GX GARNERINGS

Entering a photography contest is as much about winning as testing, hence improving your photographic skills. This is a contest just commences by joint effort of the Popular Photoraphy and Adobe. The Grand Prize winner will be published in an upcoming issue of Popular Photography magazine, recognized on PopPhoto.com , and receive a 2-night stay in New York City for a photo excursion and tutorial with a Popular Photography editor. The Reader's Choice winner will be selected by Web site visitors and recognized on PopPhoto.com. Be sure to come back to view, rate and comment on other submissions! Both the Grand Prize and Reader's Choice winners will receive full copies of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2. In addition, by entering this contest, you will automatically have the chance to win one of five full copies of Photoshop® Lightroom® 2. Contest is open from June 23, 2009 through August 23, 2009 . Three to five images per entry. Click here for more information about the Reader Ch...

^One of the special things about Hong Kong is that you can see lots of tropical cyclones, or locally known as typhoons, in the summer season here. In the urban areas, however, the buildings are so packed that the real strength of the rainstorms and winds is not fully felt. One has to travel to the less developed but equally accessible countryside to get the real taste. So there are places for both laid-back photographers and the more adventruous ones in photographing the inclement weather. Further to the mentioning of the magenta cast on the photo yesterday, here are another example. The shot was taken in the morning where a tropical cyclone had just landed on Mainland China. I was strolling along the beach aimlessly, admiring the clouds being stirred in the sky. It was a bit rainy but the sun managed to shine between the clouds. The clouds were so dramatic to my eye that I decided to take a shot. First I took the shot below, reviewed it and found something wrong. The image sh...

CH Huang* deconstructing Hsu's photography idea (translated by Nevin): SY Hsu’s portrait works are unique in terms of the non-existence of any theme or any articulation transcending photography. His portrait works persistently represents a "friend—beauty" projection of his self and the illusionary relationship onto the image, killing the intermediary optical device. This projection aptly concludes his photographic intentions which precede photographic art per se. Paradoxically, these forerunning intentions are roused by the need of photography and in turn result in the intention to kill the media of photography. No individual subject in Hsu's works is ever epitomised as a certain character in photographic reflection. This is a result of the element of instantaneous flash-back of time present in each of his shutter releases, which, more precisely put, constitutes a micro flash-back in the images outshining the element of "image formation". This feedforeward ...

SY Hsu on photography and his "Strangers" picture album (translated by Nevin): "I always thought that if I managed to photograph somebody often enough, I could never lose them. My photographs are, however, the proof of how much I have lost" – Nan Goldin , contemporary photographer As you start taking the first picture of someting, you are doomed to face the prospect of losing the same. In my recently published picture album, there are all works of mine about the smiles belonging to but me. Almost without knowing it, I have taken pictures of the smiling faces of numerous ladies. But I am ended up with loniness by my side instead of the ladies I have somewhat fancied. The good however best it is will be gone one day. We are obliged to take gain and no gain as the two sides of the coin of reality. Now this side shows, now the other side shows. This is especially true when the "gain" is by way of photography, which impresses the gain and no gain on ...

In several previous posts on selected excellence, I've introduced to readers a young and promising Taiwanese photographer, SY Hsu who is especially talented in portrait works and has won a PX3 title in a worldwide photo contest. I've just got an email from him about the album of his works recently published in Taiwan, which will also be available around the world. The album is in English and Chinese. We'll be taking a peek into his works this week. Meanwhile, the album is for ordering via this site . Regrettably, the site is in Chinese only. In passing, Hsu will earn his master degree in photography a few months later. And, to set the record straight, I am in no way affiliated to him in business. I just admire this self-taught young man for his achievement, and likely greater ones to come.

^These ladies are crossing the street in their own way, which is not the proper way pedestrians are supposed to take I spotted’ em jaywalking in Mongkok! Well, We all get old. This is Sunday. Have a good day!