I came to know about the Lunghwa’s photography club in a very unexpected way. One day, my class ended early, and since I didn’t know what to do, I wandered around the sports building – Building U.
The photography club’s office was on the 4th floor, which was also the top floor of the building. While I was admiring the photos displayed on the wall, the club president happened to walk by. I asked a few casual questions, and since he was so enthusiastic in his answers, I ended up asking if I could join the club. He said yes. And that’s simply how I became a member of the photography club.
The club has a really cool name: “Sunwind – 晨風”. Its full name is 龍華晨風攝影社. The president Pengpeng told me that 晨風 means “the refreshing breeze of the early morning.” I thought it sounded so poetic – truly fitting for a club dedicated to art.
All the members of the photography club were really nice, and so was the teacher. At that time, I had only been in Taiwan for a month, so my Chinese wasn’t very good. During the photography lessons, I could barely understand anything. Luckily, after the lessons, the teacher would let other members guide me in practicing with the camera.
That was when I realized that photography isn’t just about pressing the shutter once and being done. A photographer has to understand composition, angles, camera settings, timing, and the visual message the photo conveys. These things truly opened up a whole new horizon for me.
Besides classes, we also got to join outdoor photo shoots. In December, we went on a two-day, one-night trip to Jiufen Old Street. It was also my very first trip since moving to Taiwan.
We created such wonderful memories together. I never thought I could bond with Taiwanese friends so quickly, even though my Chinese was only at a basic level. Somehow, that trip changed me. I wanted to travel to more places, meet more people, and capture more memories.
It was just a pity that in the second semester, my class schedule became too busy, and I also found a part-time job on weekends, so I no longer had time to join the photography club’s activities.
Still, I will never forget the memories I made with them. They are beautiful experiences forever etched in my heart.