Joseph Nicéphore Niépce-View from the Window at Le Gras

1826 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce-View from the Window at Le Gras

     Blurry as it may seem, it is actually the  photograph that has survived to today. The milestone picture was shot by a French scientist in his hometown out of his windowsill as a experiment of his invention in 1826.

     People have always wondered how light works and if we could store the image we see. Mo Ti (墨翟) was thought of as the first person to have found the the principle of  pinhole camera (針孔相機). Later there were famed scientists such as Aristotle that were also curious about the mechanism carried on the work. And there was Da Vinci, who made use of camera obscura (暗箱), but only on painting.

camera obscura

    What followed was more serious work, on how to preserve the image established by the light, then how to last the image longer. Chemists tried out several compounds, first silver chloride, then in between many different ones with pros and cons. This process took place in 19th century, and the World's Exposition really took the invention into the public. People from the middle class who couldn't afford the frightening price of oil painting turned to photography.

     Pictures of black and white just wasn't good enough, later inventions claimed the era of colored photographs. Then there were digital cameras and films. Below is the very first picture in color taken by Maxwell. The photograph was shot several times in order to collect the different colors, mainly composed of color red, blue, and green.

 James Clerk Maxwell 

 1957 Russell Kirsch-The First digital Scanned Photograph 

1825 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, The Father of Photographs

     The invention of photography indeed had a great impact on we human beings. Not only did it change our way of living in some ways, but it also broadened our horizons considering the news from abroad. If it were not for the technique of photography, we could have led a rather information-lacking lives. Make good use of it and be grateful to those who devoted their lives to this!

     Although it doesn't quite match my contents, I strongly recommend you to see the film HUGO. In this lovely film, it gives you a brief but fascinating introduction of the first film ever made. Have a look of it!

For more information, go to:

http://listverse.com/2009/01/13/top-10-incredible-early-firsts-in-photography/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_photography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collodion_process

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-photography/niepce-first-photo/

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-photography/color-tartan-ribbon/

Pictures from:

wikipedia

"Camera Obscura in Use" by The Bearded Man - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camera_Obscura_in_Use.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Camera_Obscura_in_Use.JPG

391 words in total

STRONGER - THE SUNFLOWER MOVEMENT

     It was Tuesday, as I clearly remembered, when the day the movement broke out.

     On March 18th, 2014, Taiwanese, mostly college students, occupied the Legislative Yuan in order to block the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement from passing in only a ridiculous period of 30 seconds.

     As you may not know, the protest against the agreement had last for over a year, however, it had never been taken seriously until one legislator past the agreement in a chaos on purpose. People on the Internet or, more precisely, on Facebook and ppt, gathered instantly at the Legislative Yuan at midnight and successfully rushed into it regardless of the police's attempt to stop them.

     The non-cooperation took place at once, including occupying the Legislative Yuan and the streets near it, the angry people called for the government to face the problems the agreement might bring about. However, the government remained silent, not only did they ignored the popular discontent(民怨), but also propelled the silent majority to blame on those who put aside their academics and work to participate in this movement. 

     On March 23rd, the grievances again broke out, some of the people made an attempt to occupy the Administrative Yuan. Nonetheless, their attempt did not succeed, instead, it turned out to be a bloody night.

     The police first drove away the media, and then started beating the people, again mostly college students, who were barely armed, with baton(警棍), when they could have just dragged them away.

     The evacuation aroused all kinds of comments from the public, criticisms and applause alike. In spite of this, however, the government still did not give any explanation to the agreement, which made the people attending the movement even more raged. A week later, the people already in the movement launched a demonstration on March 30th. By official figures, there were estimated 116 thousand people in total, while 500 thousand people estimated by the organizer.

     There was struggle for the people in the movement to decide whether they should wait until the government face the questions or not since the occupation had led to the shut-down of much public transportation. On April 10th, after a bit compromise of the government, the people finally made the tough decision and gave back Legislative Yuan to the legislators, promising that they would not halt fighting against the agreement until it could be carefully examined by the public.

