Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four,  Part Five & Part Six

There is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept. - Ansel Adams

While I certainly am not qualified to debate photography with Saint Ansel, I actually think he could have shuffled things around a bit and come up with a more accurate assessment.   My take would be more along the lines of “There is nothing better than a fuzzy image of a brilliant concept.” Far too often, photographers worry more about sharpness than content in their images.  I most certainly am guilty of this myself.  I have long ranted about an overemphasis on sharpness when it comes to lenses, but it is even more true when it comes to actual photographs.  The sharpness of a photo is rarely directly related to the quality of that photo.

What I am talking about is not blurred photos due to bad technique, or inappropriate shutter speeds, but of photos that are at least partially blurred because of movement in the photo (and sometimes from the camera as well).

What blur does very effectively is to infuse movement into what can’t help but be a still photo.  Once you are capturing movement, you are catching something that is happening, an event, not just a static scene.

Read the rest of this entry »

This shot came to mind while I was on a bit of a photo walk in Taichung yesterday with David Reid, Mark Forman and Todd Alperovitz.  Both the photo and the thoughts are from a few years ago.

You see these paths in many of the parks here in Taipei. They are some rounded, smooth, blackish rock set into concrete. I believe the idea boils down to accupressure; when you walk on them, you stimulate certain nerves and it will cure what ails ya.

In theory, this is all very nice and good, healthy too. In practice, this amounts to a self induced torture. The stones are smooth, but they are sparse enough that they don’t support much of your foot, so when you step down, they put quite a lot of pressure on a small area. Being rocks, they are tough buggers too, nothing soft about their caress. It just hurts like bloody hell, I have never managed much more than about 10 meters before having to bail out. As an insult to my pride, I feel very awkward when walking on this little mounts of hell too. Even though they are laid out in an even height, once you get on them, balance seems to be out of the question. Hence, not only am I in pain, I embarass myself, staggering as though I have downed dozens of beers.

The oddest thing about these areas of torture is that there are actually people who seem to enjoy it. I watched this guy cover hundreds of meters, with far more grace and far less grimacing than I will ever be able to accomplish. I guess my western tootsies are just too tender.

A little over a year ago, I was lucky to come across a celebration at a temple very near my home.  Well, yesterday the blaring traditional horns and explosive fireworks let me know that something was happening again.  Following a short parade, they ended up back at the same temple. I was told they were celebrating the temple’s anniversary; I am not sure why there was year and a few weeks between the events.  I am guessing it is due to following the Lunar Calendar.

This will be a pretty photo heavy post, not really much commentary I need to add.  I will separate the shots between those taken during the performance and those taken in the preparation area backstage.

Read the rest of this entry »

Auto repair shops are quite different here in Taiwan than what I was used to in Canada.  They are much smaller and most importantly, most are centered around around motorcycle and scooter work, as opposed to cars and trucks.  Given the traffic make up of Taiwan, it makes perfect sense.

One shop is pretty much the same as the next.  In front will be a big drum for recycling oil, in and around the shop are enough petrochemicals to soil the environment for years to come.  They are staffed with mechanics with blackened hands and betel stains and there are tools strewn about.  What they all also seem to have in common is they are home to a shop dog.  These dogs are remarkably consistent as well.  Always large of mixed breed, they are, like their owners, covered in a film of lubricants.  Unlike most of though, these dogs are fat and lazy.  You will never see one which is fighting trim and you will rarely see one who will even give a visitor a passing glance; it is just too much work.  Certainly, they are not there for security, as that would require effort on the dogs part.  Mostly they are there for company I guess and to provide a bit of a mascot for the shop.  Being a bit big and lazy my own self, I have always felt a certain affinity to these passive mutts.

Here, I was lucky enough to catch one in action.  When walking past the shop, this fellow actually ambled over to give me a once over sniff.  He seemed curious enough about my camera as well and immediately after the shot was taken, his nose hit my lens, leaving a big smear of dog mucous.  This shot was taken years ago, when I lived in another neighbourhood; the dog was always there, usually sleeping.  Makes me think of making a trip to the old haunts to see if he is still around.

This morning, I had the chance to go see the David LaChapelle exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei.   One of the great things about being in Taipei is that you can see these exhibits for very, very little money.  Admission was only 50nt and you could get a small program for 30nt.  That meant that for less than $3 Canadian, I was able to see a really well laid out exhibit, in a fantastic venue, of one of the most famous photographers in the world today.

LaChapelle was first brought to prominence by Andy Warhol, and like Warhol, he works in lots of mediums and freely borrows from artists of the past.  Here, the inspiration clearly is from Michaelangelo’s La Pietà, with Michael Jackson subbing for Jesus.  As I understand it, LaChapelle never did actually photograph Jackson; I am not sure of how it was created, though photorealism is not a big thing for LaChapelle.

The huge portrait of Andy Warhol was without a doubt the most traditional “photograph” on display.  It was also one of my top three favourite pieces on display.  A simple black and white headshot, shot on large format film, I am sure.  It was really nicely done. At the left, you can see one of LaChapelle’s riffs on Warhol’s famous Marilyn silkscreens.

Read the rest of this entry »