Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Oct 20, 2009
From the sky
April 8, 2012
From the sky, human existence was barely recognizable yet we control the earth, flying all over the world, roads and bridges connecting everywhere, and there I was as any others on the airplane, stuck in my seat — about 12 square inch — reading, writing, eating, sleeping, and looking out. I am with fifty others yet totally alone in self-made confinement of space.
Salton Sea, CA
April 7, 2012
A sea made accidentally by human being’s modification of nature and nature’s own uncontrollable force sits rather peacefully below sea level. There is no way of exiting water from here. Water flows in but doesn’t flow out which increases level of sodium in the sea. Only left kind of fish is Tilapia.
The seashore is like a cemetery to fishes who came in here as if following a fateful path of life. Skulls and dried out bodies lay as if they are part of the land. Smells awful as one approaches to the sea.
When the sun came down and the world became more monotonous and quiet from daily noise, the Salton Sea exhibited its quiet charm. Despite the complex history, for the moment, I paid respect to the resilience of nature.
[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
Afternoon sun
Waikiki beach
Honolulu, Hawaii
portrait photography
“The portrait photography is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he makes use of to exhibit his art. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes of imposture (comparable to certain nightmares). In terms of image-repertoire, the Photograph (the one I intend) represents that very subtle moment when, to tell the truth, I am neither subject nor object but a subject who feels he is becoming an object: I then experience a micro-version of death (of parenthesis): I am truly becoming a specter.” - from Roland Barthes “Camera Lucida”
Are we all creating something other than subject itself when we photograph a person? Human beings have complex minds and it would be foolish to try for a portrait that represents the person in totality. Someone once said that even there is a discrepancy, there still exist some truth in a photograph.
Beginning of this year, I started photographing myself — a long avoided subject. To put myself in front of a camera was not as nerve braking as putting someone else in front of my camera. I understand now why someone gave me advice to photograph myself first before photographing others when I told him that I was afraid of photographing others.
In front of the camera, I am a subject and behind of the camera, I am a photographer. So the distance between subject and photographer is limited one. Still there is no definite truth or authenticity of acting for my part whether I am a subject or a photographer. I don’t seek out to photograph myself in physical resemblance nor trying to represent myself in any ways. Perhaps what I am trying to do is creating another reality that could be from my memories or dreams.
I don’t believe in truth or authenticity in photography. Everything is altered when a photographer click the button on a camera. The frame contains what the photographer crops out from the reality and depends on context of how the photograph is shown, it has an unlimited possibility of manipulations.
Both subject and photographer are in constant acting. Sometimes little bit of truth come out during the process. Subject and photographer exist in different reality for the moment while photographing. Both subject and photographer has own idea and agenda for what they are portraying and expecting from each other.
What is then the meaning of a portrait? It could be a reality and representation of both subject’s and photographer’s respective conscious and subconscious acts. When unexpected variables enter into this acts, it makes portrait more interesting and ambiguous. This contingency of real could be what some photographers aspired after.