     The movement was quoted the Sunflower Movement after it broke out, for someone accidentally lay some sunflowers in the Legislative Yuan. The unbending flower soon became the symbol of the movement. Just like the beautiful flower suggests, the movement also showcased the unbending spirit of Taiwanese and the forever pursuit of democracy.

     I believe that some  of  you might wonder what this event has to do with my topic, photography. But as I have mentioned in the very first post, photographs have so much to do with our daily lives. Take the Sunflower Movement for example, if there were not the photographs sent out on the spot, many people wouldn't have been aware of the serious event.

     Here I would like to recommend some of the websites I browse often to learn the news. There are 新聞e論壇, newtalk, and a website designed especially for the movement, Democracy at 4am.

     Most of you must have heard the theme song of the Sunflower Movement in Taiwanese version, so I would like to introduce you the English version sang by Sherry Cheng(鄭雙雙), and also the Taiwanese version as a comparison.

     At last, I would like to show you one of my favourite quote that I saw on the spot.

Pictures found from Google.

Figure information from wiki.

618 words in total

THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL: WHAT FOLLOWS

     Last week I introduced to you the brief idea of the background history of Berlin Wall, and this week I want to keep track of the wall remains today.

     Sadly enough, the wall remains were not finely reserved and most of them were severely damaged and destroyed. Nonetheless, there were some that survived and made it to now.

     The pictures above were some of the collection in at the East Side Gallery in Berlin, which claimed the longest segment of the Berlin Wall of all, in a total length of 1316 meters. In 2009, the East Side Gallery underwent a top-to-toe renovation, in order to preserve the historic legacy. However, the preservation also had the controversies arise. Some artists' pieces were damaged and then recovered without the artists' permission, which drew a lot of criticism. The picture below was one of them.

     The people in the painting was  Lenoid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker, the former the leader of the Soviet Union and the latter the leader of the East Germany.

     Let aside the controversy, there are still other intriguing facts about the remained segments. Check this link to find all the Berlin Wall sections are currently. Noticed that Taiwan also has one as well? The section lies in the garden of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (財團法人臺灣民主基金會). It was donated to Taiwan in 2009, the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

     There are still other interesting sites that store the remains, such as the Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, the US.

     Or even the oddest, in a men's room in Las Vegas. But don't panic! As the walls are intact and nicely protected by a layer of glass.

     As I once wondered, how come those remains were so seemingly intentionally painted and scattered around the world. The answer lies in a project launched by the Wende Museum in Berlin, which owns most of the segments and store them at the West Side Gallery, which I have mentioned before. The museum gave rise to the wall project, and welcome famed artists from all over the world to paint the walls. The wall project took place in 2009, exactly the twentieth anniversary. Today, we don't need to travel by plane or cost a lot to see one of those remains, thanks to the project we have gained easy access to these memorable legacy.

     The attached video of ABC News recorded the very moment when people who are finally free could cross the borders between the east Germany and the west Germany. Soak in the ecstasy for yourself.

     At last, I would like to show you one of my favourite segments, here it quotes:

For more information, go to:

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/08/travel/berlin-wall-locations/

http://www.tfd.org.tw/opencms/chinese/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilshire_Boulevard

http://www.wendemuseum.org/collections/berlin-wall-segments

https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2014-featured-story-archive/a-look-back-25-years-since-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.html

The list of the Berlin Wall segments:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Berlin_Wall_segments

The wall project of the Wende Museum:

http://www.wallproject.org/

Attribute to the photographers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery

The East Side Gallery:

http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.de/data/eng/index-eng.htm

458 words in total

Gerard Malie - THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL

Peace, Love, REUNION

Gerard Malie - THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL

      1989,11,9 marked the day when the Berlin wall was finally torn down, after 29 years of waiting.

