雖說iPad及電子書籍當道，但書籍仍有知音人，圖書館聽落是老餅的代名詞，卻仍吸引萬千在文字世界追尋知識的人。網上經常有人轉載「世界十大最漂亮圖書館」此類的文章，每間圖書館都美輪美奐，細看照片，原來當中不少都是法國攝影師Franck Bohbot的作品，2011年開始，他展開名為「House of Books」的攝影計劃，從巴黎出發，踏足意大利、日本、美國等多個國家，拍攝下世上各座書本的天堂。
Paris, under the lens of the late German female photographer Ilse Bing (1899-1998), was particularly charming and fascinating. She spent the most fabulous ten years in Paris and captured its exuberance in the 1930s. F11 Foto Museum exhibited 103 photographs by Ilse Bing, and it also revealed her complicated life.
Bing was attractive to Paris’s vitality, and successfully seize its liveliness through the camera. The dynamic dancer’s picture she photographed with ambient light at the Moulin Rouge was much appreciated. Emmanuel Sougez, an art critic and founder of the French Periodical L’Illustration, was amazed by her images, praised her ability to capture the enchantment, and describer her as “Queen of the Leica.”
In a male-dominated society in the 1930s, Ilse Bing, as a photography enthusiast, gained her reputation as “Queen of the Leica.” She believes that photography is an art and focused on this new medium. The compact camera allows her to take pictures everywhere. In one of the most iconic selfies, she half-covered her face with a Leica camera, and the mirror behind reflected her side face, The two of her in the picture symbolize her photographic manifesto, which demonstrates the unlimited possibilities of photography.
This talented and intelligent woman combined art and commercial photography skillfully, and her talent was immediately recognized. At that time, she worked for Vu and Vogue Magazines and also photographed for the American version of Harper’s Bazaar. In 1936, she exhibited in the first modern photography exhibition in the Louvre, and also displayed in the “Photography, 1839-1937” exhibition held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The decade in the 1930s was the peak of her photography career.
這一招雖然並非百試百靈，不過成功率也相當之高，在2009年尾至2010年期間，他用半年時間成功拍攝130位乘客（只有九人拒絕），之後再篩選三十張做展覽，當年BBC及《衛報》都曾報導。“As a taxi driver, you get to see a real cross section of society.”——他如此形容自己的「TAXI」拍攝計劃。
作為外來者，他先被當地村莊的建築吸引，拍攝房屋、家居擺設及謙卑的當地人，集結成《Dorps: Small Towns of South Africa》一書。之後，他將重心慢慢從房屋轉移到人身上，拍攝不同南非居民的肖像，關注他們的精神狀態，發表的多本著作之中，尤以2001年面世的《Outland》最廣為人知。世人眼中，白人在南非享有特權，然而Ballen鏡頭下拍攝的，是生活在郊區小鎮貧民窟的白人，他們長期與世隔絕，因各種遺傳原因，樣貌逐漸變得怪異，也慢慢出現許多令人費解的行為。
Mario Testino原本修讀的是經濟學，1976年，22歲的他毅然移居倫敦學習攝影。倫敦的時尚風氣與秘魯簡直天淵之別，這也讓喜歡時尚的Mario心靈得到解放，展開對時尚攝影的追求。「大明星御用攝影師」這個稱號背後，是長年努力所累積的，當時他在英倫無人無物，在跟隨兩位攝影師當過一年學徒之後，就滿腔熱血向雜誌社自薦，卻一次次遭受不留情面的回絕。為了養活自己，當時生活拮据的他一邊在餐廳打工，更不得不住在廢棄的精神病院。
Among many beautiful images of Princess Diana, Peruvian photographer Mario Testino has captured the most charming and attractive one.
Mario started his career in the British fashion industry in the 1980s and gained a reputation in the 1990s. In 1997, he photographed Lady Diana for Vanity Fair Magazine.
It was his first time shooting for the British Royal Family, and also the last fashion photographs of the princess; she was full of confidence with elegance.
Not long after the magazine published, she died in a car accident, and the whole of England mourned. These smiling photos of Diana became the last impression of her incredible life.
In 1980, shortly after China’s “reform and opening up” policy, the 23-year-old photographer KanTai Wong embarked on a journey to Xinjiang. “Turpan and Kuqa in Xinjiang are the Flaming Mountain and Ladies’ Kingdom in the famous novel The Journey to The West.”
The imagination of Literature attracted him to this trip. When separated from two friends in Urumqi, he got the remaining “Foreign Exchange Certificate” of his friends. He took the bus alone to Kashgar in southern Xinjiang. “Turpan, Kuqa, Kashgar are similar to the Islamic world, especially Kashgar is an important ancient city in Central and West Asia. It is permeated with the Islamic atmosphere, Uyghur women wrap their heads with fabric, and people read the Quran.”
Looking back, he said that although he felt that people were a little wary, they were generally amiable. He photographed the little girl’s shy smile, the little boys swimming naked in the river, the locals grazing, and the bazaar. He did not capture it with a newfangled mindset, but by recording their traditions, such as hats and beards, and belief, to present dignity. “I think the life quality in Xinjiang is not impoverished like it used to be, but the tradition has broken down, and it feels like this dignity is gone.”
