Ma Ying-jeou and his winning team giving the victory speech after the 2012 Taiwan elections. Ma easily won by a margin of 6% or 800 000 votes over challenger Tsai Ing-wen. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

January 14 2012 saw elections take place in Taiwan for both the presidency and the legislature. In the weeks and months leading up to the vote, support for the two main presidential candidates was fairly even. Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou of the ruling KM, widely credited with helping to cross-strait tensions with China during his first term, appeared weak on the economic front with a widening gap between the rich and the poor and what for Taiwan was considered high unemployment (4.3% as of October 2011). Challenger Tsai Ing-wen of the opposition DPP was seen as a definite chance to win the election. She rebuilt the DPP after their worse performance in 2008, and wasn’t seen as being as anti-China as the party has traditionally been known for. A third challenger, James Soong of the PFP was never a serious contender.

After all the votes were counted in an election with a turnout of 74%, Ma took victory with 51% of the vote, a winning margin of 6% or 800 000 votes. This margin was a lot larger than even the KMT had predicted in their polling, giving Ma a mandate to continue his reforms and policies over the next 4 years. Tsai, with 45% of the vote, immediately resigned as chair of the DPP. Soong’s performance saw him receive less than 3%.

I was assigned to cover the elections and had the opportunity to go behind the scenes. As well as being a great opportunity with greater access, it was quite simply, extremely interesting. Sitting in the Central Election Commission tally room and watching the official count come in that was very different than what the TV was showing. I’d always assumed that the media got their figures from the main tally room but this wasn’t actually the case. It appears that a lot of their predictions were based on exit polls, conjecture and reports from individual voting booths.

I’ll leave you with a series of photographs from the day. For speed of uploading after the election, I’d shot it in RAW + JPG, something I never normally do. I think this is the first time a JPG has been shot in my camera. These photos are from those JPG’s.

Counting ballots in the 2012 Taiwan Presdential election that was won by incumbent Ma Ying-jeou (KMT). Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Counting ballots in the 2012 Taiwan Presdential election that was won by incumbent Ma Ying-jeou (KMT). Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Central Election Commission. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Central Election Commission. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Paul Wolfowitz, chairman of the US-Taiwan Business Council monitors the 2012 Taiwan elections. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Cheering supporters of incumbent Ma Ying-jeou gather to celebrate victory in the presidential election. Ma easily won by a margin of 6% or 800 000 votes over challenger Tsai Ing-wen. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Ma Ying-jeou and his winning team giving the victory speech after the 2012 Taiwan elections. Ma easily won by a margin of 6% or 800 000 votes over challenger Tsai Ing-wen. Taipei, Taiwan January 14 2012.

Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake. Sun Moon Lake in Nantou county is one of Taiwan's premier tourist destinations.

October 10 is Taiwan’s National Day and this year marks the 100th year of the Republic of China, as Taiwan is officially named. That means parades, fireworks, military fly-by’s, and everything else associated with a centennial celebration. Below I’ve put together a rough slideshow featuring 100 photographs from around Taiwan as my contribution to the celebration. This was thrown together very quickly as I’m currently on assignment in Nepal and didn’t have as much time as I’d have liked to devote to this before I left as I’d have liked.

As with anything of this nature that concerns the status of Taiwan, it can get political. On this blog, I don’t do politics, so whatever your thoughts and feelings about Taiwan’s status, independence or the appropriateness of the centennial, I request that you debate them somewhere else. Any politic comments here will be treated as spam and dealt with accordingly.

Dai Ming Xi, a thrid generation supplier of Chinese medicine. His store, Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, has been in business for more than 80 years. (Craig Ferguson)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history throughout the Chinese world and includes such practices as acupuncture, massage, herbal medicines and dietary therapy. Throughout Asia, TCM healers can easily be found and for many people, they are the first choice when illness strikes. In the Western world, the practice still exists under the “alternative therapies” label. Health is looked at in a holistic or whole body manner, and disease is indicative of an unbalanced state. While the oldest evidence of the practice of TCM dates back to the Shang Dynasty (14th-11th centuries BCE), the oldest received work is Huangdi Neijing or the Yellow Emperors Inner Canon from around the first century BCE. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) is believed to be the ancestor of all Chinese and the founder of Chinese civilization. Ceremonies paying respect to Huangdi take place during the Qingming Festival held in early April throughout Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and other Chinese-influenced communities.

