"The
bones of society" "A window to watch China" Huang Qingjun photographed family portraits for 102 families in 17 years
In the past few months, photographer Huang Qingjun's "Family" series of photos has attracted widespread attention and fascinated countless netizens.
Previously, he spent 17 years photographing the "Family Portrait" for 102 Chinese families. People put all their belongings one by one in front of their homes. Family members either sit or stand and take photos with their own belongings.
In fact, when the series of "Family" was published in newspapers such as "Chinese National Geographic", "German National Geographic" and "Guardian" in the early years, it attracted the attention of photographer Frank Frank. After the work, he exchanged his photos with Huang Qingjun and wrote: "Your work is a window for me to watch China."
Why are these concentrated little "family portraits" gaining popularity in China recently? Some netizens said that putting them together is like opening a long scroll of social situations slowly, and the views are amiable. These scenes are called "the bones of society" by art critic Wang Chunchen, and the transformation of the times is vividly remembered.
First camera
Domestic "Huashan" with more than 100 yuan
When he saw Huang Qingjun, he was walking against the light, tall and black face. He spoke slowly, revealing the humor and straightforwardness of a shareholder of the Northern People. After sitting down, he conveniently opened the notebook and pointed to the graph to tell the stories behind them in turn.
Huang Qingjun was born in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province in 1971 and has lived in rural areas in the Northeast since childhood. His father died of a work-related accident when he was three months old, and his mother took the burden of life alone, pulling him to grow up. Fortunately, in a bitter day, an accidental move inspired his interest in photography.
It was in 1986, and there was a "Dragon and Phoenix Youth Palace" in Daqing that was very active. Some of the classmates around were learning painting and calligraphy. At that time, Huang Qingjun, who did not even have a camera, "find a place to borrow one." I have a long-cherished photography class.
At that time, he felt that it was too cool to take pictures with his machine. What is particularly rare is that his mother is very supportive of his "non-business"-the first camera he hoped for was the "Huashan" machine made in China, "it cost more than 100 yuan to buy." Later I bought Ricoh 10, "I am particularly grateful to the old lady. At that time, I spent more than 1,700 pieces, which was the most expensive thing in our family. Later, my family only bought TV sets, black and white, more than 500 pieces."
Perhaps because of his obsession with photography, his academic performance was not good. After graduating from the technical school, he naturally entered the Power Supply Bureau and worked as an electrician for seven or eight years. All of his spare time is spent pondering how to take pictures. When I went out to "sweep the street" in winter, I was wearing "white hair" with frost in a moment. The head of my finger was about to freeze, but "I was happy to take pictures." He also tried every means to collect some photography books in Hong Kong, after reading the epiphany that "it can still be photographed like this".
In the late 1980s, various photo contests were particularly popular, and Huang Qingjun was keen to contribute and "continuously vote." Until now, he still keeps the receipt of the "registered letter" for the submission of "Thick One-Way".
Apprenticeship and message, learn to point the camera at people
Soon to 1992, the China Photography Art Festival held in Beijing that year was a major event for photography enthusiasts. The newly set up "Golden Image Award Selection" link has become "explosion news" in the circle. There is no enthusiast. Not concerned. Huang Qingjun made up his mind to "have to see what that exhibition is like." He said go away, get on the train to make up for a 21-hour hard seat ticket, and went straight to Beijing.
The rich exhibition content really opened his eyes. Among many exhibiting photographers, he noticed Wang Fuchun, a nominee for the Golden Award. At first, it was because Wang Fuchun came from Harbin, Heilongjiang, and he was also a fellow. Later, he found that Wang Fuchun's style of work made him "the more he looked, the more he liked it." Standing in the exhibition hall, he suddenly had a bold thought, "How good it is to be able to worship him as a teacher!"
The activities held at the photography exhibition that year were very grounded, and there were many opportunities to get close to "big coffee". Later, Huang Qingjun not only met Wang Fuchun, but also had a very smooth conversation. His thoughts might be "because he had some ideas", and Wang Fuchun was glad to accept him as a disciple. He was 21 years old that year, and his fate turned at this moment.
Returning to Daqing, Huang Qingjun was studying photography at Harbin Teachers College while diligently learning and practicing with teacher Wang Fuchun.
In 1993, Huang Qingjun passed the entrance of the Forbidden City and captured a scene in which a foreigner put on court costumes. This piece called "Find a Feeling" won the first prize of the "Foreigners in China Photography Competition" organized by China Daily . At that time, Mr. Wang Wenlan, the director of the photography department of the newspaper, quickly sent him a desk calendar of the newspaper, and handwritten the words "Hello Qingjun, pat it with heart". The message written by Wang Wenlan coincides with what Wang Fuchun has been encouraging him to say: "Aim the camera more at people."
This gave Huang Qingjun the courage to keep running along the road of photography.
In 1998, Huang Qingjun participated in the Kodak Cup professional reversal film competition organized by "China Photography". "Maybe I was lucky, and I entered the top ten in one go."
