David W. Smith took one look at the damaged buildings and knew he was in the middle of a story of global importance. It was the morning of Sept. 21, 15 years ago, and destruction was everywhere.
“I still think about it today. I covered it for almost two weeks straight and though physically demanding, the emotional toll was much worse,” says the photojournalist, recalling the 921 Earthquake that devastated central Taiwan, leaving 2,415 dead and causing NT$300 billion worth of damage.
“To put that in perspective though is really nothing compared to what those who suffered great loss of life and property,” Smith says.
Photo courtesy of David W Smith
Smith won World Press Photo in the general news category for one of the photos he took in the quake’s aftermath.
That picture, and many others taken over his 10-year stint as a photojournalist based in Taiwan, can be found in his recently published Hello, Taiwan (台灣, 你好).
Life-changing experience
Photo courtesy of David W Smith
The devastation to life and infrastructure that Smith documented with his camera forced him to reevaluate his career and life.
“It was really hard to record the sorrow you would see in people’s eyes. I decided that I had no desire to chase these big, global news events,” he said.
But Smith, who has worked for international news agencies as well as local English and Chinese-language publications, still covered the news closely, including two presidential campaigns and the SARS epidemic.
Street scenes
The book, enhanced by personal essays and observations, grabs readers’ attention with its vivid pictures of big events, but also street scenes — what first attracted him to Taiwan.
“I really love just recording slices of daily life, trying to capture what I consider essentially Taiwanese moments. It is so full of energy. People are always moving about, they are on the go, go, go all the time,” he said.
Behind the international recognition was a lot of hard work, at times risking life and limb for the story. Smith has been roughed up by police, arrested and detained, and has left him with permanent injuries.
Smith says he was caught in the path of water cannon fire and still feels pain in his back as a result.
Getting caught up in news events with such intensity, Smith eventually got “burned out,” and had to leave Taiwan.
Civil disobedience and the sunflower movement
With perfect timing, Smith happened to be visiting Taiwan when the Sunflower movement protests kicked off in March.
“The movement was really refreshing because it was different than the political events I had previously covered … This generation criticizes a lot, so it was nice to see them stand up for their country,” he said.
Smith said he was present when the students tried to occupy the Executive Yuan.
Smith said that although he had to spend time at a police station because he lacked proper accreditation, it turned out to be a fitting end to the book.
“In future years I think these kids that took part will be able to look back and enjoy reliving those heady days,” he said.
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