Alpine photography classroom
Five years ago, in the journal of the Chinese Society of Natural Photography, a woman mountaineer whom Lu had refused to take up to the mountains expressed her displeasure at being rebuffed in her attempt to study alpine photography. It spurred Lu to recall his own early frustrations at groping his way toward technique. Consequently, Lu decided to open his Alpine Photographic Studio, where he conveys the wisdom gained from many years of photographic experience.
"Say you're shooting at Rainbow Lake under a full moon and starlight. Under the light of a full moon, for instance, you can heed a kind of formula: a 30-second exposure and an aperture setting of 2.8...." Lu, usually a man of few words, takes his class up into the mountains, where he teaches everything he has learned, revealing even his favorite private vantage points. His hope is to encourage more young people to pursue a career in alpine photography and enter the ranks of this lonely but worthwhile profession.
He suggests that those with an interest in high mountain photography should first acquire ample mountaineering experience, so as to avoid getting lost or suffering from altitude sickness. When he was younger, Lu kept himself in shape by jogging. In recent years he has switched to speed walking. Before he hikes up into the high mountains, he trains by walking up Hsinchu's 18 Peaks Mountain with a pack filled with six large bottles of spring water. It keeps him in pretty good shape.
Lu explains that many photographers, especially those just learning the craft, find it too easy to fall in love with equipment.
"If you're always changing equipment, you can't get familiar with how to use it. What's more, if you are lugging too many lenses around, you'll be too tired to enjoy the scenery once you reach your mountain destination--let alone compose creatively."
With regard to subjects, Lu suggests the fewer the better. Some people, seeking to gain glory by climbing as many peaks as possible, continually climb different mountains. Lu advises taking a different tack. "You should take many shots of the same mountain, shooting it in different seasons," he says. "Only then will you become really familiar with the mountain so as to advance to shooting special topics and angles, and thereby create truly outstanding work."
If you hike up into the mountains and hit inclement weather so you can't shoot, don't be crestfallen, Lu emphasizes. Instead, take advantage of the chance to study the lay of the land and survey nearby vistas, looking for the best vantage points. Once the weather takes a turn for the better, you can get right to the best spots and start shooting.
From his state of panic upon hearing bird calls when he first camped alone, to the photographic mastery that now enables him to capture breathtaking images of high mountain lakes, Lu's personal interest and determination are what have kept him going these many years. Alpine photography may not have provided him with a comfortable living, but, holding true to the ideal of "working with joy and enduring hardships willingly," the slightly built Lu keeps lugging his heavy pack through the bone-chilling winter wind, marching toward the mountain forests he loves.
Chitsai Lake is located in Hualien's Wanjung Township. During the autumn dry season, you can camp on its shores and capture a splendid panoramic view of the flowering miscanthus grass surrounding this desolate lake.