Ceramic pots for storing Chinese medicine ready for dispensing. (Craig Ferguson)

In Taiwan, more than 60% of the population are estimated to make use of TCM in treating illness and disease, sometimes as a complement to western medicine and sometimes as the sole therapy. Dai Ming Xi, a third generation supplier of medicine through his business Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, states that western medicine is fine for younger people but as people age, TCM becomes more important. Western medicine has side effects that can throw the body out of its natural balance and TCM is needed to restore equilibrium. Within Taiwan, he sees the younger generations as ignoring their cultural history when it comes to health and treatments. Despite the increase in high-quality and subsidized affordable western health care (a visit to a western trained doctor can cost as little as US$10 including drugs), he’s seen no change in the number of people seeking out traditional therapies.

A collection of traditional herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. (Craig Ferguson)

A lot of the herbs and minerals prescribed by TCM practitioners have numerous functions and are often found in food and traditional diets. Items such as ginseng, ginger, sour plum and various fungi are commonly used. Altogether there are over 10000 different medicinal substances but only 500 of these are in regular use. Some are animal parts such as the controversial shark fin soup, but the majority are sourced from plants or plant extracts. Typically, preparations are dried and then tailored to the individual patient who takes it in a drink or soup, although pills and capsules are sometimes also used.

Equipment used for drying traditional Chinese medicines. (Craig Ferguson)

In Taiwan, the practice of TCM is efficient and well organized. From government sponsored research hospitals and university herbal medicine databases to traditional dry markets and multi-generation clinics, the choices for the patient are vast. Finding a traditional medicine practitioner is an easy matter although be aware that if you don’t speak the language (Chinese or Taiwanese) you may have difficulty finding a place to receive treatment unless you take an interpreter with you.

Ginseng, a commonly used substance in Chinese medicine. A medicine supplier arranges a tray of ginseng. (Craig Ferguson)

ex:Change – Overcoming Stereotypes in America is an important new documentary that is asks the question

Popular rhetoric supposes Western and Islamic “civilizations” are bound to “clash.” But is this true?

Mario Mattei and Peter Bergmeier are seeking funding via Kickstarter for this project. They aim to reach US$3740 by August 27th to allow the documentary to go ahead. I recently pledged some funds for them and I’d like to ask all my readers here to also contribute. Below is an overview of the project but first, here’s a quick intro video.

The proposed micro-documentary will reveal a heart-touching friendship between Molly (American) and Anum (Pakistan) as well as the positive and sometimes challenging experiences from four other Muslim exchange students in America (from Palestine, Sierra Leone, & Pakistan).

Millions of Muslims around the world are being demonized as “extremists” or “terrorists.” Much of this is fueled when media, politicians, and religious leaders present conflicts as binary oppositions–good vs. evil.

As these Muslim youth mature amidst this global context, they find themselves struggling to dissociate themselves from extremism. Western youth approach adulthood pre-conditioned to fear Muslims. Likewise, young Muslims often perceive Western youth as unanimously materialistic, immoral, and arrogant–devoid of family values, faith, and honor.

This story explores:

Can friendships and dialogue amongst Western and Islamic youth uncover real hope and challenge the claims of an immanent “clash of civilizations”?

The initial phases of this project have been pursued on volunteer hours. In order to complete the documentary, we need to raise $3,740 USD. The story will be featured on the visualpeacemakers.org homepage, shared widely through social media, and made available for use by several non-profit peacemaking organizations such as Peace Catalyst International.

Breakdown of costs:

Directing & filming / Image processing = 1400

Video Editing & coloring = $1400

Motion Graphics = $400

Music, Royalty Free = $100

Admin, shipping, misc. = $100

Kickstarter & processing fees = $340

TOTAL $3,740 USD

Credits

Directed & Produced by Mario Mattei

Edited by Peter Bergmeier

Graphics by Peter Bergmeier

Photography by Mario Mattei

Audio by Peter Bergmeier

To pledge some funds, follow this link to the Kickstarter page.

