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Almost a month after graduating, I had the chance to photograph @jeuxjeux_okonomiyaki , a family-run Japanese restaurant in London that marked the beginning of my freelance journey.
People often ask what kind of photography I make, and I always find it hard to give a simple answer. What I do know is that I love working with people, especially kind and wonderful ones. As long as I can help tell their stories through images, and there is a little bit of timing and connection, I’m happy to work with them. That mindset led me to Jeux Jeux, and I still feel incredibly lucky to take this opportunity.
Back then, most of the days I sat in front of the open kitchen teppan, photographing moments while waiting for dishes to be prepared. I also had a chance to listen to the staff’s stories about life outside of work, and for a while I even felt like my Japanese was improving faster than my English. The team was a lovely group of women who slowly got used to me and my camera. They would save me a special seat with the reservation sign, and there were always solo regulars coming in, almost like a real-life series “Midnight Diner”.
That time was probably when I photographed (and ate) the most Japanese food in my life. But more than the food itself, what stayed with me were the memories made around it. Once, we packed okonomiyaki and went outdoors for a shoot. Afterward, Mai, Yiru, and I ended up having a small picnic on the grass; another time, on a very hot day, Yuria poured me a cup of homemade iced barley tea and told me how her family always kept a jug in the fridge during summer when she was a child. The first thing she did after school was drink it; I also tried Nikujaga (Japanese pork and potato stew) for the first time there. It wasn’t on the menu, but whenever Mana was working, the owner Yuko-san would cook a big pot for staff meals since it was her favourite home-style dish. It was so good that we always ate too many bowls of rice.
All of these moments became part of what I photographed, and part of what I carry with me.
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Last month, I traveled to Padova for a freediving trip. Diving in a constant-temperature environment for the first time felt different, lighter and freer. Without a wetsuit or extra weights, and supported by a sense of safety, I reached 24.8 meters.
Underwater, no breath is ever taken for granted. From preparation to a single full inhale, every moment demands attention, from equalizing to fixing my gaze on the line and listening to my heartbeat. Once past neutral buoyancy, I enter the quiet pleasure of free fall, until the diaphragm contracts, the urge to breathe appears, and I turn back, kicking toward the surface to take a recovery breath.
What looks like a clear, step-by-step process was never easy for me. Often it wasn’t my body that stopped first, but my mind whispering doubt and telling me I couldn’t. Yet each pause and retreat became its own practice, allowing me to stay with my body, one breath at a time, present, unhurried, and trusting myself.
Hope when I return with a more flexible body and a steadier mind, I’m able to dive deeper and deeper.
上個月的潛旅去了一趟Padova，第一次在恆溫的環境潛水，因為不用防寒衣和配重而感到更自由，加上空間和溫度帶來足夠的安全感，也讓自己成功下到24.8米。
在水裡，每一口氣都不是件理所當然的事，從準備呼吸、一次全呼吸，進到水中的每一刻都在注意自己的狀態，平衡耳壓、凝視潛繩、聆聽心跳，然後在度過中性浮力後體驗緩慢下墜的落體感，直到橫隔膜抽動、出現了呼吸欲望，便回頭踢水折返水面，再大口恢復呼吸。
看似可以拆解的清晰步驟，過去對我來說並不容易，很多時候並非身體感受到變化，而是心裡的聲音告訴自己做不到了，因為自我懷疑而停止，但這些放棄也都是一次次很好的練習，練習在這一呼一吸中好好和身體同在、學會信任，專注當下、不慌不忙。
期許岸上的自己也可以維持這樣的狀態，也希望再回來時能帶著更靈活的身體、堅定的心智，屆時想要去到水下三十米。
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#miniproject #onebreath #underwater #nikonosproject #nikonosv #analogfilm #ilfordfilm @y40_thedeepjoy
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Last March was my dad’s retirement. After more than twenty years of working in a factory, I knew the transition wouldn’t be easy for him. I had a plan to come home and document his last days at work, but he retired a week unexpectedly before I flew from London to Taipei. I missed that moment, but in return, we were given more time together.
I shot a short Super 8mm clip of us walking along the riverside after dinner. It made me realise how long it had been since we last walked this causally together. Like when I was a kid, we would go for a walk along the river everyday after meal.
Sometimes I think back to that evening: the rhythm of our steps, the wind by the riverside, the weight of my parents walking beside me. It still feels like it’s there— the way we used to walk.
