「走過無邊的遼闊風景，我內心也變得更自由了」— 攝影師 Weng 的開普敦記事

 
 
 

在日常的空間拍攝工作，攝影師 Weng 時常習慣扮演一個冷靜的觀察者。面對陌生的場域，他像塊安靜的海綿，先吸收設計師與屋主的故事，接著躲在觀景窗後，專注捕捉空間裡那些迷人的光影角落與局部細節。

不過，當場景切換到距離台灣飛行 18 小時的南非開普敦，他既有的觀看框架開始悄悄鬆動。

這趟跨越半個地球的遠行，源自一張在臉書留言抽獎贏得的開普敦來回機票。如此荒誕不真實的故事開場，一把將他推向全然未知的境地。出發前，Weng 對非洲的想像僅止於荒野大草原和地理課本上提過的好望角，剩餘畫面幾近空白。然而正是這樣的空白，留給意識大量的空間，邀請一望無際的海岸、高聳入雲的巨岩，斑斕的建築和街區色彩，一舉闖入他全然敞開的感官世界。

 
 

  • In her daily life as a spatial photographer for Hey!Cheese, Weng is accustomed to being a composed observer. When stepping into an unfamiliar space, she acts like a silent sponge, first absorbing the narratives of the designer and the homeowner. She then retreats behind the viewfinder, focusing her lens on the enchanting interplay of light and shadow, or the quiet poetry found in a room's finer details.

    However, when the setting shifted to Cape Town, South Africa—an 18-hour flight from Taiwan—her established visual frameworks began to loosen.

    This journey across the globe began with an almost surreal stroke of luck: a round-trip ticket won through a Facebook giveaway. This "too good to be true" beginning thrust her into a realm of total unknown. Before departing, Weng’s mental image of Africa was limited to wild savannas and the Cape of Good Hope from geography textbooks. The rest was a blank canvas—and it was precisely this emptiness that allowed her senses to fully open to the towering cliffs, the vast coastlines, and the kaleidoscopic colors of the city.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

一落地，迎接他的不是漫天黃沙，而是比想像中更現代、充滿高層建築的海灣城市。作為度假勝地的開普敦瀰漫著極度緩慢的步調，「有一種好像大家沒有一定要工作，或是一定要做些什麼事的感覺。」

然而，這座城市卻也有著如灰姑娘般的強烈反差。白天是活力蓬勃、悠閒的放鬆氣息，但太陽一下山，流浪漢與乞討者開始湧現，巨大的貧富差距在夜色中展露無遺。

走在街上，當地人因為少見亞洲面孔，初見面時常帶著面無表情的注視，一度讓人感到緊張。實際接觸後才發現，當地人其實極度樂觀開朗，搭配著他們身上常穿的鮮豔衣著與隨處可見的紅色物件，Weng 因此在腦海裡為南非定調了一個專屬顏色：「那個紅色一直記在我的腦海裡，對我來說，那是一個充滿熱情與活力的地方。」

 
 

  • A City of Contrasts

    Upon landing, Weng wasn't greeted by swirling desert sands, but by a modern, high-rise coastal city. As a premier holiday destination, Cape Town moves at a languid pace. "It felt as though no one was in a rush to work or fulfill a specific agenda," she notes.

    Yet, the city possesses a "Cinderella-like" duality. By day, it is vibrant and relaxed; but as the sun dips below the horizon, the stark reality of wealth inequality emerges under the cover of night.

    Walking the streets as a rare Asian face, Weng initially felt the tension of expressionless stares from locals. However, once she engaged with them, she discovered an irrepressible optimism. This spirit, paired with the vivid attire and the ubiquitous red accents found throughout the city, defined South Africa’s palette in her mind. "That specific red stayed with me. To me, it represents a place of immense passion and vitality."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

大山大海教我的事



被稱作「上帝的餐桌」的桌山（Table Mountain），徹底為 Weng 帶來視覺與心靈上的震撼。原本預計只待一個小時的平坦山脈，卻因為極快的天氣變化與腳下九千多種植物的分佈，讓他整整流連了四個小時。

雲霧如桌布般在平坦的山脈上流洩；往下俯瞰，是廣袤無邊的非洲大陸。「站在上面往下看，你會感受到像是上帝視角的觀看角度。但同時又會忍不住想著，我們會不會只是餐桌上的小食物，而上帝又在更高的視角看著人們呢？」Weng 描述當下那份被徹底翻轉的魔幻感，「我徹底意識到，自己完全就是這個地球上一個非常小的生物而已。」

 
 

  • Lessons from the Great Outdoors

    Table Mountain, often called "God’s Dining Table," provided a profound visual and spiritual awakening. What was meant to be a one-hour stroll turned into a four-hour immersion in its shifting weather and diverse flora.

    As clouds spilled over the flat plateau like a tablecloth, Weng looked down at the sprawling African continent. "Standing there, you experience a 'God’s eye view.' But at the same time, you can’t help but wonder: are we just tiny crumbs on this table, with God watching us from an even higher vantage point?" This inversion of perspective left a lasting impact. "I realized then that I am a very, very small creature on this planet."