Gregory Colbert的職業生涯始於1983年，當時這位年僅23歲的年輕人，開始在巴黎拿起錄影機拍攝反映社會問題的紀錄片，關於強姦案的、關於瀕臨死亡的藝術家、也有關於愛滋病的題材，尤其《On the Brink: An AIDS Chronicle》這部愛滋病題材的紀錄片迴響很大，之後他把創作的重心轉向藝術攝影。1992年，在瑞士和日本舉辦的個展《Timewaves》，吸引不少收藏家和基金會的注意，在他們的資助下，他開始周遊世界拍攝大象、豹等動物，展開為期十年的拍攝計劃「Ashes and Snow」。
Ashes and Snow
從1992年開始，他完成逾四十次遠征，足跡遍及南極洲、北極、澳洲、東南亞及非洲等多處地方，拍攝大象、鷹隼、羚羊、鯨魚、美洲豹、長臂猿和鱷魚等動物，也把鏡頭對準緬甸和尚、南非桑族人、蒙古人和世界各地的原住民。所有照片都沒特別標題，只有一個共同名字：「Ashes and Snow」（塵與雪）。
1999年，他構想一座可輕易搭建的美術館，作為在全球巡迴展覽時的短期場地。經過多年構想，第一座美術館終於在紐約問世，配合「Ashes and Snow」的作品展出，後來又踏足加州、東京、墨西哥城、巴西等地方，根據不同的當地環境，採用各具特色的設計。時至今日，展覽已吸引逾一千萬人次觀眾，這樣人潮踴躍的個展，在所有在世的藝術家裡，絕對是絕無僅有的。
Marc Progin, the landscape of Mongolia changes my living style
Hong Kong-based swiss photographer Marc Progin discovered the original and beautiful scenery in Mongolia. He abandoned the commercial world because of this primitive land and delicately experienced the little-known area by cycling.
Mongolia, under the lens of Marc Progin, is very magnificent. He feels the seasonal changes in the Gobi Desert, mountains, and grasslands. On the way, he met herdsmen, migratory birds, and eagle hunters. Behind each brilliant photo, there is a memorable experience.
He rides a hundred kilometers a day on gravel and sand roads, which requires not only physical strength but also perseverance; the weather is always not as expected. In the spring, there are often sandstorms in the desert, the sands scratch the camera filters and even glasses.
It is more challenging to take photos in winter. It has started to freeze in October. The coldest temperature could be -40 degrees Celsius and have to ride camels to reach the remote area. “The camera battery will run out of electricity shortly after shooting. Sometimes the camera shutter may not open again. No photos come easily.”
To understand the history and origin of Mongolian from an archaeological way, Marc Progin has formed a camel team with the Mongolian locals Since 2012, to look for dinosaur relics and stone-carved statues. “For me, photographing statues and fossils 10,000 years ago is far beyond photography. What I want to present is the origin of civilization.” He used the starscape to demonstrate the history of stone carvings and statues, which seems to maintain its primordial status.
Mongolia has an area of 1.5 million km² and a population of only 3 million. Sometimes he meets no one during a few days of cycling; Only he with the quiet nature.
“Photography is not just shooting landscapes, but how you feel about them.” He said that the time there seemed to be still. As the journey progressed, he slowly clears his thoughts, leaving the city life behind. “The travel in Mongolia has changed my living style. The more I go, the more I feel tired of urban life.”
奧地利攝影師 Josef Hoflehner 擅長拍攝風景照片，作品風格以平靜及詩意見稱，不論是亞洲、美洲的城市還是南極洲，在他鏡頭下總增添一份空靈與寂靜的感覺。當他來到加勒比海東北部的聖馬丁島（Saint Martin）拍攝海灘與飛機時，更多了一份視覺震撼。
旅行攝影
Josef Hoflehner的童年軌跡與其他偉大攝影師不太一樣，兒時的他並沒受過任何攝影啓蒙或薰陶，家人與攝影向來沒有淵源，即使在重要節日，一家人也很少拍照留念。二十歲時，他買了一部相機，開始去旅行。慢慢地，他贏得攝影獎項的鼓勵，讓這位年輕人決定成為一名旅行攝影師。關於他早期的作品及經歷，Josef Hoflehner並沒有太多提及，即使在他的網頁上，也沒有太多個人資料。
Josef Hoflehner常常以長時間的曝光帶出空靈的感覺，構圖及畫面也非常簡潔，甚有禪宗與中國山水畫的留白意境。他的照片往往缺乏人的元素， 紐約、洛杉磯、香港這些原本五光十色的現代城市，在那鏡頭下卻營造出一種萬籟俱寂的感覺。當然這種風格並非他首創，在杉本博司、MICHAEL KENNA的作品裡均能找到異曲同工之妙。MICHAEL KENNA以長時間的曝光軟柔化影像，令其變成另一個世界。 Josef Hoflehner也以如此手法，以移動的雲和流動的水為背景，過濾畫面的喧囂，呈現出一種平靜與詩意。