Changhua city's fan-shaped train garage. The historic maintenance depot is the only one of its kind left in Taiwan. (Craig Ferguson)

Time for a look back into the archives to bring new life to some old Taiwan travel photographs that many of you may not have seen before.

Dating back to the age of steam, the maintenance garage at Changhua is the only one of its kind in Taiwan. Changhua station used to be an important midway point of the western rail line, and is the southern meeting point of the mountain and coastal lines. The rails radiate out of the garage like spokes and a single turntable is used to position the trains. Today there are three old steam engines located in the garage, and it is also used as a maintenance depot for diesel and electric trains.

Going Fishing

This month’s free calendar download is of a fishing harbor on Taiwan’s north coast. I shot this while on the way to somewhere else and am going to make a point of heading back to this location soon as there are a lot of interesting visual stories just waiting to be told. As usual, there are 8 different sizes to choose from so select the one(s) you want and click on the link.

If you’re a working photographer or an aspiring professional photographer you won’t want to miss Clarion Call 2 taking place in June.You can reserve your place with this link. The first Clarion Call was wildly successful so get in early for the second version.

I’ve got something very cool coming up on Tuesday at noon Taipei time (midnight Monday US EST, 4am Tuesday GMT) so make sure you check back.

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A selection of organics at the Taipei International Vegetarian and Organics Festival 2011

Taipei is known for it’s conventions and trade shows with different industries being catered for seemingly every week. They’re also popular with photographers in Taiwan as there are usually plenty of models walking around who happily pose for photos with their particular product. Not all conventions are like that however, and one of the exceptions is the Taipei International Vegetarian and Organic Food Festival. Held over the Mother’s Day weekend it attracted more monks than models. As someone who has been a vegetarian for almost 15 years, I was eager to check it out with my wife who has recently taken up a vegan diet. We headed down over the weekend to wander round, eat some food, buy some products and generally check it out. A few more pictures after the jump.

Product demonstrators at the Taipei International Vegetarian and Organic Food Festival

Looking down upon 2011 Taipei International Vegetarian and Organic Food Festival

Soaps and clothing at Taipei International Vegetarian and Organic Food Festival

screenshot - Shots That Bind by Kloie Picot

The Taiwan photography community has some very talented storytellers and one of those is my friend Kloie Picot. Kloie Picot is a photojournalist, videographer specializing in International news events, and documentary projects in S.E Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. She recently posted her documentary film, Shots That Bind, to Youtube and has given me permission to present it here for you. It’s split into 5 parts with a further video for credits.

Shots that Bind is a documentary following 5 Palestinian Photojournalists at the height of the 2nd Intifada. Shot mainly in 2003-2004, Kloie Picot, captures the danger, the uncertainty, the endurance, the difficulties, the loss, and ultimately the death of one of the journalists.

Shots that Bind is a testament to the necessity of local photographers and cameramen working in their own part of the world. It is to these journalists and to Nazzeh Darwazeh and Fadi Alawneh that this film is dedicated to.

Be sure to check out Kloie’s photo essays covering subjects including the disabled in Afghanistan, sea gypsies in Thailand, freedom fighters in Sumatra and more.

Sakura (cherry blossoms) at Tian Yuan temple, Taiwan

I’m back with another list of links to see you through the weekend. It was a busy week for me with three days of shooting and another two researching and doing some preparation for a new editorial assignment so I wasn’t able to spend too long browsing the photography world. That said, I did come across a few gems so here they are.

Humanitarian photographer Colby Brown has a post over at Pro Photo Resource discussing ways in which photography can help with the rebuilding of Haiti. Talked about are some ways that you can make a direct impact on the rebuilding process through the support of the NGO’s who are on the ground working with the people. Even if you can’t give any direct support, the post is worth it just for the great photography.

Sticking with the theme of support, documentary photography Tomas Van Houtryve has put a call out for early support in a documentary project focusing on 21st century communism. The support needed here is to fund a documentary trip to Laos. This certainly looks to be a worthwhile project and I’ve already made a financial pledge to assist in this. If you have an interest in strong documentary photography, I encourage you to contribute as well.