      The day 1961,6,15 witnessed the initial of construction of the Berlin wall. The story took us back to 1940's, when the World War Two was about to end. Members of "the Western" and the Soviet Union decided to break Germany into five pieces, in order to eliminate the control of its previous regime. But the relationship between them and the Soviet Union went worse. The Soviet Union helped establish a communist government in what is now termed as the east Germany, which irritated countries such as the US.

      However, very different from most of us thought, the wall wasn't truly constructed until 1961. The tempt was to divide the west Berlin from the west Germany, also to prevent the incredibly large amount of immigration from the east to the west. Many families were separated for the following 29 years, not able to see the beloved ones.

      It was in the 1980's, when the rule of the Soviet Union was weakening, did the German have the chance to reunite.

      People crowded to the wall to witness the historic moment, and to help break down the barrier that has shattered their families, friends, as well as lovers.

      People went hand in hand to celebrate this very moment, in front of the symbolic architecture, the Brandenburger Tor (布蘭登堡門), which was previously under the control of the east Germany.

      On 11/9, just this week, Google launched a doodle for this memorable day. If you haven't seen the beautifully done video, check this out.

      Next week, I will continue to look further in this topic, and also the location where the walls' pieces currently are. So stay tuned!!

For more information, go to:

http://ivetaratarova.com/2014/03/15/the-power-of-a-single-image-a-journey-through-the-gold-war-via-five-images1/
http://www.nationaljournal.com/pictures-video/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-25-years-later-in-photos-20141107
http://www.coutausse.com/#/photojournalism/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-1989/berlin19
http://hjsmediaspace.wordpress.com/tag/the-berlin-wall/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/09/berlin-wall-anniversary-photos_n_6094308.html
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jonpremosch/mr-gorbachev-tear-down-this-wall

303 words in total

Steve McCurry - Afghan Girl

Steve McCurry - Afghan Girl

       The famed photograph is regarded as the most recognized cover of National Geographic. In December, 1984, photographer Steve McCurry journeyed to Pakistan, and took the legendary picture of a young little girl in a refugee camp. Why on earth did the Afghan girl show up in a Pakistan refugee camp? If we look a little bit further into the history, we might be able to realize the burning emotions in the girl's transparent eyes.

       People in Afghanistan probably would never forget the bleeding days during the 1980's. Soviet-led government of Afghanistan was having a civil war against the rebels that were sponsored by the first world (第一世界) countries such as the USA, etc. It wasn't long before the Soviet Union eventually went involved and waged a more devastating war. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, refugees swarmed to neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran.

       That was exactly the time when McCurry captured  the everlasting moment of the girl. Her blazing eyes seemed to penetrate into one's soul, questioning all the misfortune that came about. The portrait went viral and kept the public asking, "who is this girl?" Nobody, including the photographer himself, had the answer until 2002. After 17 years of waiting, the girl, already a mature woman now, was finally found. McCurry devoted himself once again on the journey to the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He asked the villagers that he believed could  still remember the little girl then. A passionate villager helped and that was it. He found the girl.

      The girl was already married but after the permission of her husband, she again jumped on the photograph.

       Her name is Sharbat Gula. Just as you can see, the haunting eyes the little girl once owned lied intact on the woman's appearance now. Life wasn't easy for Gula, though. She was serving as a baker with her husband, earning no more than 1 US dollar per day, at the same time raising three daughters. The war in her childhood took away her parents, but even till now, days in Afghanistan are never without fire and blood.

      The picture does serve as a legacy, at least for photographer Jodi Bieber. It inspired her to create another legendary photograph, Bibi Aisha, also an Afghan girl. "For me, it was putting a moment of history in perspective. It was just one thing that added to the image," she quoted.

Jodi Bieber - Bibi Aisha

There are a series of videos of how Sharbat Gula was found. For convenience, check this very last video at 5'53''.