    This realization brought a newfound sense of freedom to her inner life. "After witnessing such vastness, you stop sweating the small stuff in daily life. If the mountains and seas are that grand, why agonize over a tiny point? You just move through it."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

這因此在他心裡留下一道很強的後勁。他坦言自己內心變得更自由了：「看過這種大山大海，心情就不會再癥結於生活裡很小的困難點。反正那些山海都這麼遼闊了，何必在一個小點上苦惱？只要過了就好了。」Weng 彷彿打開了一個開關。世界之大，帶著這份不設限的心境，似乎再也沒有什麼遠方是不能抵達的。

 
 
 
 
 
 

在好望角，Weng 拍下了一張自己非常喜歡的照片：廣大的海灣前，一個人影正往反方向走，而在畫面死角，一個巨大的海浪即將襲來。「拍完後我自己腦補了一個電影情節。那個人可能已經預感到危險先跑了，但畫面外的我們，卻是以『上帝的視角』在看著這個故事的發展。」Weng 笑著說。

 
 

翻轉視覺的異世界



除了大自然的遼闊，開普敦的色彩與建築同樣重擊 Weng 的感知經驗。

走進馬來區（Bo-Kaap），一棟棟漆著高飽和度紅、黃、藍的房子依山坡而建。Weng 鏡頭下的馬來區，少了觀光客的喧囂，捕捉著孩童在街區奔跑玩耍的尋常瞬間。「那裡給我一種早期台灣眷村的錯覺，像是媽媽喊你回家吃飯才會離開的感覺。色彩繽紛的印象，讓我發現南非是一個非常有活力、很樂天的地方。」

 
 

  • The Architecture of Another World

    Beyond the natural landscape, Cape Town’s urban colors reshaped Weng’s perception. In the Bo-Kaap district, houses painted in high-saturation reds, yellows, and blues line the hillsides. Through Weng’s lens, Bo-Kaap is stripped of its tourist noise, capturing instead the simple joy of children playing in the streets. "It reminded me of the old military dependents' villages in Taiwan—the kind of place where you don't head home until your mother calls you for dinner."

 
 
 
 
 
 

另一個讓他捨不得放下相機的，是由 1921 年舊玉米糧倉改建的「當代非洲藝術美術館」（Zeitz MOCAA）。建築師將 42 支巨大的混凝土柱從中間挖空，形成一個高聳的橢圓形空間。

「走進去很像到了異世界，有一種在沙漠或沙丘裡的感覺。外面強烈的陽光透過像枕頭般的玻璃帷幕透進來，打在黑色的地板上，反光起來就像鋪了一層金箔。」而這座美術館的尺度與光影，亦成了這趟旅程裡，最想再回去看一次的角落。

 
 

  • Another architectural marvel was the Zeitz MOCAA, housed in a converted 1921 grain silo. The architect carved out 42 vertical concrete tubes to create a soaring, elliptical atrium. "Entering it felt like stepping into another dimension, or perhaps the heart of a desert dune. The harsh sunlight filters through pillow-like glass windows, hitting the black floors until they shimmer like gold leaf."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

用鏡頭留住成長的刻度



面對眼前無法想像的遼闊和有趣景緻，究竟該放下相機用「雙眼」記住當下，還是用「觀景窗」將一切保留下來？旅行時，你是否也和 Weng 內心一樣，陷入這般兩難的矛盾想法？

他深知如果一直盯著螢幕，容易錯失現場最純粹的感動，因此不斷在心裡提醒自己「要把這個感受留在當下、用眼睛記起來」；但面對這個可能一輩子只會來一次的遠方，又極度渴望留下紀錄。「這真的很矛盾，我當下覺得我要用眼睛好好記下來，但手又忍不住想趕快拍。」後來他找到屬於自己的平衡：重點區域讓雙眼與相機並行，小景點則純粹用眼睛感受。

 
 

  • Capturing the "Scale of Growth"

    Faced with such breathtaking vistas, Weng grappled with the classic traveler’s dilemma: look through the eyes or through the viewfinder?

    While she wanted to remain present to the emotion of the moment, the fear of never returning pushed her to record everything. She eventually found a balance: using both her eyes and her camera for major sites, while letting smaller moments simply wash over her. A lover of the tactile, she chose a compact film camera over a smartphone. To her, digital files feel like fleeting diary entries, whereas physical photographs possess a "weight"—tangible markers of growth to be touched and revisited in old age.

