回憶 / Recollection

生活的環境,經驗和背景會影響我們的個性和想法。我常常在想是什麽因素讓我有現在的思想。一定是很多因素合作才讓我有今天的自己。

攝影來説的話，多年來為了找尋照片的意義及照片是否有趣的理由，因此鼓勵我一直拍照，結果收集了很多照片。每一個照片背後都有自己的故事，就像是自己腦海裡的記憶。

我去拍照的時候都會碰到許多境遇。常常好像是以前曾經碰到過的境遇。雖然每一次去拍照都可以獲得新的攝影經驗，但有時感覺好像我以前曾經遇到過這些境遇或時刻。境遇的光線，可以觸及自己的記憶，讓我有一種似曾相識的感覺。

從我開始攝影前我也有這樣的感覺，但不是因爲拍照，是因為記憶。現在我還是常常有這樣的感覺，也就是説就算我遇到一些不同的境遇或情況，但還是有一點像以前的記憶。也許是說儘管不一樣的地方不一樣的人，可是還是有一些因素是似曾相似的。因此可以說我們生活的事會互相連接。誰知道意義是什麽？

以此類推，可以說攝影就像生活。我們現在遇到的境遇跟以前的記憶會有関係，同時拍的時刻也會有同樣的關係。因此可以說我們對生活的了解和對攝影的了解是有相互關係嗎？如果花時閒了解生活就會比較了解攝影嗎？可以透過對攝影的了解開始了解生活嗎？如果是的話，就可以說這兩者之間相互提供洞察的眼光。

Inevitably, in this world, we bring with us a host of experiences that change who we are, that made us whom we are today. I often times think back to how it is that I came to be the person that I am now. So many things had to come together for me to be doing what I am doing, to be who I am.

Photographically speaking, for years on end now I have been fascinated with the idea of putting four simple edges around a situation and finding meaning or interest in it. This fascination has led me to continually pursue that endeavour, and over time I have accrued images, similar in some ways to the memories in my mind. Each image brings with it a certain circumstance or chance behind its creation.

I find myself, on the streets, with a camera. Surrounding me are all sorts of situations taking place. I have seen many of them before. As fresh as the photographic experience is everytime that I am out there, In some ways, I feel as though I continually relive things; a particular look, particular lighting, whatever it may be. Moments appear, disappear, reappear. Life is like that. Photography is like that.

Long before I spent so much time using cameras to make images, I had similar experiences with memories, and still do. It seems that often times in this world that we relive experiences. Maybe the cast of characters changes, but somehow there exists an inherent connection between moments in our lives. There is a certain relationship that serves to link events in our lifetime, that brings us throughout life, with connections to the past, present, and future. The meaning of it all likely supersedes the knowledge of all humanity, but the simple existence of such connection alone perhaps provides for its own meaning.

With this in mind, I once again reflect back on photography, on my experiences capturing light to illuminate the moments presented to me. There is a connection between those moments. In this way photography is somewhat a microcosm of life itself. Perhaps tomorrow there will be joy or sadness on the streets we walk? Maybe three centuries ago similar moments occurred. The difference lies in the fact that here we are today, with cameras, able to in some sense capture an essence of the atmosphere around us.

In the same way that we have connections in our mind between experiences of the here and now, and experiences of the past, so to do our photographs offer such inherent connections. Perhaps one individual photograph in itself could present a viewer with endless meaning? Yet over time, and combined with memories from life itself, photographs begin to exhibit endless amounts of interesting connections. In this way, individual photographs and photography in general are incredibly relevant to life itself. Perhaps one can help provide a certain level of insight into the other?

何處之美？ / Where Can One Find Beauty?

每一個地方都有美麗的。必須看的比較深才可以觀察。我常常去一些沒那麽有名的地方。盡然如此我的經驗就是必須看比較詳細就可以找到很美的東西。

景點的攝影機會很豐富。但是在尋常的地方找美麗的細節就可以讓自己更愉快。而且會靈感自己的創意或幫自己得到安靜感覺。

不知道爲什麽我喜歡注意細節。也許是因爲我是一個外國人在不同的國家。我不是那麽確定。可是我還是喜歡注意每一個地方的微妙美麗。

在沒人注意的或是忘記的，還是可以找美麗。這些東西跟很厲害一樣的重要。如果偶爾欣賞一些厲害的東西，可是平常沒注意到每天遇到的微妙美麗真可惜。因爲是這個平常遇到的微妙美麗讓我們世界那麽厲害。

There is beauty all around us, if we only look deep enough. Often times I find myself visiting places that perhaps are not obviously interesting or beautiful. Yet, it is my experience that as I begin to pay attention to detail, I then can begin to discern beauty in subtlety.