For more information, go to:

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/photography/photos/milestones-photography/afghan-girl-portrait/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/02/world/world_mccurry041002.htm

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/03/12/afghan-girl.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_Aisha

441 words in total

Kevin Carter - THE GIRL & THE VULTURE

Kevin Carter - THE GIRL AND THE VULTURE

To begin with, let us travel back to the 1960's, Johannesburg, South Africa. There, young "white" boy Kevin Carter was confused and irritated by the severe discrimination against the "blacks." Although leading a compared comfortable childhood, Carter wasn't happy. The strong conscious of equality and the desire to make a change to the world led him to a winding road.

Being passionate, Carter chose to become a photographer. He and three of his friend established the "Bang-Bang Club," which aimed at eliminating the ongoing violence in South Africa. The story was then turned into the film "the Bang Bang Club."

Here's the link to the official website: The Bang Bang Club 

One of the most shocking photo he took at that time was a means of execution called "the necklacing," inclusive of putting a burning tire filled with gasoline onto one's neck. It was a painful process, it took the victim more than twenty minutes before they eventually were burnt to death.

What followed was his most famous or, in a way, notorious photograph in his lifetime. In 1993, Carter traveled to Sudan, where serious civil war was taking place, as well as the devastating famine. There he witnessed the vulture (禿鷹) staring eagerly at the little girl in front of the picture. The photo overwhelmed the world. As it won him a Pulitzer Prize for feature photography(普立茲攝影獎), the photograph forced him into the spotlight but also into the blame for not lending the starving child a helping hand.

The sweetness of the pleasure for winning the grand prize did not prevent him from the depression. On 27 July, 1994, Carter killed himself at the age of 33. Instead of feeling guilty, many of Carter's friends stood out for him and claimed that it was the dilemma he had long suffered that took away their beloved friend away. The suicide of Carter was another shocking news to the world, the role of the photographer was heatedly debated, and also the way the public had treated the young photographer.

Even till today, the dramatic death of Kevin Carter still remains a unsolved question to the world. As most of the people care about whether he chose to be a outsider or not, it seems more important to me that we should all be aware of all the needed and the injustice around us. Maybe that's the change which Kevin Carter wanted to see the most.

Prominent Taiwanese author 李家同 wrote a imaginary story for the photograph, named李家同-我只有八歲

The official website of the movie "The Death of Kevin Carter":

The Death of Kevin Carter

An article from TIME MAGAZINE after Kevin Carter's death:

TIME MAGAZINE

The official trailer of "The Bang Bang Club":

Photograph from:

http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/

For more information, go to:

http://twghome.pixnet.net/blog/post/14129703-%5B%E8%BD%89%E9%8C%84%5D-%E6%9D%8E%E5%AE%B6%E5%90%8C%E6%95%99%E6%8E%88%E5%92%8C%E5%87%B1%E6%96%87%E5%8D%A1%E7%89%B9%E7%9A%84%E7%94%9F%E8%88%87%E6%AD%BB

http://roads.co/S=0/roads-blog/documentary-the-death-of-kevin-carter-by-dan-krauss/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Carter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang-Bang_Club

--492 words in total

Freddy Alborta - THE CORPSE OF CHE GUEVARA

A FALLEN HERO

Freddy Alborta - THE CORPSE OF CHE GUEVARA

Took in 1967, the photograph recorded the scene after the execution of the communist hero, Che Guevara. In 1928, Ernesto Guevara, most known as Che Guevara was born in a prestigious family in Argentina. Still being a medical school student, Che suspended school for a year and went around the South America with a friend only by motorcycle.The experience was believed to have an huge impact on the rest of his life. In Che's diary he quoted, "The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil again. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I am not the person I once was." The story was then turned into a eminent film, "Diarios de motocicleta"(革命前夕的摩托車日記) by director Walter Salles.

Soon followed was a series of revolution in all over the South America. There was Cuba, Congo, and at last, Bolivia. It was the tragic revolution in Bolivia that brought Che to the end of his life. Not welcomed by the local communist, Che had a hard time combating against the military. And there was CIA, which eventually brought him down. Che was tortured and shot to death. During the torture, he also left a legendary quote, "我在想，革命是永垂不朽的."

