Ling photographs channel simplicity, heritage

Professor Yu-Long Ling does not take photographs to sell them to others. He takes photographs to share them with others.

Ling, professor of political science, shares his collection of photographs and Chinese paintings in his exhibit, "Images of My Roots."

"My main focus this time is China," Ling said. "That’s where my roots are."

Ling, along with former Franklin professor Bill Pohley, selected the photographs.

"The photos chosen deal with my hometown, deal with my parent’s hometown, deal with the traditions of China such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City," Ling said.

Born in Chongqing, China, Ling moved to Taiwan with his parents after the Communists took control. In 1965, he came to the United States to study law. Ling has travelled back and forth between the two cultures.

Many of Ling’s photographs are taken with city walls or gates as a natural frame to the scene. He says a natural frame in a photograph is similar to the way a culture frames the viewer’s perception of the world.

"Human beings are conditioned by their culture, that’s how you look at things," said Ling. "They cannot go beyond the culture that they live in. If we are confined by these so called frames, I want to look beyond the frame."

While Ling does not claim to be a professional photographer, or even a great photographer, he has been exposed to artistic techniques. His father was a calligrapher, with a few of his father’s Chinese poems being shown in the exhibit.

Ling’s father-in-law, Hanzo Tomiya, taught him photography techniques about lighting and shadows and are also a part of the exhibit.

Ling, who will retire this year, wanted to take the opportunity to share his collection of techniques and photographs with his friends.

"The picture does not always speak for itself, there’s more meaning behind it, and that is what I wanted to share," said Ling.

Ling also had the support of a few Franklin students in preparation for his exhibit.

Sophomore Kayla Cash and two other assistants helped Dr. Ling sort through his seemingly countless photos to choose the right ones to communicate with.

"We helped him print the images out, frame them, clean them up, and get them hung. We also did title cards so there was a description of each photograph," Cash said.

In addition to the actual set up, Cash and the other assistants had to contact the JCFA administrators to get clearance for the exhibit to be shown.

When asked about her favorite part of the exhibit, Cash recalled a picture of two fishermen in a boat.

"Even though Taiwan and China have become very capitalistic, and you know, obviously you see the high risers in the big cities, there’s still a part of China and Taiwan that hasn’t been touched by the economic growth," Cash said. "It’s just nice to see that the simplicity still exists."