Since the medium's early days, photographers have endeavoured to document the world around them, imbuing their images with a sense of place. From distant lands to local street scenes, our environment continues to be a generative space to observe human behaviour and our changing world. Over the last few years, Street photographers Gregory Earle, Natsuki Yasuda and Alex Turner have turned their lens on Taiwan - a city where they exist as both insiders and outsiders. Here, they tell Capture about their work, engaging with Web3 and how Taiwan inspires them.
Alex Turner
I was born in New Zealand and spent my early years between the United States and Australia before moving to Taiwan in 2018. Moving around and living in different cultures inspired me to find a way to capture my changing surroundings. I quickly became immersed in photography as a tool to document my unique perspective on the world. I believe it's very important to have a creative outlet to express your thoughts and feelings - it enables you to better understand yourself and the world around us.
I initially moved to Taiwan on a working holiday visa, but the experience turned into an ongoing love affair with this beautiful country, its culture, people and natural environment. One of my favourite images is a shot I took at night from a temple high on the mountain in Nanshijao, looking across the expanse of New Taipei City and Taipei. It shows thousands of lit windows from the houses and apartments below. It captures the spirit of Taipei, the unity, intimacy, and electricity of all of these lives living together in a small place. This photo gives me a remarkable feeling. Another thing I love about Taiwan is the fantastic photography community, especially in Taipei. Photographers here are always willing to share locations and tips, and I am always inspired to search out new places to capture my unique vision.
“I think that NFTs will be a very powerful way for photographers to build their network, their visibility to the world, and most importantly, get their hard work seen and appreciated by others.” Alex Turner
I'm new to Web3 and NFTs. I believe NFTs will be a very powerful way for photographers to build their network and, most importantly, get their hard work seen and appreciated by others. It's important to stay current with the industry and society.
