Friday, December 28, 2012

The Columbas Citizen - Ohio - Tuesday September 16, 1952

It’s Different In China…
Oriental Lensmen Spurn ‘Curves”

Dr. Francis Wu

A gentle mannered man from China, Dr. Francis Wu, brought a touch of the Orient and his fame as a photographer to Columbus last week.

Dr. Wu was the speaker at the meeting of the Central Ohio Camera Club at Central YMCA. He has been here for two months. His wizardry with a camera in Hong Kong has brought him international attention.

Making a tour, which will take him to 60 cities before he goes home again, Dr. Wu told his listeners the infinite patience the Chinese show with a camera.

“WE GO OUT” in the very early morning,” he said, “and get nature’s best efforts. If we don’t get the picture that morning, we try later in the afternoon and if we don’t get it then, we try tomorrow and the day after.

“We accentuate the face and the hands of our models, not the figure”

Dr. Wu saved some 600 famous pictures sent to Hong Kong from all parts of the world for a showing just before the Japanese overran his homeland. He does not disclose how the prints were buried and kept safe from the invaders. He changed his occupation to “broker” and was not imprisoned.


DR. WU IS a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and of the Photographic Society of America. In New York last month he was made an honorary member of the latter.

He uses both American and German cameras and finds the Germans have not lost their skill in making precision instruments. But was quick to praise American craftsmen too.

HE IS TAKING scores of pictures of homely American things and happenings of the people to show in China.

At the same time he is trying to teach our men and women here the way of the skilled craftsmen of the Orient with their way of making soft and delicate pictures and never bold or abstract at all.






No comments:

Post a Comment