The other morning, we went to the traditional market. The street looked exactly the same as I remembered, just somehow smaller.
I didn’t miss too much.
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去年三月是阿爸退休的日子，對全年無休、在工廠奉獻二十多年歲月的他來說，在轉換上一定非常不容易，本來想著回家一趟紀錄阿爸最後的工作身影，但阿爸在我要從倫敦回台北前一週提早退休了，雖然很可惜沒能參與到，但也額外獲得他多出來的時間。
用Super8mm拍了一小段我們在河堤散步的片段，才想起來我們已經好久好久沒有這樣慢慢的走，像小時候一樣每天晚上吃飽，都會一起去「堤防走路」。偶爾想起那天，走路的節奏、浮州橋邊的風、還有阿爸阿母在身邊的重量，感覺一直存在。
還有一天早上，我們去菜市場買菜、去美而美吃早餐、外帶一包龍龍香酥雞回家，龍興街跟記憶中長得都一樣，只是好像變小了。
太好了，我沒有錯過太多。
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Developed at @on8mil
#miniproject #documentary #thewayweusedtowalk #super8mm #analogfilm #kodakfilm
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This November, I was commissioned to photograph @english_aeropress_championship , traveling through Newcastle, Birmingham, Brighton, and ending at the finals in London. It was definitely one of my favourite projects of the year.
Being able to watch people brew a cup using their own original recipes, right in the moment, was truly amazing. The coffee community is full of support and sharing; rather than a competition, it felt more like everyone coming together to play and enjoy coffee.
I was also lucky to be part of it in my own way. Delivering the work while still having the freedom to shoot film and have fun. Before each shoot, every detail check came with kind words from @zagora_ , reminding me to keep shooting in my own way, which meant a lot.
Thanks to @formativecoffee for hosting such a beautiful event, to all the wonderful people on the team, and to everyone who made this happen. Looking forward to the next one!
11月接到了Aeropress英國場的活動拍攝，絕對是今年最喜歡的案子之一，能近距離看著熱愛咖啡的人們，用自己創造的配方萃取一杯咖啡，是件非常療癒的事，加上咖啡圈的大家都會互相鼓勵、分享知識，比起說是一場賽事，更像大家聚在一起玩，而我也幸運的參與其中（除了交件的作業，最開心的是還能拍上底片），每一場在拍攝前確認細節，總是能得到Zara滿滿的鼓勵說繼續拍你的風格就很棒。
謝謝主辦Formative的邀請、團隊裡每一個很好的夥伴，還有讓一切發生的每個人，期待明年再繼續。
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#commissionedwork #aeropressuk #aeropresschampionship #coffeecommunity #eventphotography #filmphotography #analogphotography #35mm
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This November, I was commissioned to photograph @english_aeropress_championship , traveling through Newcastle, Birmingham, Brighton, and ending at the finals in London. It was definitely one of my favourite projects of the year.
Being able to watch people brew a cup using their own original recipes, right in the moment, was truly amazing. The coffee community is full of support and sharing; rather than a competition, it felt more like everyone coming together to play and enjoy coffee.
I was also lucky to be part of it in my own way. Delivering the work while still having the freedom to shoot film and have fun. Before each shoot, every detail check came with kind words from @zagora_ , reminding me to keep shooting in my own way, which meant a lot.
Thanks to @formativecoffee for hosting such a beautiful event, to all the wonderful people on the team, and to everyone who made this happen. Looking forward to the next one!
11月接到了Aeropress英國場的活動拍攝，絕對是今年最喜歡的案子之一，能近距離看著熱愛咖啡的人們，用自己創造的配方萃取一杯咖啡，是件非常療癒的事，加上咖啡圈的大家都會互相鼓勵、分享知識，比起說是一場賽事，更像大家聚在一起玩，而我也幸運的參與其中（除了交件的作業，最開心的是還能拍上底片），每一場在拍攝前確認細節，總是能得到Zara滿滿的鼓勵說繼續拍你的風格就很棒。
謝謝主辦Formative的邀請、團隊裡每一個很好的夥伴，還有讓一切發生的每個人，期待明年再繼續。
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#commissionedwork #aeropressuk #aeropresschampionship #coffeecommunity #eventphotography #filmphotography #analogphotography #35mm
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“Wish you ride on the bubbles you’ve blown, drifting gently toward every place you dream of reaching.”