Photographic opportunity abounds in special scenic spots or places of interests. Yet there is a certain reward in being able to extract beauty from the simple details in everyday places. Through such extraction, one may inspire his or her own artistic creativity, or at the very least gain a certain sense of serenity or joy from such an endeavor.

Perhaps for myself, an attention to detail is born from the fact that I am often times a stranger in a strange land. Although am not really certain as to the reason, I do enjoy appreciating the subtleties that I come across these days.

We can find beauty in things overlooked, or things long forgotten. They are just as important as the grandiose objects that immediately catch our attention. For what is the sake of praising a single object of beauty from time to time, while turning a blind eye to the endless subtlety that makes the world such an amazing place?

旅程 / A Journey

每一次搭公車、火車時我都會注意窗外的風景。每一站看起來都不同。有的看起來很有趣，有的很無聊，有的很漂亮，有的很難看。有時我會下車漫步，如果走太遠時，我會搭上不同的公車線，繼續我的旅程。

生活就像搭公車一樣可以注意窗外的世界。常常需要很快決定是否下車。如果決定不下車繼續前往下一站，世界就會改變。可是如果下車的話，說不定我們未來可以坐回同一條路。

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost，1915

Whenever I find myself on a bus or a train, I often times will watch the outside world go by. Continually the scenery will change. Sometimes it might boring, sometimes it might be interesting, sometimes it might be beautiful, sometimes ugly. Often times I will decide to disembark and walk around. If I wander too far, I will many times, continue my journey on a different bus line, etc.

I think it is similar to life. We constantly watch the world go by. Often times we are forced to make split-second decisions regarding whether or not we should head in a new direction even if just for a period of time. If we wait too long then the situation will change, and the opportunity may disappear, yet if we head in that new direction, it is difficult to say if one can ever return to his or her present course, and thus will also inevitably involve sacrifice.

晚上 / Night

怎麽表示一個都市的本質和氣氛？白天讓我們受到一個影響，可是晚上的感覺是完全不同的。如果想要完整的記錄一個都市就一定需要拍晚上的照片。晚上的風景，生活，與氣氛都很特別。而且拍照的方法和照片的感覺都是跟白天不同。

差不多1930年在法國巴黎一個攝影師Brassai常常花晚上遊蕩拍照。他會派巴黎的夜生活和風景。結果就是一個獨一無二的都市記錄。到現在Brassai的照片讓我們有辦法觀察一個消失的世界,1930年代的巴黎晚上。他的作品對攝影的歷史和法國歷史真重要。

我真的喜歡他的作品。也許是因為我也喜歡拍晚上的照片。我好多年記錄紐約的晚上。現在記錄台灣的。想要記錄台灣的晚上。

“Night does not show things, it suggests them. It disturbs and surprises us with its strangeness. It liberates forces within us which are dominated by our reason during the daytime.” -Brassai

How does one go about expressing the intrinsic character and essence of a city? Daytime allows one to receive a certain impression about a place, but night brings an altogether completely feel. If one wishes to really document a city, then photographing the city nights is nearly mandatory.

The scenery, life, and atmosphere of the night are extremely special. Additionally, photographic techniques and the feel of the photos are entirely different from daytime.

During the 1930’s in Paris, France, a photographer by the name of Brassai would often times spend his nights roaming the streets in search of photographs. His photographs captured the scenery and nightlife of Paris at the time.

The result was an unmatched photographic record of the city. Even today, Brassai’s photographs allow viewers a chance to appreciate a world gone by, the world of the 1930’s Parisian nights. His photographs are highly relevant both in terms of photographic history and French history.

I have a deep appreciation for his work. Perhaps it is because I also enjoy photographing at night. For many years I captured the New York City nights. Now, I am often trying to photograph the night in Taiwan，trying to record the Taiwanese nights.

The Future

Life keeps moving into the future. Like it or not that is a reality. Such realities continually cause me to think about my own life, my priorities, and goals.

I think of the things that i have learned over time, and the things i have yet to learn. All these serve as a reminder to me to keep going , keep believing in my dreams, keep believing in myself. This world we live, well, it is a great and amazing place. I never stop believing that.

I have met so many amazing people along the way. I won’t ever forget any of them. All of them helped make me whom and I am today.

In between it all have been hundreds of thousands of miles of adventure, whether on foot, by car, or plane. It has simply been, and continues to be an amazing journey.

