The Alliance Cultural Foundation, which works to close the gap between Taiwan's urban centers and its remote rural areas, recently held a special activity for people to donate second-hand digital cameras to rural children so they could experience their world through the prism of the camera lens. The foundation also brought volunteer professional photographers along to teach the kids how to capture the details and marginalia of daily life, helping them become more sensitive to and observant of the people, objects, and events around them. The event culminated with two series of photographs: those taken by the instructors, and those taken by the children.
As Children's Day (April 4) approaches, Taiwan Panorama is pleased to offer a special selection of photos that illuminate the unique spirit and perspective of children living in remote rural areas in Taiwan.
Views That Have Always Been There But Have Gone Unnoticed: The children never tired of going through their own photos again and again, as if discovering each time new things to see that had always been there but had yet to be discovered.
Divine Shooter: Ready, aim, fire! I am the “divine shooter” of ancient legend!
Spinning: When the lens spins, so does the world. The perspective you start with completely determines the final image of the world that you get.
Exploring the World Through a Broken Window Screen: The instructors took the children on a field trip to the Xinwu Aboriginal Community in Haiduan Township in Taitung County. They took turns playing the role of “model,” and an instructor captured this photo of a face looking out at the world through the tear in a window screen. It could go in the dictionary next to “innocent curiosity.”
Through the Eyes of a Child: The whole process of learning about photography, with the sharing of observations and ideas, was imbued with that special kind of fun that only children can instinctively feel, and that adults can only envy.
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