After a long call with Erica, I suddenly realised it’s been almost half a year since we said goodbye to each other. It was the first day of June, the season when Floribunda roses bloom in abundance.
You hosted a warm garden party, thoughtfully crafting the menu, preparing every dish with care, and looking after each friend who came. Because of you, we gathered to share a meal and conversations, stretching on the grass, playing with the dogs. Everything felt as natural and lovely as the two of you. Before I left, you told me that pink roses had started to bloom next to your house. It was raining that day, so I never got the chance to see them. On the day we said goodbye, you both picked one rose for me. I brought them carefully on the way home.
和鈺婷講了好久的（越洋）電話，才意識到從和她與茗道別已經是將近半年的事，那是六月的第一天，也是多花玫瑰盛開的季節。
妳們辦了一場溫馨的花園派對，用心設計菜單、準備料理，仔細照顧每個來的朋友，大家因為妳們而聚在一起吃飯聊天、圍坐在草地上伸展筋骨、和狗狗玩，自然可愛如妳們。回家前妳們說旁邊開了很多粉色玫瑰，但是下雨我沒能來得及看，說再見的那天早上妳們各摘了一朵給我，小心翼翼的將她們帶回家。
願妳們乘著吹出來的泡泡，自由抵達任何想去到的遠方。
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#lifestyledocumentary #lifestylephoto #analogphotography #filmphotography #canon #kodakportra #35mmfilm #portrait #フィルム写真
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So happy to have documented the photowalk event hosted by Lakeside Darkroom and The Photographers’ Gallery.
In a time that everything moves so fast, it felt wonderfully old-fashioned and romantic to take a slow walk with people we’d just met (and built a beautiful connection at the end). Each of us carrying our own analogue camera, wandering along Thamesmead, talking, pausing for the swaying willows, horses came across, and the light shimmering on the river.
There was no rush, no schedule, just time to see, feel, and create. Later, we returned to the darkroom to develop our films, step by step.
The whole process was so healing. I still remember when Stephen pulled his negatives out of the tank and said it was the first roll he’d shot with his grandfather’s camera — after forty years.
Thanks everyone who joined, and to @lakeside_darkroom@thephotographersgallery@tpglab for bringing us together through film.
很開心能為Lakeside darkroom和the photographer’s gallery合辦的活動做影像記錄。
在什麼都很快速的時代裡，和第一次見面的人們來一場老派而浪漫的散步之約，每個人帶著自己的底片相機，沿著湖邊慢慢的走、一邊對話，一樣的場景，但是看事物的角度都不同，我們各自為了被風吹動的柳樹、向人靠近的小馬、或湖面閃動的波光而停下腳步，不被時間和行程追趕，結束再一起回到暗房沖洗底片，好好的經歷每一個步驟。
一切都值得等待，特別是當Stephen從沖洗罐抽出他的底片，他說這是他爺爺的相機，40年來的第一卷。
#eventphotography #photowalklondon
#behindthescene #thamesmead #filmworkshop
#35mmfilm #bwphotography #analoglove
#canoneos #kentmere400
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“The Tibetan Plateau is the most open and vast place I’ve ever been, yet the hearts of the Tibetan people feel even bigger.”
In Tibetan, “Yushu” means “only a little remains.” Over a hundred years ago, a massive earthquake took a lot from this land. But when I came here, I found people whose hearts are full — full of generosity, deep Buddhist faith, and kindness toward all living things.
From the moment we were welcomed with khata scarves, to the endless cups of butter tea, to the pilgrimages around mountains, the carved mani stones and prayer flags. Everything here is a blessing for the world, for all beings, and for every bit of nature.
This trip was filled with gratitude and moments that moved me deeply. I’m thankful I came at this exact time — not earlier, not later — so I could meet the people I did, just as they are now. We lived together, learned from each other, shared conversations, and made new memories side by side.
In Yushu, I learned that happiness can be so simple. Playing with children, tugging at little yellow flowers, blowing dandelion seeds, dancing in the grasslands, watching rainbows after the rain. In the evenings, tying up the yaks and counting them one by one. At night, seeing the Milky Way so close it felt like I could touch it. Walking with the young nuns, chatting, and listening to their chanting in the monastery. These are all the moments I want to remember. Like the song local teenager Yongji sang on our last night “I want to embrace everyone I love before the sun sets.” I feel the same. In whatever time I have in this world, I want to hold close this land and all the wonderful lives on it.
