any seed this blue? There are blue seeds in there, trust me. 😉 I have no clue what plant this is.
Posted in Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge, photo
15 Comments
Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Lights
Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Lights
Every winter, Somerby Golf Club would lit up this tree. Every time I was there, I just kept looking at it…
bright tree at Somerby Golf Club
Have you seen a LED kite? First time I saw it, I was in Taipei. My friend and I couldn’t figure out what we saw. When I visited Tainan, I was lucky enough to see an old man flying his LED kite. If you look at the light in sideway, you may be able to tell it was a man riding a bike.
old man and his LED kite
Posted in Cee’s Black & White Challenge, photo
10 Comments
Photographing — I got it now
This is not me, but I am smiling and happy just like her…
I want to thank all of you for your encouragement and support. Life would be quite struggling without awesome people like you!
Tree said, “Although I too want to learn more technical shooting, I think sharing our hearts and creativity with others is so much more important.
Each time we share a creative piece of writing or creative photo we put a little piece of ourselves out into the world!!”
Cee said (in her email), “What makes my photography special (and yours) is that we see from our heart and soul and capture people (especially you) and thing (me) in a unique and special way”
I carve these wisdom words into my heart.
When I decided to start photographing, like many other beginners, I read many articles I found online and watched many photographing videos. I learned (whatever the amount I was able to absorb) about lights, compositions, taking head shots, taking better landscaping photograph, photographing at wedding… I know I have a passion for photographing, but I had no idea what I really liked to do with that passion.
I started following many photographing blogs. I paid attention to what excited me. I saw several amazing landscape photos and thought I would give it a try, but even though I was excited when I saw other photographers’ landscape photos, I was never excited with my own. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reproduce the magnificent feeling I had at the shooting spot. Worse yet, I felt something was missing. It took me a while to figure out that what was missing was my heart. I am not a landscape photographer after all.
My heart was not in portrait photography. Not in flowers… Where could it be? I couldn’t get it. Why is it so hard to understand myself? It’s me, isn’t it?
When I first get to know street photographing, I was very excited. It became more and more clear to me that I am interested in catching candid moments. I particularly interested in either people’s expression or something I call a piece of art. With that knowledge, I moved to the next phase: I wanted to be as good as those street photographers I had admired for so long.
Well, let me jump to the conclusion: (1) You guys are so kind! You’ve helped me to learn something about myself! I can’t thank you enough! (2) Tree, Cee, and all of you were right. I am unique in my own way, and I should be satisfied (and happy) with that. And I am (I just didn’t know it.)
Now my new goal is: “be as good as I can”, not “be as good as you are” ;-). (What a relief! Ha!)
THANK YOU!
Posted in photo, photo and thoughts, Street Photographing
67 Comments
Some Street Photos from Taiwan
Have you read Lignum Draco’s “Just for fun” — the best of his worst candid street photography?
Embarrassedly, I admit that his worst is far better than my best. I think it’s my arms. Maybe I should get a pair of steady artificial arms. I honestly don’t think it’s my camera. Could it be… being a photographer means you should stop enjoying wine? Hmm… I don’t know, but to be honest, I am getting to the point that I don’t really need to know. (By the way, one thing on my bucket list is to be able to follow someone like Lignum for a half day photo shooting. That will be my next workshop, I guess.)
Maybe you have sensed (or not) that I have sort of given up becoming a “photographer”. No, I am not giving up because I don’t want to put in efforts to learn. It’s just that there are too many good photographers around (Yes, I am talking about you, you and you.) and I enjoy seeing your photos more than seeing my own. Of course, this doesn’t mean I will stop photographing. To the contrary, I will continue taking photos and asking questions, but I will focus more on “storytelling”, and catching some emotional moments.
With that big statement (an excuse?) written in black and white, I would like to share with you some street photographs I managed to take in Taiwan. All in a hurry except that sleeping man.
1. I was riding a train to Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan and this girl sat across the aisle from me. I heard a conversation between her two feet. 😉
2. There wasn’t any eye contact between the nun and the two women. I wonder if it was out of respect or people just don’t know how to say hi to someone who is somewhat different from them.
3. Ali mountain train station was very crowded. I was happy to see this woman walk away from her friends. I almost can read her mind from her face expression! “I feel exactly the same,” I would like to say to her.
4. He looked so comfortable. I wanted to wake him up. “Hey, it’s my turn now!”
5. I save this to the last. This photo haunts me.
Hope you enjoy these photos. I do have a question… I usually save my photos in low-quality before posting on my blog because I don’t like long “loading” time. Do you guys do the same? Thanks in advance!
