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)

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

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).

Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

GX GARNERINGS

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