Selected Photos by Che Sun
Velvet Sky, July 2019, Digital
Glaciers Farewell, September 2019, Digital
Sandstone Waves, December 2019, Digital
Sierra, January 2020, Film
Cotton Candy Seascape, August 2019, Digital
Misty Trees, September 2019, Digital
Heaven's Door, September 2019, Digital
Open Ceilings would like to recognize Che Sun for his amazing nature photography, and to correct a misprint in Shoes Before Socks: Winter 2021. In our latest winter issue, we wrote that Che’s Desert Between the Mountains was a digital photograph when in fact it was taken on film.
Destert Between the Mountains, 2020, Film
Che Sun
12/8/2020
Photography for me is first and foremost a way of seeing the world – seeing its colors, shapes, light and shadows, and the subtle beauty that is present everywhere I look. I still cannot believe how many times during the 22 years of my life prior to starting photography that I had failed to notice the golden sunlight streaming through the trees at dawn, the sharp lines and edges of buildings casting patches of dark shadows in the bright light of noon, and the bursting of colors in the sky painting the world with a palette of rainbows at sunset. Photography has given me a fresh pair of eyes with which to see the world, and I am grateful to be able to truly see - to discover beauty in the mundane, and to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.
This personal experience has led me to my philosophy on photography: the photograph is created by the photographer, and the photographer’s way of seeing the world will determine the audience’s way of seeing the photograph. Every photograph is subjective because the subject of every photograph is chosen by the photographer to show the world. It is embedded with the photographer’s thoughts and emotions.
My goal with my photographs is to tell a story and connect with the audience on an emotional level. I consider the highest form of compliment to be when a friend told me that they got chills from the beauty of a landscape that I made. With my landscape work, I also hope that connecting with my audience on an emotional level will help them see and appreciate the vast beauty and power of nature, motivating them to engage in the conservation of the wilderness. To that end, Ansel Adams is one of the biggest influences on my landscape photography, not only because of his powerful images, but also because his photos inspired a generation to protect and conserve the wilderness in this country. I hope to follow in his footsteps and share with you the immense beauty that is all around us, and the awe and wonder that I see in this world.
View more of Che Sun’s work at chesun.org
