friendray的部落格

圖：照片是對方直接從網站上挑的，居然就挑到曾甜心放第一張，我能說什麼呢？（她的部落格有很多攝影師的訪問，水準都很高：http://justswingthefocus.tumblr.com/）

Shengyuan Hsu – who prefers to go by Ray – is a 28-year-old Taiwan native who currently resides in Tainan City. When I sent him an e-mail with an interview request, his humble response was: “To be honest, in both the art and business area, I am still on my way trying to build my reputation. It’s difficult. If you have reviewed my work and think I am qualified/worth an interview, I would love to. Thanks for your appreciation.”

Although he is modest, it seems he is well on his way to making a name for himself in the crowded photography industry. His work has been displayed in both solo and group exhibitions in Taiwan, he published a book of his works (with another one in the works) and he has received various photography awards. In 2010, he spent four months taking campaign trail photographs of the Mayor of Tapei and also did some freelance work for GQ Taiwan.

When did you start shooting? I started taking photographs when I was 17 years old. I studied Visual Communication Design [at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology] and did my M.A. in Photography at the University for the Creative Arts. What do you love about photography? It is the ability to tell stories, especially the stories I want to share. We are living in a world full of images.

Your strengths: My personality allows me to build quick bridges with people. The aesthetic that creates is a natural one.

The campaign trail: Part of the reason I got the chance to capture the mayor of Taipei City was my personality. During the election period, I had a friend who happened to be a staff member in Hau Lung-Pin’s campaign office. She recommended me for the photography job – to create a young image of the mayor, as well as to take some natural, candid photos of him to use for the campaign. She told me that the mayor had a bit of a “camera-fright” situation, so she believed that I would be the one to soothe his nerves in front of the camera.

Crowning achievement: In 2006, I self-published my own photography book “Strangers” for 500 copies. I sold it mostly through the internet, partially in small book stores. I am proud to say that I sold all of them in 2008, and that’s the year a real publisher came to me and the book really, finally became a dream come true.

And shortly after, your photos caught the eye of GQ Taiwan?: I was interviewed by GQ and then I took pictures for them because they were doing a section about internet and societal trends in Taiwan in regards to the frequency of amateur models. They came to me because my first published photography book “Strangers” is full of women.

Are you only doing freelance work right now? Currently, yes, but I do consider getting a job in order to keep a stable income. I sell my photographs to whoever wants to buy them.

Thoughts on the industry as a profession: Competition will always exist in any area. But of course, it’s getting harder and harder now. After all, we are living in a world that is full of human beings; the population is exploding. But having ambition is a good way to improve your work. And you just need to go back to that first step to think about if this is what you really want. I can’t tell you how to gain fame or thrive in the industry, but what I will do is keep taking good pictures and share it in any way. Does fame even really matter? Does no fame mean no pictures? I don’t think so.

So why do you do it? Being seen and liked is my desire, but simply taking a picture I love is thrilling enough. I like [taking pictures] and that’s what really motivates me. All I can say is no matter what you decide to do, follow your heart and try to have fun with it. Trust me, nothing is easy.

Inspiration? Goals? My idol is Annie Leibovitz. But no matter what my career is or will be, photography is a part of my life now. I never really consider it a “career.” If people like my pictures and want to hire me, fine. If not, I can still survive and keep taking pictures and producing work.

And the challenges? I always have one challenge – for myself. Getting better.



Currently, Ray is working on his second photography book called “Crying Girls,” featuring 100 women who are all in tears.

What’s it about? The inspiration came from the concept artist Bas Jan Ader. His photograph/film of himself crying entitled ‘I’m Too Sad to Tell You’ describes tears as a moment when language fails. What I want to discuss in this project is the ambiguous relationship between the sitter and the photographer. Compared to laughter, crying is a more private emotion that I have never had a chance to see in my life because I have never been in a relationship in order to have a deep connection with any girl I know. I am curious about this side of a woman - what would it look like?