Kodakery - Mr. Wu Takes Look At The American Scene - October 16, 1952

Tells U.S. Audiences About Snap shooting in China

“I think American friendliness has made the greatest impression on me.” The quiet-spoken Chinese who said that was Francis Wu…..his country’s “Ambassador of Photography”

He has come across the world from Hong Kong for his first visit to the United States.

On a nationwide lecture tour, sponsored by the PSA and PAA, Rochester was one of the some 50 stops coast to coast in 24 States.

He had a tree way purpose in stopping in Rochester: to speak before the Kodak Camera Club. To brush up on photographic techniques and new developments at Kodak and to renew acquaintances with Company people whom he had met in China or with whom he has correspondence down through the years.

Gordon Frisque, Kodak's European & Overseas Organization and Francis Wu

Wu, one of China’s best known photographers, came to the U.S. in July ands will return to his homeland around Christmas. In the meantime, Mrs. Wu is in charge of his studio and photographic supply store.

By the time he gets back home, he figures he will have traveled about 50,000 miles. He marvels at the American transportation network that makes distant cities just a few hours away.

On his Kodak visit he was particularly interested to learn new techniques in promoting photography. Much credit must go to him for the spread of photographic interest in his native land. He has been instrumental in forming Chinese camera clubs. He’s acting as advisor in five such clubs now and is quite proud of eh fact that 120 Hong Kong exhibitors had 660 entries accepted in the London Salon recently.

Photography in china principally is black and white, he says. Color, however, is making headway, and he is interested in developments along this line when he stopped in at Kodak.

Goodwill Mission

He hopes one of the results of his trip will be a closer relationship between Chinese and American photographers.

One of his favorite lecture topics is picture taking from the Chinese viewpoint. There is a distinct difference between their photographic ideas and those of the Western world.

“Americans look for the drama in pictures” Wu observes. “Chinese on the other hand. Seek the delicate”

Picture subjects, however, he says, are much the same. Chinese snap shooters, like their American counterparts, put babies and family pictures on their list of camera targets.