Thank you Yushu, for sharing contentment, generosity, kindness, and joy.
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#tibetanplateau #yushu #miniproject #editorialphotography #travelogue #analogphotography #filmphotography #canon #kodakportra #旅行 #菲林
The Photobooth Technicians Project
5 years, 49 techs, and (almost) 100 years of photobooth history wrapped up into 13 chapters.
This project is as much ours as it is yours, this is our history.
The Photobooth Technicians Project is a community archive project consisting of 13 accordion fold chapters reminiscent of the continuous strip of photobooth paper before being exposed and cut, as well as paper jams techs often have to fix. Each chapter is enclosed in its own 4-flap envelope, the same type used to protect and store archival documents and presented in a custom debossed box.
Featuring an introduction from both of us, a technician’s history of the photobooth, and 11 chapters corresponding to the 11 questions asked with one answer from each participating technician, this is the Photobooth Technicians Project.
Photography by Angela Yu-Hsin Chen @binbimchen who did the most wonderful job capturing this project
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Early May, Chao and I went to Madrid. Besides visiting Miguel at Tetsu, we kept it simple. Walked around the city, checked out local markets, grabbed fresh fruit to enjoy in the park. The pins on our map were just coffee shops and churros spots. The landlord’s cat, Saya, was the sweetest surprise.
Spain had a big blackout the week before. The landlord said without electricity, everyone was out on the streets, talking and hanging out—taking a break from being online all the time.
This trip was a little escape from our daily routine as well.
五月初去了一趟馬德里，是因為美食約定而踏上，除了去Tetsu找Miguel，我們沒有訂下任何行程，每天走走看看、逛超市、買新鮮水果坐在公園野餐，釘在地圖上的座標只有咖啡店跟Churros，房東的貓Seya則是這趟旅行最可愛的意外。
剛好前一周西班牙經歷大停電，房東分享當時的情景，鄰居們都聚集在街道上聊天喝啤酒，暫時逃離依賴成癮的生活。
我們這趟馬德里漫遊也是一個短期逃跑。
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#travelogue #lifestylephoto #analogphotography #filmphotography #fujifilm #旅行 #菲林🎞️
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Just got back from a 3-day trip to Madrid—came home with a full heart (and a very full belly). This whole journey started with a craving for good food and a promise to visit friends.
Last summer, Miguel, Chris, and João were in London interning with Daisuke-san, talking about opening a teppanyaki spot. Fast forward to this January, they made it happen—— @tetsu_restaurante was born. Since then, visiting them cut into the to-do list for me and Chao.
Seeing Miguel again was such a joy. He prepared a special omakase just for us, even gave a sneak peek of dishes coming soon. Every plate was thoughtful and full of soul. Watching their young team work the grilled teppan with quiet confidence—it was like watching a performance.
Miguel told us to treat Tetsu like our home in Madrid. On the wall, there’s a calligraphy piece that says “ichi-go ichi-e”—one time, one meeting. Couldn’t have said it better. Can’t wait to go back and see how they keep growing.
結束馬德里三天兩夜的旅行，滿載而歸（肚子也是）。
去年夏天Miguel, Chris 和João從馬德里到倫敦，跟著大介先生在Hannah和Jeux Jeux 實習，那時他們說著開鐵板餐廳的計畫，想不到短短半年後，真的在今年一月實現了，那時開始一直念著要去馬德里找他們，所以Tetsu也成為我和超這次決定飛馬德里的最大待辦。
看到Miguel真的好開心，他為我們準備Omakase，還有一些還未在菜單上，是下一期的新菜。每一道料理上菜前都細心講解，在設計上、調味上都很有創意，看著這群平均才二十歲的團隊真的很佩服，這樣的開放式鐵板吧台就像是他們的舞台，不疾不徐、有自信的的發揮著。
道別時Miguel說希望我們可以把Tetsu當作在馬德里的家，如果下次再訪馬德里一定要回來；餐廳牆上掛著一幅字畫——“一期一會”，這是最貼切的形容，不論是我們的相識或是Tetsu團隊的組成，非常期待再次見到他們的成長跟改變。
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#travelogues #travelmadrid #lifestylephotograpy #foodphotograph #analogphotography_bw #filmphotography #ilfordfilms #ichigoichie
