Yes I'm starting a blog.
Hey there!
This is my first blog and to be completely honest with you (to whomever reading this) I have no idea what I'm doing. Shocker. To be honest you are probably someone I know whom I just sent this to last second as a second opinion on this matter and you have probably seen the photograph I took above at least a million times now. Whether this is gonna be a daily or weekly, maybe even monthly thing, I have no idea.
The purpose of doing this blog is for me to be completely transparent with you (the audience) hence the first paragraph ( ͡❛ - ͡❛) and to talk about the photos I have taken as well as my experience taking them, what got me into photography, the gears that I have and more etc... In other words, a journal but it's going to be public for everyone to see YIPPEE! I will probably go into a deeper dive into the image above, but let's save that for another day.
To kick off the first one, why don't I tell you a bit more about myself (how condescending, I know). But who knows maybe someone somehow found this on the internet and actually doesnt know who I am at all ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and for those who already know me for my photos or in general, this is another way for you to get to know me more in a deeper and more meaningful way.
My name is Carina, I am Taiwanese photographer born and raised in Hong Kong currently living in Vancouver, BC and as of writing this blog I am in my early 20's as well as an amateur videographer/filmmaker. My interests are travel, automotives, movies and tv, music, gaming and photography duh. Growing up I was exposed to lots of cars; supercars, exotic cars, you name it I've probably heard of it at some point etc... and over the years of course I developed a deep infatuation towards automotives to the point that I had even started kart racing at the young age of 9 so expect some super cool car photos coming your way every once in a while. Look at me and my cute angry bird helmet (≧◡≦).
Kudos to the guy who took that photo of me when I was 11 hehe. I love travelling and whenever I do trust me, I will have my trusty friends Sony a7RV and Hasselblad 500c/m or Leica M6 with me at all times. I also have a deep passion for film & television and have an interest in possibly embarking into it further down the line. During my down time I like to play guitar (not that I'm good at it) and also gaming with my friends online. For a more professional description of me you can click the linked text coming here in a sec and it will take you directly to my 'About' page. Now let's get into the deeper stuff.
“As I get rid of my own hate, biases and fear of the unknown. I capture the lessons I’ve learned and share it with those who are willing to listen and be a driving force for the viewer to start a conversation of their own.” - Me
I am someone who once I care about something or someone I do so deeply. Through personal life experiences it has pushed me into the field of media, where I had began critiquing the entertainment industry itself. Not that I am a celebrity or anything, but growing up I was once fans of celebrities and I had a family friend who was one, he has since sadly passed away on a set during filming back in 2019. Since losing him, I took the liberty to learn everything I can about the entertainment industry as well as the mass media. Whether you are just someone who is living a quote on quote 'ordinary' life or a celebrity, you pretty much deal with the same if not just slightly different humane issues just as everybody else does, but those who are famous do so in the spotlight - scrutinised for truth / facts and some even add fuel to the gossip fire for their own benefits (clout chasers), whether it's other celebrities tearing each other down or mass media doing it for clickbait (the act of writing misleading headlines in order to attract 'clicks' to a piece of content for their own personal gain most likely revenue from advertising and or view counts on a video). An example could be the way Fortune 500 companies manages and treats their celebrities, their lack of privacy and safety, famous individuals putting up a front to keep a certain image just to be liked in fear of being cancelled because of how unforgiving the internet has since become.
While there are various pressing real world issues such as global warming, ongoing wars, and challenges faced by third-world countries, the paragraph above just serves as an example and reflects a personal passion of mine. The goal is to use the platform I am building to debunk misinformation, lies, and replace them with the truth with every single issue that I aim to address as I progress on this journey. The approach involves delving into each issue, exploring both sides of the argument with minimal bias, aiming for a comprehensive understanding.
“Bringing the normal to normal by lighting the dark corners of the world.” - Me
Everyone has different experiences growing up and such that allows them to form their own conscioussness as well as individuality. We are all encouraged to form our own opinions and thoughts but due to our easy access to mass media, whether it's a billboard you see when you look out of your bedroom window or the tiny ad you see as you read upon a article such and such, this constant exposure to all kinds of mass media can just as easily alter the way we think, sway our own thoughts and opinions creating a false consciousness on pretty much EVERYTHING.
Noam Chomsky's theory of manufacturing consent covers how the majority of the human population's major decision making over investments, productions, distributions and so on are influenced through mass media, networks of major corporations, conglomerates and investment firms. Chompsky co-wrote a book with Edward Herman called ‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of The Mass Media' about how the media manufactures readers/viewers' consent, they tell us what those in power need the audience to know 'glamourises' it or envoke sympathy and or what they believe the majority of the audience wants to hear so the audience will want to side with the one in power, in another word and *takes deep breath* I know we all hate this word since WWII but................. here it goes........ Propaganda urghhhhh *cringes all over*. I really do recommend reading upon this book to learn more about the media in which you probably consume thousands of on a daily basis and that I myself have fallen victim to before.
My mission as a photographer and filmmaker and I guess semi-blogger now with this, is to tell stories whether through a simple still photo or video. To create photographic or motion pictures for people to rid their own hate, bias, and fear of the unknown (ignorance really is the poison of the world) and be the driving force for the viewers to start a conversation of their own as I do so constantly myself through my own experiences as well as the ones I learn from others. Capturing moments in time and lessons I have learned that can't be retained just by memory and connect like minded people to start conversations and share their stories and normalise the everyday norm from people of different cultures, race, sexuality, social classes and struggles by illuminating the hidden parts of the world, bringing awareness through my art.
I hope during this journey you will stick by me here as I record my experiences and hopefully inspire you to embark on your own journey to new discoveries of your own. Let's stay in touch! You can connect with me here! You can reach out to me through my socials! You can also check out more of my work here!
P.S. Be nice to people, think critically on your own and find your own paths wherever that may be ( ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)
P.S.S. Please do not expect anything in the lines of professional in this section of my site, maybe occasional deep thoughts and disscusions but yea, thanks ≧◉◡◉≦
Bests,
Carina Wu
References:
N/A, Noam Chompsky, Biography, Last Updated: August 9th 2023 https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/noam-chomsky
Chompsky's Philosophy, Noam Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent. YouTube, October 25th 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTBWfkE7BXU&ab_channel=Chomsky%27sPhilosophy
Noam.C and Edward.H, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of The Mass Media. Amazon, January 15th 2002 https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499/ref=asc_df_0375714499/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292994282128&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7166012336659388851&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001551&hvtargid=pla-627168763432&psc=1&mcid=b4357c19bb88321ca2c34d1afe5baa8c