Posted in photo, photo and thoughts, Photo Question, street photo
59 Comments
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Joints and/or Things You Enjoy
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Joints and/or Things You Enjoy
V and her playmate
Grandpa is her playmate. There is a natural connection between the two.
I would like to clean up the background, making it lighter or darker, but it’s not as easy as I thought. 😉
Posted in Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, photo
20 Comments
Happy Thanksgiving!
Maokong Sunset
Here is a picture of the sunset at Maokong, Taipei. Thanks to my dear friend who took me there. It was an unforgettable moment… for many reasons.
For those landscape photographers who visit this blog and whose work I admire, I wish you were there taking this photo. For now, you just have to use this photo combining with your imagination. Lots of imagination, I guess. 😉
A taxi driver, believe it or not, suggested me to do some writing in Chinese. So I started a Chinese blog to practice Chinese, which I am not good at all at this time. For those of you who may be interested (anyone read Chinese?), you can find my Chinese blog here: hhwchen.wordpress.com
To be honest, I am not sure how well it will work since it does take much longer to write in Chinese than in English. I want to give it a try, that’s about it. Since I am pretty good in deleting blogs now, I don’t think I have a lot to worry about. (Right?)
This is the first Thanksgiving that my daughter (our chef!) is away from home. I don’t have a great expectation for food, but the wine will be good. 😉
I have a lot to catch up on your blogs, and I will.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted in photo
13 Comments
I am back… sort of…
Thanks for all the good wishes for my trip. When Cee said, “Just have fun and relax. Don’t make it complicated”, I didn’t quite get it. But when Lignum said, “Just relax, and have fun. Otherwise, it is not worth it” I felt like someone had hit my head with a 2 by 4. He was right (Cee, too). I read Lignum’s message when I was in Minneapolis airport, and almost wished that I didn’t bring my camera along. But by then, I had taken several photos already and here I will share one of them with you.
Waiting game
We got back on Nov. 11, after spending 26 hours flying and waiting at airports. When I was in Taiwan, other than the friends I always visit when I go back, I met 9 people whom I haven’t seen or talked to for 40 years. Arriving home, I was physically and emotionally exhausted.
It turned out bringing a camera was a good thing. I found out that hiding behind the viewfinder provided me a little time to rest (mentally). The day before I came back, I purposely went to the market doing some street photographing, hoping it would help me to readjust my life back home.
woman selling beanspouts
The day after I came home, Nov. 12, is my daughter’s birthday. It is also the day my sister Karin passed away (a year ago). I relived the moment welcoming my daughter to the world. I still remember the joy of hearing her first cry. I also spent time thinking of my sister, how much I’ve missed her. The happiness and sadness came from two different channels. They didn’t seem interfere each other, but again, I was exhausted. Now I wasn’t even sure it was exhaustion or depression. They seemed carrying similar attributes. (Thanks Lois for welcoming me back. I wanted to post something, but I was mentally busy 😉
I am leaving again tomorrow to visit my nephew, who has a new baby in Oct. My grandnephew, that is! I am sure I will bring my camera this time 😉
I want to end this post with 3 photos. I am not a landscape photographer. Someone once said, “There are many great landscape photographers around. They took better landscape photos than I do, so I don’t have to become one.” I am totally with her. So, I am not sharing these photos with you because they are great photos. What I want to share is my experience: When I stood in front of those mountains, when I walked in the woods, I became a part of this universe and was no longer Helen Chen. I was trouble free and content. I am sure many of you would understand what I mean when I say: I was bigger than me in those moments and felt great.
Ali Mountain
Ali Mountain2
The last photo comes with a question: would you get rid of those light circles (reflection from the lens, right?) or leave them there?
Ali Mountain3
Thank you all!
Away
I’ll be away for 3 weeks. I don’t think I will have a chance to read your post during this time (I may glance ;-). The good thing is that I will have plenty of time to practice photographing including photographing at a wedding. No, I am not their wedding photographer. No stress, just play 😉
I am sitting here tonight trying to remember everything you have told me… take time, look around to find a better spot, don’t just click, look from different angle, don’t chimp, photograph with meaning, tell stories… I am anxious to give it a try. And I can’t wait to come back showing you what I get.
Happy writing /photographing!
Posted in photo, photo and thoughts
17 Comments
HHC Blog 