The picture shocked the whole world. Totally opposite from the official once thought, the picture did not stop the trend of revolution from spreading, instead, it lit the fire. The peaceful face of Che in the picture made tens of thousands of people believed that he was nearly an idol such as Jesus Christ. Even till today, we use Che's icon to stand for a belief of revolution. Although his corpse may rot, the spirit will continue to go down as a legend.

Che Guevara

Taiwanese band Mayday also has a song dedicated to  Che Guevara, named "摩托車日記," which reminds us not to forget our initial dream and always keep on fighting for what you believe, such as freedom and rights to live a better life.

 For better music quality, check this:

For more information, go to :

     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara
     https://www.marxists.org/archive/guevara/1952/motorcycle-diaries/ch01.htm
     http://www.pbase.com/image/118045031
     https://www.stormfront.org/forum/t998521/


picture from:  http://www.pbase.com/image/118045031

total number of words: 398

Charles O'Rear-Bliss

Charles O'Rear-Bliss

Anyone who uses computers must not be unfamiliar with this iconic photograph. Like I once did, many people regard it as a photoshopped picture. But believe it or not, this is a true unprocessed photograph.

Taken by Charles O'Rear, or Chuck O'Rear in 1998, this serene picture had its roots in Sonoma County, California. After a period of shower, the grass began to thrive, which took on the beautiful color green in front of our eyes. 

This video is a bit long, but it described the background story of the "Bliss" in a detailed way. If you are interested in the place where the picture was taken now looks like, find yourself at 5:57.

Many wonder how much did Microsoft pay for the most widespread picture. O'Rear did not give a precise number, but stated that it was a huge amount even compared to today. O'Rear did make a legend, for as XP system grew in its popularity, so was the "Bliss." Although XP today has gradually gave way to the latest Win7 and Win8, the impressive photograph will continue to stay in people's memories.

picture from: http://photoq.nl/wallpaper-windows-xp-een-analoge-foto/

for more information, go to :

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/story-microsofts-bliss-one-most-famous-photos-ever-taken-156920

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2140802/the-story-behind-the-windows-xp-bliss-photo-and-what-it-looks-like-today.html

V-J Day in Times Square

V-J Day in Times Square

This is probably the most famous picture around the globe. In the middle of the picture, a sailor held a nurse tightly in his arms and kissed her, right standing in the bustling Times Square. If you suppose the two characters in the photo were a couple, I'm sorry to tell you : "No, they weren't."

The iconic photo was taken in August 14, 1945, when Japan ,after all the long wait, eventually surrendered. The word V-J stands for "Victory over Japan." People today might find it hard to imagine what a war was like since most of us live peaceful lives nowadays. During the World War Two, soldiers from all over the world were forced to go on a foreign battlefield, not knowing what they fought for, and many of them never went home. When the Japanese announced their surrender, the whole world celebrated the end of the bloody war.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstaed was the one who captured this very moment, when a overjoyed sailor kissed the beautiful nurse. In fact, they never got to know each other. It was after nearly 40 years that the two characters unveiled their true identity. And the sailor, who was overwhelmed with ecstasy, actually kissed every female he saw on the spot.

Even till today, we can still clearly grasp the great joy and relief in this photograph, a photograph that recorded one of the most hopeful moment in the history, and continuously reminding us of the true value of peace.

picture from: http://life.time.com/history/v-j-day-kiss-in-times-square-and-other-celebrations-august-14-1945/#1

［INTRODUCTION］ Where It All Starts

Photographs often speak more than words.

Words may depict the surroundings in a detailed manner, nevertheless, photos take you back to the scene where the photographer once stood, and give you the same emotions that have also overwhelmed the characters on the spot.

Follow the photos that take us into their untold stories, together we shall seize a better world.

picture from : http://improvephotography.com/2640/the-photography-tips-that-96-photographers-wish-they-wouldve-learned-sooner/