by Mark Forman on April 9, 2013
Tamshui is probably my 2nd favorite spot in the Taipei area. It reminds me a little bit of Greenwhich Village or Sausalito in terms of the vibe. Each of those 3 places is completely different and GV and Sausalito probably closer to each other but the three all have a sense of independence or detachment from the immediate surrounding area. Kind of lighter than air and warm for lack of better tangible words.
The shot was taken on a nice family trip weekend. The family was still sleeping while I was up clicking at the crack of dawn...what else is new. If it ain't broke don't fix it , right? 
by Mark Forman on March 30, 2013
This was shot on recent day trip to Taipei to meet a visiting friend. The outer ring of the LungShan Temple is always bustling with a lot of middle-aged and older men playing Chinese chess. Others are sleeping or panhandling. This area seems to have almost a Lourdes-like attraction for the Taiwanese especially those less fortunate. This is also part of my Hands Speak series on G+.
by Mark Forman on March 24, 2013
This day at the Taipei LungShan Temple was so busy and filled with colors, sounds(from chanting and little cymbals and gongs), smells: the incense and the city itself, and fire from the blood red candles. Should have complete info up for first photo tour early next month. If you have any family or friends that would like to join, or colleagues at your company let us know. We can always customize. Giving that special hands on service is what we're all about and one of the many things that set us apart from an ordinary packaged tour. If you come to Taiwan you can experience scenes like this along with many others first hand and take some great pictures. Taiwan offers alpine mountain range to sea shore in less than three hours. Southern Taiwan is in the sub-tropical zone and eastern Taiwan often called the Hawaii of Taiwan. That topped with Polynesian aboriginal to Han Chinese culture and it's compact size make for a great destination!
by Mark Forman on March 19, 2013
Yesterday finally got to to meet an old online friend: @aronski in real time meat space. I rode the bus up from Taichung to Taipei (about 2 hours), walked from the bus station to the Taipei Train Station and fed myself through the tunnels into the MRT-a really posative addition to the Taipei life experience. It kind of makes up for some of the agony of when I was living there during it's construction and resulting epic traffic jams. I took Aron on a mini tour of Wanhua and Lung Shan Temple. Here is what he tweeted:
Good warm up for upcoming Shogun of Taiwan Photo Tours 
Will meet Aron again tomorrow with my son. We'll join him at the Taipei International Convention Center to experience Paul Simon and his band. I was thrilled to find out from Aron that some of my favorite South African artists like Bakihti Kumalo will be with him-high times!!!
This shot was taken from a wonderful afternoon of activity at Lung Shan Temple where many people were chanting along with a host of nuns, burning incense, and throwing fortune sticks and blocks.
by Mark Forman on March 15, 2013
Some exciting news-we'll be adding Photography Tours of Taiwan to the scope of our business services. They'll be hosted by myself-Mark Forman: Shogun of Taiwan(my old podcasting handle) expatriate resident of Taiwan for over 25 years and internationally noted portrait and cultural photographer and other expert bi-lingual (English and Mandarin) hosts. We'll offer several different packages including some outer island ones: Green Island, Orchid Island, The Pescadores, JinMen. The tours will offer some of the best spots for Chinese cultural photos-temples from 17th century to present, markets: traditional and street food fantasy night markets. Indigenous aboriginal culture sites and performances will also be included. Learn traditional weaving and dancing. Taiwan is the ancestral home of many Polynesian tribes. In between there will also be some landscapes , cityscapes and street photography opportunities since Taiwanese are people much more casual and friendly about being photographed than in the US and Europe.These tour is suitable for beginners on up. Stay tuned for details on pricing, dates, etc. Of course custom and specialty tours are available Come rock the beautiful Isla Formosa with us and take magical photo memories back home to share.
markatbbluesmandotcom @bbluesman