Want to have your work appear in a photo book? IGVP is putting together its first book that will be sourced from your photos. Head over to this submission page to upload your photos. For more information on the book’s content and motivation read this post.

Recently myself, Brian Hirschy and Matt Brandon spent an hour or so chatting about ways to engage culture. It was also recorded and you can listen to it via Brian’s website. Each part is around 20 minutes or so long and there are three parts in all. Start here with part 1, move on to part 2 and finish up with part 3.

Applications for the Eddie Adams workshop are now open. It’s a 4 day workshop featuring some of the worlds top photography professionals and 100 carefully selected students. Tuition is free for accepted students so head over to the website and apply now.

Mentoring is an important part of a photographer’s life and Tom Hoops is offering free mentoring for 6 months. If chosen. you’ll get critique, reviews, business advice, ideas, suggestions and more. Check it out.

Finally, crediting photos. Frolic discusses the importance of crediting the original source be it photographer, publication or stylist. Flickr or Google Images are not original sources. There’s more talk about use of links instead of text and more.

Somewhere along the India / Nepal border. Fuji Provia. October 2002.

Wireless ETTL triggering may well be the holy grail for the strobist generation. There are plenty of options if you want to trigger your small lights in manual but to make use if the sophisticated TTL functions is not so simple. Phottix, makers of the Phottix Atlas and the Phottix Strato triggers are about to jump into the fray with a new flash remote that promises to allow wireless TTL triggering of your speedlites. This new trigger promises –

• Wireless 2.4GHz. TTL and Manual Flash Triggering
• High speed sync – shutter speeds up to 1/8000 sec.
• Second curtain sync functions
• Remote power control in A:B, A:B C ratio modes with +/- EV …adjustments
• Remote power control of groups in TTL mode with +/- EV …adjustments (3 stops in 1/3 stops)
• Remote manual mode flash power control
• Remote flash head zoom adjustments – auto or manual
• On-camera AF Assist Light

For me personally, the ability to use high speed sync and the second curtain sync functions will make these a must-have.

To that end, Phottix are running a competition to give the flash a name. Full details will be available at the Phottix Journal next Monday but I can tell you that they want to expand their naming system away from the Greek mythology that has been used thus far to take more nations into account.

Time for a look around the online photography world to see what’s been happening.

The World Press Photo awards have been announced with Jodi Bieber taking home the top prize for her portrait of Bibi Aisha photographed for Time. Jury chair David Burnett likened the photograph to a select group of other iconic images that are readily known to everybody. Head over to the World Press Photo website to see it and all the other winners.

Clarion Call took place last weekend with over 2500 photographers from around the world taking part. You can still get MP3′s and transcripts if you wish to relive it or weren’t able to attend. They are available on the Clarion Call website.

The In Focus photoblog at The Atlantic has a great collection of Chinese Lunar New Year photographs from around the world.

The 2011 Photocrati Fund for professional and emerging photographers is open for entries. Last years fund focused on non-professionals but this year sees a change. They will award a $5000 grant to photographers who undertake important humanitarian and environmental projects. The deadline to enter is April 1st.

Sticking with the field of grants, Sean Gallagher has a very informative post describing the impact that being a recipient of the first Burn – Emerging Photographer grant has had on him as a photographer. In the post he talks about how he went about applying for the grant and what the resulting impact has been. Be sure to spend some time on the rest of his site which is full of excellent documentary imagery. For anyone interested in applying for the 2011 Burn – Emerging Photographer grant, do so before May 1st.

Facebook fan pages are pretty much obligatory for working photographers these days. The social network has become an important avenue for marketing and generating awareness of you as a photographer. Editorial and commercial photographer Nathan Armes has posted a tutorial describing how he customized his and integrated his Photoshelter galleries into it.

If you haven’t signed up for an account at Photoshelter, do so via this link and you’ll save a few dollars.

Finally, Steve McCurry offers some advice to photographers just starting out in a post titled Don’t Wait For The Phone To Ring. Very wise advice indeed.