In 1930's Paris a young Brassai roamed the streets into the wee hours of the morning trying to capture images that encapsulated the inherent mystery, peace, beauty, and foreboding that define the night.  The sense of intrigue of nightscapes correlates to the fact that everything is different at night, and this is even more so true through the lens of a camera.  There is a notable disparity between the world a camera captures in daylight versus in its stark absence.

For myself, nighttime has been a massive part of my photographic interest over the years.  Interestingly, no matter how much it is always a similar routine of exploring the streets throughout the night, I always seem to find something different and unique.  Hazy darkness, neon lights, and even lanterns all serve to paint subjects in new and interesting ways.  I always have felt that photography is similar to painting with light.  With that in mind, one might go so far as to say that when compared to the palette of paints provided in daylight, night photography allows the photographer to paint with an entirely new and unique pallete of light.

Travelling around Taiwan has been an adventure of a lifetime for me. These frames represent a fraction of the people and places that I have captured with my lens. It is my hope that these frames will serve as a record of their world, even long after we all are gone.

The photos in this video were all taken by myself, David Negard. I also wrote the accompanying musical score, and I feel that it suits my feelings while on these adventures. Enjoy!

The video opening and credits are in Chinese, but the viewer does not need to be able to read Chinese to appreciate the content.

If you like this, please check out more of my work at: alltooreal.com/

兩年多我拍過臺灣的人民生活和風景. 結果不只是這些照片，還是一輩子不會忘記的大冒險. 而且這些照片代表代表一個巨大歷史記錄的一小部分.

音樂都是我寫的。　　照片都是我拍的。

All content is ©2011 David Negard. All rights reserved.

A short film about life and photography, this is a collection of moments from my life.  It is collection of things that inspired me to click the shutter of a camera and make a photographic record, such that the world might some day remember what once was. This video and the photographs and music in it are all Copyright © 2012 David Negard. All rights reserved.

我在台中逢甲拍的照片收集。攝影和聲帶都是我自己的作品。 Copyright © 2013 David Negard. All Rights Reserved.

There is inherent beauty in the variation of the world's religion.  As a cultural photographer it has brought me tremendous joy to document the varied religious beliefs I have encountered, and convey their unique beauty in my photos.  No matter where I am, I am always interested in seeing how the unique imagery afforded in religious variation comes across within the confines of the photographic frame.

The more I have walked along this photographic journey, and grown in my personal relationship with photography, the more I feel that there is a certain silliness in some of these sorts of photographic classifications.  For myself, there is only photography.  Photographs should not be defined by where they were taken, there is only photography.

When I first started taking formal Chinese classes many years ago, my first professor was not only a great teacher of the Chinese language.  She introduced me to many of the amazing cultural aspects of the Chinese.  One thing that has stuck with me throughout all these years was the beauty of the Chinese Opera.

MY first exposure to Chinese Opera was Peking Opera.  I was immediately enthralled by the detail of the costumes and the intricacy of the stories that have been passed down literally forever.

While living in Taiwan for several years, I have always made it a point to get out and see the Taiwanese version of the Chinese Opera.  Every region has its own take on it.

Despite subtle differences between the various regions of Chinese opera, one can always expect to see dazzling performances, interesting story lines, and simply beautiful costumes.

Exposure to the Chinese Opera has been a highlight of my life, and I absolutely am grateful to my first Professor for introducing me to this wonderful art form.  Thanks so much Professor Du.

No matter where I go, I never cease to meet some of the most amazing people it has been my pleasure to encounter.  We may come from different corners of the world and have completely different lives, but I am never too busy to listen to the amazing stories of the people I meet in my travels.  I never feel more alive then when I am out finding these new faces.

The images I create of these faces are based upon a distinct connection appearing in the situation.  Sometimes the connection I make with someone is just an instant.  Sometimes it is long lived.  Sometimes I fail to make an image regardless.

The point of things really though is the experience.  These images are just a fraction of the images I have taken of the faces I have met, and that is just a fraction of the total people I have encountered.  Regardless of whether I capture them with a camera, there stories and hospitality stay with me in my heart forever.  I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them for all the bits and pieces they have contributed to my beautiful journeys.

Ever since I was pretty young, I have been fascinated by electronic music.  I have always found there to be something very mysterious about the virtually limitless possibilities of electronic synthesizers.  Even as a child in the 1980's earlier types of electronic tracks piqued my interest.  This interest has continued throughout the years, and today it still continues with respect to both my love of listening to the work of others, as well as writing my own music.

Throughout the years the performances associated with this type of music have also fascinated me.  The interesting lightscapes and vibe of the venues hosting these events have consistently impressed me, and left me with some great memories.  Equally as wonderful, has been the manner in which the camera can record images in these electronic wonderlands.

2am is a project dedicated to the images I have captured during such events.  If photography is about the way in which an image exposes light, then I could think of no purer way to express this.  The many ways in which light is able to dance in the image truly amazes me, and I feel it is an honest way to convey the energy of these types of environments.

I have devoted a great deal of time and effort into seeing much of my country.  The result has been a unique understanding of the different regions of this vast land.  I have gained a wonderful perspective into my country and its people.  The experiences have allowed me to see many aspects of this great land.  I felt it neccessary to share some of my favorite images here.