#Photography

Architectural photography is the act of sanctifying inert concrete facades as if they were religious relics, beautifying them through a ceremonial interplay of light and shadow. An empty office tower, when framed by the photographer, is elevated into a futuristic cathedral. Yet this gaze discards the human dramas within and the reality of decay, crafting the fiction of the “perfect edifice.” The pristine glass curtain wall becomes a stage prop that praises the architect’s ambition while concealing flaws in construction. What is truly captured is the artifice of architectural beauty and the magic that makes us forget the harshness of maintenance.

Astrophotography is said to trap countless stars behind a lens, but in reality it is a hobby that romanticizes endless duels with long exposures and a tripod. Facing the darkness may be a pursuit of romance or a nightly ordeal frightened by light pollution. The wait for the final image is a thorny path where anticipation and equipment failures take turns stirring frustration. In the end, the captured photos become mere decorations for SNS exhibitions, and the mystery of the galaxy is reduced to a prop for hashtag #stargazer bragging.

White balance is the magical incantation that allows photographers to avert their eyes from the truth of color. It segregates those who obsess over light temperature as "experts" and those who do not as "careless", underpinning a convenient binary. A universal filter that swaps warm tones for cool or vice versa to suit one's mood. Yet it is also a nihilistic ritual of ceaselessly seeking the elusive "correct white".

Wildlife photography is the art of chasing untamed subjects like birds and lions, commodifying nature with the bait of social media "likes." It prioritizes camera specs and the photographer’s ego over the animal’s freedom. The photographer, selfie-stick in hand, cloaks harassment as curiosity, disregarding the subject’s comfort. In the end, only a fading echo of true wilderness and one viral image remain.