if asked what I am fond of doing as a local guide, I would say posting photos everywhere I go!
From where I live in, Taiwan, we have lots of places hidden nowhere to be found by the mass public. Sometimes, people may know what a certain place is, but never really know what it actually looks like. It’s like a hidden gem that is never fully discovered, but worth tons of visits.
Xianjiyan, Taipei, Taiwan
As a cityscape amateur photographer, I always try to capture the moment that is oblivion to people. Looking for a hidden place is not easy at all. Discovering something worth visits is even harder. That is why I always manage to keep track of my footprints with the help from Google products (let’s not talk about whether Google tracks me all the time lol). Every time when I reach a place. I take pictures first. Then, I might do a little bit tuning to my photos with either Lightroom or Google Photos editors. Next, I would upload every photo to the spot that is already on Google Maps.
Guanyinshan, Taipei, Taiwan.
You may wonder: What if you are simply taking photos of what everyone has already taken? Wouldn’t it be unnecessary to post all the same pictures?
Well, that is indeed one tough question. With the help of the advancement of technology, taking pictures isn’t hard anymore, which allows every user with a phone to take whatever picture they like, and post them to social media. That indeed imposes more difficulty for photographers all around the world to share something that people have never seen. I, without a doubt, is also learning to share photos that are delicately edited, and looking for the perspective that people rarely see in their daily life.
Liangzhou St., Taipei, Taiwan.
Taking all these photos requires a lot of time, but I enjoy it so much I cannot even stop. Showing what people can know about my country, my community, is all I want. Though they might look for some information from certain travel sites, some corners in the city, as I mentioned, are way more worth visits. That is why I dedicate myself in taking photos and discovering the perspectives people never know about a city. Sharing them through Google Maps along with some other social media perfects what I intend to do.
Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan
Taking pictures and sharing them have already been a significant part of my life. Without them, I might experience a serious sense of lost, as if I lost everything. This land, city, neighborhood, and community are everything to me. People deserve to know the true beauty of where I come from, and how magnificent they can be through the lens.
Qihou Fort, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
