A collection of photographs by Sung Yung-tai (宋永泰) showing jellyfish lying upside down in Kaohsiung’s Linyuan District (林園) has drawn photography enthusiasts to Taiwan hoping to take similar pictures of their own.
Sung said he began his foray into photography when he was 17, starting with a single-lens reflex camera and later moving on to digital cameras.
He started using mobile phone cameras after he got his first smartphone — a retired model from his wife — and found the results no worse than using a digital camera.
Photo courtesy of Sung Yung-tai
Sung said he used to keep his works for his own eyes only, but the photographs of the upside down jellyfish became an unexpected success when he posted them online two years ago.
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau has used his photographs for their pamphlets and flyers, he said.
Sung said he took the pictures to highlight the contrast between the wetland park and nearby petrochemical plants.
“Jellyfish are creatures that enjoy a clean environment,” he said, adding that he hoped the pictures highlighting the beauty of Linyuan would offset the generally negative impression of the area due to the petrochemical plants.
Sung said he had visited the wetland park more than 50 times just to observe the habits of the jellyfish.
Since posting his pictures, the area has seen more tourists from Hong Kong and Malaysia hoping to take their own photos of the beautiful scenery.
Meanwhile, another photograph by Sung that was shared on a foreign photography site without his consent in April last year led to confusion that Sung had been the one to use the photograph without consent.
Sung said the photograph, titled Like a Dream, was a picture of the cherry blossoms in Taoyuan’s Lala Mountain (拉拉山).
He has lodged a complaint against the site, he said.
On the bright side, it was a good way to promote tourism, he said.
Asked about tips for taking good mobile phone shots, Sung said that while technique is important, what is more important is “observation” and “seeking what others have not seen.”
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