 
 
 
 

擁有一顆老靈魂的他，刻意放下手機，全程改以隨身小相機捕捉。手機裡的數位檔案就他而言，比較像是暫時的日記，滑過就過了；相機拍下、甚至未來洗成實體照片，會產生實質的重量，老了以後可以拿出來回味、觸摸得到的「成長的刻度」。

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

把旅途的餘韻，帶進觀景窗



南非大地的脈搏與氣息雖然被留在了一萬公里外，但那份退一步的遼闊，成了 Weng 最珍貴的紀念品。回到熟悉的空間攝影工作，Weng 開始將視角拉遠，退好幾步來觀看。除了顧慮到整體資訊的比例、空間的關聯性，也去思考「設計師究竟想表達什麼？」、「這個空間想告訴我什麼？」同時，他更把自己揉進空間，甚至與物件交換靈魂：想像如果自己是那張沙發、那扇窗簾，會看見什麼樣的光景？

一場起源於抽獎的南非之旅，不僅打開 Weng 對非洲大陸的想像，更讓他的鏡頭長出了更獨一無二的靈魂。世界很大，而他已經準備好，帶著這份自由且遼闊的目光，繼續探索下一個空間，以及下一個未知的國度。

 
 

  • The Afterglow in the Viewfinder

    Though the pulse of South Africa remains thousands of miles away, the sense of "stepping back" has become Weng's most prized souvenir. Returning to her professional spatial photography, she has begun to pull her perspective further back.

    She now looks beyond mere composition to ask deeper questions: What is the designer truly trying to say? What is this space telling me? She even practices a form of "soul-exchange" with the objects she shoots, imagining what the world looks like from the perspective of a curtain or a sofa.

    A journey that began with a lucky draw did more than just introduce Weng to a new continent; it gave her lens a deeper soul. The world is vast, and she is now ready to explore the next space—and the next unknown country—with a gaze that is both free and expansive.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Weng 的開普敦口袋名單

 
 

01 桌山 Table Mountain


桌山是開普敦的精神地標，山頂平坦如桌面，可搭纜車上山，天氣好時能俯瞰整座城市與遠方海岸線。山上天氣變化極快，建議預留至少半天時間，並隨時查看官網的纜車運行狀態。

 
 

  • As the spiritual landmark of Cape Town, Table Mountain offers a summit so flat it feels like a stage for the divine. While the cable car provides a swift ascent, the true magic lies in the mountain’s temperament.

    Weng’s Tip: "The weather here is mercurial. One moment it’s clear, the next, the 'tablecloth' of clouds rolls in. I spent four hours here just watching the light shift across the 9,000 plant species. Always check the official website for cable car status before you head up, and give yourself at least half a day to truly get lost in the view."

 
 
 
 

📍 Table Mountain
Tafelberg Road, Gardens, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

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02 當代非洲藝術美術館 Zeitz MOCAA


Zeitz MOCAA 由百年玉米糧倉改建，建築本身就是一件精彩作品。挑高的橢圓形中庭和獨特的光影效果，即使對藝術不特別熱衷，光是走在空間裡就很震撼。位於 V&A Waterfront 碼頭區，逛完可以順道在港邊散步。

 
 

  • Housed in a century-old grain silo, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is a masterpiece of adaptive reuse. The soaring, elliptical atrium—carved directly into the concrete silos—creates an otherworldly interplay of light and shadow.

    Weng’s Note: "Even if you aren't an art aficionado, the architecture alone is soul-stirring. The way the light filters through the geometric windows is a masterclass in spatial design. Afterward, the V&A Waterfront is just steps away—perfect for a reflective walk by the harbor."

 
 
 
 

📍 Zeitz MOCAA
V&A Waterfront, Silo District, S Arm Road, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

More Info

 
 

03 好望角 Cape of Good Hope


好望角位於非洲大陸西南端，從開普敦市區開車約一個半小時。沿途會經過企鵝海灘（Boulders Beach），可以一起排進行程。抵達後別只在指標牌拍照，沿著步道往海岸走，風浪和懸崖的尺度會完全不同。

 
 

  • Located at the southwestern tip of the African continent, the journey here is as significant as the destination. It’s a 90-minute drive from the city, ideally paired with a stop at Boulders Beach to see the African penguins.

    Weng’s Vision: "Don't just take the mandatory photo with the signpost. Walk the trails toward the cliffs. It’s there, where the wind and waves collide against the sheer scale of the precipice, that you truly feel the 'God’s eye view' I captured in my photos."

 
 
 
 

📍 Cape of Good Hope
Cape Point Road, Cape Point, Cape Town, South Africa

 
 

04 馬來區 Bo-Kaap


馬來區位於市中心旁信號山山坡上的社區，整排高飽和度的彩色房屋是最大特色。這裡是真實的住宅區，拍照之餘記得放低音量、尊重居民生活。巷弄裡的小餐館可以嚐到道地的開普馬來料理。

 
 

  • Nestled on the slopes of Signal Hill, Bo-Kaap is famous for its rows of high-saturation, candy-colored houses. But for Weng, it was the soul of the neighborhood—not just the paint—that resonated.

    Weng’s Reflection: "This is a living, breathing residential area, not a movie set. As a photographer, it’s about being a silent observer—keeping your voice low and your respect high. If you have time, duck into a local eatery to taste authentic Cape Malay cuisine; the spices are as vibrant as the walls."

 
 
 
 

📍 Bo-Kaap
Wale Street, Bo-Kaap, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

 
 
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Photography by/ Weng
Interview、Text/ ChichiL, Jamie Lo

 
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