ANGELA B. PAN

Most of my time in Taiwan was actually spent in a suburb of Taipei called Tamsui. It’s about a 45 minute MRT (metro) ride from the capital city but it still gives you the big city feelings. It’s bustling with people at all hours of the day which was good for me because I usually woke up every morning around 4 am. It was so nice because I really enjoyed photographing Tamsui as the city was waking up. I never really had a real plan during my morning walks, I would just wander the streets and see where each corner would take me. Some of the streets would be so small that I’d get so lost. Luckily, I had internet service on my phone or else, I’d probably still be wandering the streets not knowing where I was going right now.

This image was captured on the main road close to our hotel. I loved it because it was one of the only sunny mornings we had while we were there and I just love seeing those palm trees glow in the sun. Scooters and pedestrians were everywhere, on their way to work and school. Looking at this image, I can still hear all the scooters racing by. At some points, it seriously was like a game of chance because they would pop out of nowhere. LOL.

My camera settings for this image are F4.5 at 1/3200th sec and ISO 2500 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.

I got home from Taiwan the night before Thanksgiving. After 10 days in Taipei, I had mixed feelings about coming home. I was there visiting family, but when I wasn’t with them, I was free to roam the city alone with my camera. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such freedom in a foreign country and I really got to appreciate all the things that make Taipei such a great city.

I’ve visited many times when I was younger. I want to say at least once a year while I was in elementary school. As I got older, the visits became less frequent and the last time I was there was 2014. However walking through some of the same streets during this visit, I was still able to remember some of the places I used to shop or eat at. It brought back so many wonderful memories but also made me want to create new ones. I know in my heart that this will not be the last time I visit.

This image was taken just a few blocks from our hotel. I’m in a big group chat with a bunch of my girlfriends and one of them asked me for a picture of me in Taiwan. After a few days of being there, I realized I hadn’t taken any with myself in it, so when I walked passed this mirror, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for the self-portrait. I love how you can only see my camera, but also gives the context of where I am.

My camera settings for this image are F9 at 1/160th sec and ISO 250 with my Sony A7II and 35mm lens.

Taking my parents to the airport today so they can go to Taiwan. Without me 🙁

Here’s a view from Elephant Mountain last time I was there. This image is special to me because its a place I remember visiting from when I was younger. My grandparents used to live close to this trail and my grandfather used to walk up and down this mountain everyday for years. Pretty incredible. Also it must be the secret to a long life because he just celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year. Hope to see you soon, Gong Gong!

Andrew and I were watching Anthony Bourdain’s Layover: Taipei edition the other night. It was so fun to watch because it brought back great memories from my trip last year. Memories of food and places I’d visited. At one point, Anthony brought up Maokong gondola rides. As soon as it came up, Andrew asked if I had any pictures from there. YES I do! So this is to prove to Andrew that I rode up the mountain side.

I thought of another story from Taiwan!

One morning my mom and I were walking through an university. I can’t think of the name now or how we ended up there but it was a beautiful campus and we stumbled upon a couple of graduates. They were standing in front of this beautiful building, all lined up in their caps and gowns waiting for their picture to be taken. So I stood there to watch the photographer in action. Isn’t that what everyone does? We like to watch a group of people get their picture taken? Or is that just me? Anyways, the photographer gets behind his camera, looks through the viewfinder and goes “Aaaaa…. Bbbbbb….” and all the college graduates go “Ccccccc…..”

HAHA I’d never heard that before and thought it was hilarious!