There has been a growing trend for Taiwanese photographers to visit Lanyu (Orchid Island) to take photos of the Tao (Yami) people. In the early days, Chang Tsai took the lead in 1948, and Lin Chuan-tsu followed in 1955. Many photographers, including Cheng Shang-hsi (1960) and Hsieh Chen-lung (1963 and 1965), Wang Hsin (1982) and Kuan Hsiao-jung (1987) and others, all went to Lanyu.
One of Lin Chuan-tsu’s important qualities is his ability to present his amiable temperament and the sense of distance in his photographic works. Susan Sontag once said: “A photograph is both a pseudo-presence and a token of absence.” With some control of the distance between the photographer and the photographed, a work can show objectivity; the closeness between the two, on the other hand, enhances the warmth of the image. Lin’s lens seems to aim at the rhythm of daily life. He was good at capturing diverse themes of the ingenious moments in life.
Breastfeeding is a masterpiece showing the love and warmth of a mother and her child. In a leisurely afternoon, a mother is breastfeeding in a small space. Although the lens seems to be close to the subject, the angle of framing highlights the subject, showing the intimacy of the mother and the child, while also retaining the privacy. The outdoor space in the background makes the picture multi-layered with the people coming and going in contrast to the quiet interior atmosphere. The sunlight coming in from the outdoors makes the body and skin texture of the mother and the child round and full, creating a natural artwork that praises motherhood.
Sun Wei-xuan, “2021 Compilation and Research Project of Metadata in Photography.”