Patrice Delmotte | The Passionate Photographer

Photo © Patrice Delmotte with Jan Farn Chi as Lady Chi.

I've had the good fortune of meeting -and briefly working with- Patrice Delmotte in Taipei at the end of 2018, during an all too short visit to the island. It was a visit long overdue, and the first visit while in my second career as a photographer. I had previously traveled to Taipei years ago during my banking life, and it gave me my first dose of Sinophilia, especially as traveling to mainland China at the time was not as easy as it is now.

A few months ago, I decided to revisit Taipei and eventually linked up with Patrice again, expressing my interest in producing a few photo-films that would merge fashion and Chinese opera storytelling. Very willing, he quickly connected me with one of his favorite muses, the stunning Ms Jan Farn Chi. He also sent me samples of his own lovely work with her; some of which I add to this post. I was excited at the prospect of teaming up with Patrice and Jan Farn, working in a studion setting as well as in other external venues.

Photo © Patrice Delmotte with Jan Farn Chi as Lady Chi.

Photo © Patrice Delmotte with Jan Farn Chi as Lady Chi.

Plans were made, and days for the photo shoots were tentatively set when my flights and hotel booking were finalized. Not only would I produce Chinese opera-fashion photo films, but I would also work on other projects which would include portraits of Chinese street opera performers. 

Unfortunately, all these projects had to be shelved due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Asia. While Taiwan has been remarkably successful in containing its impact, it had started to appear in New York City, and it was deemed wiser to postpone the trip. I am confident that these plans will come to fruition in a month or two.

Patrice Delmotte describes himself as a passionate photographer, who has been living in Taipei since 1979. He started photography in 2005, and is now a full time photographer influenced by Sebastião Salgado. Most of his work is in black and white, some produced in his own studio and others on external sites (either in Taipei or Bali). He is a prolific author of photo books, with more than 50 self published; some of which are artful NSFW.

Much of Patrice's works can be viewed on his Instagram page, and on his website. He has exhibited his photographs in galleries in Taipei and Bali, and gives workshops in Bali as well.