Mom!
Well, the big news is that we managed to pull off the exhibition. We finished and displayed on time, and pretty much on budget… but working with 13 different photographers was a real challenge for me. I’ll include some more recent shots in the letter so you can see for yourself what we’ve been upto.
The weather in Taipei has changed dramatically over the past few days after Mid-Autumn Festival arrived. It usually does, and I have such a lot of respect for the lunar calendar here. It is usually quite timely! Last week, we were all sweltering under 32C heat and high humidity. But the arrival of fall has brought showers, winds, and much lower temperatures. It’s still warm compared to Scotland, but we’re finding it quite breezy by comparison. It makes a nice transition to cooler weather and shorter days. No more hiding out from the strong mid-day sun!
Photography has been a lot busier than I expected even after the exhibition opening. I’ve been learning how to process the images on the computer. There is a massive learning curve that I hadn’t quite anticipated for getting pictures ready for printing. In fact, one of the guys at the photoclub has been coaching me on how to get the images ready for printing for next April’s exhibition, an exhibition to raise funds for charity. It’s promising to be even bigger than the previous exhibition with over 20 photographers and 60+ images. I’ve offered to help out as much as my limited skill set will allow. I’ll include my selection in the letter so you can see that I’ve opted for mostly landscapes. I only hope the laser printer can do them justice.
The exhibition in September also allowed me to write 3 articles for the same community magazine as I’d written in before. That was a surprise that I hadn’t expected. But I was glad to get them done as well. However, not much other writing has presented itself at the moment; so I think I will have to start looking for marketable ideas and leads. It’s real hard to pitch articles because there’re so few publications in English. So I probably have to be involved in pitching overseas to get work paid and published.
Ruth wrote to me last week, and told me that she is planning to visit you in Ullapool shortly. In fact, she just sent me a message from the bus to Ullapool. I hope that the trip will go well, and that she enjoys her time visiting you. It’s good to have a break from the usual, so I think Ruth will really appreciate escaping from the big smoke.
Tomorrow is October 10th, the country’s national day; so we have a day off work, too! It’s a great chance to get out and find some fresh air. And another few days goes by while I can’t seen to put finger to keyboard and get another letter out to you. So anyway, I was thinking about the possibilities of character driven short stories based on the lives of people around you. It should be a rich source of inspiration: about the role of truth in fictional characters, that the most effective portrayal of character in books and movies often lies not in creative fiction, but in creative fact. That as writers we can convey stories, and the truth behind stories, through devices that both disguise and illuminate at the same time.
The source of characters’ background is often the people around us right now, the ones we spend time with, whether through social contact or working contact. Most often, they are people we do not choose to meet, but serendipity brings into our lives. These characters have their own stories, their own dramas, their own vices, and their own virtues.
Oddly, we went on a little photowalk that took us back to the fashions of the 1920’s in Taipei. So imagine lots of Chipaohs, fashionable western clothes, traditional Japanese dress of the era… it was quite a parade, albeit not a well-organized one. But wandering through the crowds was fun as you’d spot some fashionably dressed gal or guy from yesteryear. Sharp dressing! But for my photography taste, too much posing and saying ‘cheese’ for my taste. I prefer much more relaxed insightful portraits, as masks come off and the camera captures just a glimpse of truth from the person inside.
It’s hard to get, but it can be done if the atmosphere is relaxed. Too much of photography is posed, and fake. Not much authenticity, except as a statement of the times, not the individuals themselves. In fact, I specifically don’t shoot that kind of portrait.
So that’s it. I will include a couple of shots for you. Still no idea if they come out nicely on paper, but they look good on the computer screen.
Lots of love
Kenneth