Some of the feedback I received from my June 16 posting was about the photo of Taiwanese military police raising the national flag The readers appreciated the angle and framing of the photo as all pictures on the Internet seem to show the soldiers equidistant from the flag pole.
So, I went back to my unpublished Taiwan photos and found a few that had special meaning to me. That is, they were taken very early in the morning, during my walks before I started work at 7:30 am.
The first two photos have an additional story associated with them. On that trip, sometimes early in the 1990s, I had taken a Pentax 1000 35mm and a Yashica 124 medium format cameras with me. Given the age of my cameras, I always take a backup.
That morning, I went to the wet market where animals of all feather and skin are sold along with non-meat foodstuff. It was very dark and humid when I got there and the sellers were getting their stands ready. This photo, taken with the Pentax 1000 and ASA 100 film captures that moment.
On my way out I passed by a small temple in front of which dogs had yet to start their day. The motorcycle represents the most popular mode of transport in many Asian cities, and the combination of shade, humidity that could be felt from this photo, and the dog's posture reminds my of many a morning walk I have taken in that lovely city.
Ok, here is the additional story associated with these photos. The next morning, when I was to reload the Pentax with a new roll of film, the winder jammed and I could not release the shutter. I put it back in my suitcase and used the Yashica for the rest of the trip.
Back to Baltimore, I called a few camera repair places. The answer I got was the same "we do not work on antique cameras." Antique! It is from 1979 and has a light meter! Anyhow, I put it on the shelf and forgot about it.
A couple of years ago, I got the nostalgic urge to use it again. This time I check YouTube for repair advice. And there it was -- the most common weak point to the camera and its predecessor the Honeywell Pentax, which I also have and has never jammed for the past 40 or so years. And the repair was simple once you take the base plate off.
Now my Pentax is as delightful to use as in the 1980s when I acquired it.
The following picture is from the same trip but with the Yashica 124. I took it on an early climb of the small mountain behind the Grand Hotel where I was staying. There was something anthropomorphic in the posture of these mops, and abundantly Asian.
All three of this photos represent daily scenes from Taipei. But perhaps I was able to capture them with a personal touch and angle.
June 26, 2021
© Vahé A.
Kazandjian, 2021
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