Selected Excellence: Plucking the Heartstrings

SY Hsu, a famed photographer in Taiwan, has been introduced to our readers here, here and here. This time, let's continue from where previously we stopped short of the matter plucking his heartstrings. All photos were taken with Sony DSC S85 and F828.

Photos: SY Hsu
Text: Isa
Translation: Nevin

This is Yan (the pseudonym "Sweetheart" has been used for her photos published) and the photos were done by the guy I am acquainted with since my freshman year, SY.

Although Sweetheart smiles with a delicate aroma of sweetness really, filling the viewer's heart,

I am going to talk about the other one instead of her.

I wish to say something about SY, an admirer falling for Sweetheart head over heels.

I recall that I first knew him when messaging on an online BBS board one day during my freshman year.

He impressed me with a huge sense of humour, which is written on his face too. Around the same time he bumped into Sweetheart.

Heaven knows how many times he had revealed his heart to her but it must be as many as he returned with a broken heart.

That broke his heart, but never could take it out of him (maybe at some point of time it was about to but he just could not let go).

Over the years of this bitter disappointment over love, SY has used his cameras to record the episodes of Sweetheart from her maiden days to womanhood.

It seems to me that Sweetheart opened up his talent in photography.

I know nothing about photography except for rejoicing over a crispy sharp photo. I have never bothered about the techniques or context in photos.

But for every photo he took of her, SY asked Sweetheart how she thought and felt about it.

In fact, I feel deeply about this: you are as silly as courageous. I wish I have the same courage.

The first time he published his works on a photography magazine, he picked the photos taken of her for a pictorial birthday card he gave her.

The first time he published his book, he used the stories between Sweetheart and himself and titled it Strangers.

For his first photo exhibition, he devoted it for Sweetheart.

In the introductionary message for the exhibition, he wrote, "I have made you popular, and made myself your porter."

When I read this I could hold my tears no more....

Speechless, I ached heart for him.

But I think, without Sweetheart, there would not be any chance for a photo exhibition by SY, wouldn't it?

And I think SY being who we see today is only possible with the combination of Sweetheart and himself.

SY, I admire you for your courage and persistence, which I have none.

I long to possess the same in me.

Every time, you give us a surprise.

Thank you, SY.

(Published with courtesy of SY Hsu, and copyrights of Hsu, Isa and Nevin for the respective materials)

New Low Prices

The window shopping some hours ago has almost provoked my AgIDS illness. Just in case you’re in Hong Kong or are coming here, and have the money to burn (All in HK$/ body only): GX200 = $3,280 GRD2 = $3,380 LX3 = $3,180 G10 = $3,280 Prices are available form a gear shop on the 1st floor of the Mongkok Computer Centre. Besides these new low prices, I found that Wing Shing Photo (55-57Sai Yeung Choi St., MK Tel: 2396 6886/ 91-95 Fa Yuen St., MK Tel: 2396 6885) is offering a Sony A700 + Carl Zeiss Lens package for HK$9,980 (hopefully, a bargain will make it some hundreds cheaper).

Final Verdicts: GF2 in Action

(The rest of the GF2 review posts can be found here ) It is widely believed that the GF2 is a paradoxical downward-upgrade version of the GF1. So, after all the discussions of its bells and whistles, how does it perform in reality? First things first. Which or what kind of cameras should we measure the GF2 against for that matter? We believe that potential buyers of the GF2, maybe except for serial fad chasers and the diehard loyalists, are attracted by its smallness in size with a larger sensor to achieve better image quality, especially at ISO 800 or above. However, given the less satisfactory handling with for example just one dial, the GF2 cannot assume the place of a primary camera. Put together, these assumptions suggest that the GF2 is more suited to be used as a backup camera for social and street shots. Let's grill the GF2 on this basis. In the Hand An obvious merit of the GF2 is size. It feels much less bulky in the hand than the GF1 or the NX100, and just lik...

Dressing Up

(Camera: Ricoh GX200) On the street, a group of Chinese tourists are waiting for probably pick-up. With oblivion to the surrounding, this man changes his vest for an unknown reason to the author taking the opportunity to do a snap shot of the scene of an indecent taste. The increasingly common sights, or eyesores considered by some, of people squatting in front of shops or in the thoroughfares, together with more billboards written in simplified Chinese, seem to push this international city towards the Chinese characteristics of the Mainland cities. The other day when the author visited the the aquarium and panda's home in the Ocean Park, there were, among the swamps of tourists, conspicuous signs saying, "Keep Quiet" and "Don't Use Flash". The management of the Park has obviously deployed a much bigger troop of attendants to carry the signs around. On one occasion, one of those attendants was so annoyed that she went up to a tourist and made a big long...

GX GARNERINGS

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