As we all move into the future, I hope to continue to write about my adventures here. I hope to continue to share my thoughts and expression. Sometimes I will share it in Chinese, sometimes I will share it in English, sometimes both. Please realize, sometimes things do not have the same feel in a different language, or I simply prefer to write in one or the other. I am not a big fan of hollow words, and thus I would not want to waste people’s time with anything less than heartfelt sentiment.

My deepest thanks to all the kind words people have sent me over the recent months and years. I really appreciate it. Thanks to all for your continued interest. See you in the future.

一天去溪頭森林玩

我兩個禮拜前去溪頭森林遊樂區，這是我第一次去溪頭玩。我是從台中高鐵站搭台灣好行的接駁車到哪裡，溪頭距離台中高鐵站不遠，大概一個小時左右。台灣好行的公車都很方便而且很乾淨。

溪頭真是很熱鬧的地方，我本來不知道會有那麽多人，儘管如此還是可以享受那邊的新鮮空氣和美麗風景。森林的前面的妖怪村有很多商店和餐廳，可以買東西或吃飯。而且有一些漂亮的民宿可以住，我是當天來回，所以我不知道民宿怎麽樣。

雖然那天一直下雨，我還是可以愉快的玩。下雨讓溫度比較舒服而且空氣更好。喜歡拍照的我從來不帶雨傘，那天也許是一個大的錯。

大部分的人覺得下雨天是不好的情況拍照。其實我的經驗不同，我覺得在下雨天拍照讓照片更有氣氛，也許是因為下雨適合我的拍照方式。

當天我是跟一個朋友去哪裏，我們先在妖怪村逛街然後再進去溪頭森林遊樂區裡。進出森林的票大概兩百元左右，學生和老人還可以打折。

森林區跟妖怪村商家林立的氣氛完全不同。溪頭裏面的人比較少，所以安靜許多。這個地方我非常喜歡，可以走很多小的路，真是讓一個人變安靜，思緒變的很清楚。

因爲這個的感覺，讓我可以拍到我想要的照片。我一直覺得攝影的結果和自己的思想真配合。那天舒服的感覺影響了我的照片。這是一個攝影的特性，照片常常會反映拍照時的思想。

在那邊拍了一些森林小路，因爲天氣的關係，霧特別多，這樣我覺得是很好的機會拍照。拍了那些路好像代表人類的生活，我們走的路一直轉，常常沒辦法看到前面的未來情況，有時候比較容易走，有的時候卻比較難。

之後來了一場暴雨，所以需要馬上回家，可是我非常開心今天去過溪頭。溪頭真是一個很美的地方，可以讓自己休息一下，在森林裏面感覺完全沒有壓力。世界上可以享受那麽舒服的環境的地方真的很少。

我建議大家去那裏玩。溪頭的風景真的很美麗。雖然距離城市不遠，那邊還是可以享受台灣深山裏的感覺。台灣好行的接駁車很方便，建議去溪頭的人帶支雨傘。如果想要拍照人也應該準備適合的器材，避免發生設備問題。

不管是去那邊拍照，玩，或休息，溪頭的環境很好。可以先去妖怪村買東西吃飯，然後再進去森林爬山看風景。溪頭真是特別的景點!

Greatest Photographers: Garry Winogrand - Master of Simplicity

One of the most influential street photographers of all time is Garry Winogrand. His work helped to define street photography in his time and still continues to be relevant even to this day.

One of the aspects of Winogrand that always interested me, was his no nonsense attitude about photography. While so many people try to find answers behind great photographs in the photographers intentions or equipment that was used to take the picture, Winogrand did not subscribe to this philosophy. Garry Winogrand famously discussed how one never should ask questions of a photograph. He simply chose to go about his days out on the street capturing amazing photographs and disregarding the rhetoric of his critics.

Perhaps then, it is this free style that gave Winogrand such a distinct vision? So many photographers choose to obsess over equipment or philosophy, but not Winogrand. This is worth noting, as Winogrand is noted as taking some of the most famous photographs in the history of street photography, and photography in general.

Winogrand’s photographic adventures took him across the United States, from New York to Los Angeles. Yet, no matter where Winogrand chose to photograph, All of his photos exhibited the same indescribable qualities that made Winogrand so famous. Indeed, there is always a certain intangible quality to his image is, that that makes his images relevant in terms of both content and form.

Garry Winogrand was one of America's most famous photographers, and his work still stands among the top even today. Winogrand proved that passion can be one of the most important elements when it comes to taking great photographs. He did not allow questions to get in the way of his photography. He simply went out and photographed the world around him, capturing things that interested him photographically. In our modern and complex world, where we continually look for more advance techniques to improve photography, we can certainly learn a lot from his simple approach. After all, it was this simple approach that led to him making some of the most visually deep,complex, and stimulating street photos to this day.