At that time, Huang Qingjun was laid off and reemployed, and opened a photo studio, "taking black and white photos that were popular at that time." He just moved to the sea and touched the extraordinarily big, "The money I earn from opening a photo studio, I will catch up to work and earn a year in a month." But the Kodak Cup's award-winning photography journey made him make a decision to change his life direction: close the photo studio and start photography creation.
"Steam Locomotive" series emerges
A book about observing art deeply influenced Huang Qingjun, "The book is very thin, written by Canadians, and it talks about how to train the way of thinking in an era without a digital camera." A training method in the book is printed in his mind: The instructor drew a one-meter circle on the grass and asked everyone to take a film machine and shoot inside. This method of exercising unlimited imagination in a limited space inspired him a lot. "Walking on the street, I will deliberately train myself in my mind and consciously observe."
Looking back a few times, Huang Qingjun feels that he has a certain unfavorable relationship with photography. "Bois of Germany is a very avant-garde person. He expresses contemporary art and performance art. But when I was young, I was very Strangely, I bought a book of his. Although I did n’t know it, I thought he was very interesting. "
Huang Qingjun once had a special liking for industrial scenes. From 1992 to 2002, he took ten years to shoot the series of "Steam Locomotive", which made him stand out. The opportunity seems to be willing to join in the fun. "At that time," China Petroleum Pictorial "regularly held photo contests, and the top three people were invited to work in Xinjiang every year to create." In 2003, Huang Qingjun scored the top three by points, and soon he helped "shoot" in Xinjiang. They are quite satisfied with a series of works of Xinjiang Petroleum. "Later, the editor-in-chief asked him," Why would you like to come without a photographer? "In this way, in March 2004, Huang Qingjun said goodbye to Daqing and officially drifted north.
Due to the widespread dissemination of the photos of the steam locomotive, a drift travel magazine soon launched an olive branch to Huang Qingjun, and he seized the opportunity to "open up the horizon". He was very impressed. The first time he went abroad was invited by Finnair to Finland and sent postcards in the village of Santa Claus. "When I went, it was March. I really received the greeting card at Christmas at the end of the year."
Turn on "ownership" and see love and dedication
Gradually, Huang Qingjun felt that "the scenery is as good as it is taken, and no one looks vivid." At this time, he took over a project in cooperation with China National Geographic magazine, "find some people with characteristics and let them move their things out to shoot." That time, four families from four provinces were photographed. Aiming the lens at people once again, he has the urge to create, and has also become the source of inspiration for the "Family" series. In order to develop himself, he spent a while in 798, "see more art forms", and began to consciously reconstruct the shooting plan.
China is so big, how to choose the subject? The Internet was not so developed in 2003. Huang Qingjun thought that the familiar countryside—Changbai Mountain is famous for its ginseng. Each has its own house and its own yard. It is relatively independent and relatively good-looking. So he went to the village non-stop and asked family members if they wanted to shoot. Sometimes I ’m lucky, “I ’m catching up with people who are moving. When I go up, I just stop and take a shot.” Most of the time he has to convince people, he has to help him move out, “I ca n’t find someone to help me move anymore. , And then move back to others after the move, to restore the original appearance. "
After shooting, some rarely contact him, some people still have contact. Some people have already left the countryside and moved to the city, and some old couples have rode to Lhasa. Some of the old couple in Shaoxing passed away. Huang Qingjun still clearly remembers how the old couple followed the busy schedule during the filming in 2007, "I don't know if the old house and old furniture are still there."
As a photographer, Huang Qingjun was quite touched. "Photos did not allow them to change anything, especially in the countryside. The change comes from their own struggle." Many people and things in the film made Huang Qingjun deeply moved. "There are many people who are right My hometown really loves it and is willing to really pay for the construction of my hometown. "
He pointed to a photo from the background of the water town and recalled that when he first contacted Mr. Shen Jiayun in the ancient town of Nanxun, he was very happy on the phone. "It's okay, you can take a picture." Wait until you meet to explain the shooting method, although " I did not expect such trouble ", Shen Lao still expressed support. Because there are so many things in the house, it takes a whole day to move things. But Shen Lao said, "As long as it is useful for propagating the ancient town of Nanxun, I am willing to do it."
Huang Qingjun also tried to use the same protagonist to represent the time and space changes, but few families can shoot twice, and An Yongqing is an exception. When Huang Qingjun first filmed in 2011, An Yongqing first drifted to Beijing and lived in a hutong near the front door. The rent was 300 yuan a month. Eight years later, Huang Qingjun went to An Yongqing to shoot again. He had already left Beijing and rented a simple house in the countryside of Fujian. He "meditationally studied and lived a simple life."
Such a change also touched Huang Qingjun himself, "In the past, I felt that I needed a lot of things to satisfy, and now I only hope that my life will be simpler in the future."
Good things have something in common
During the 17 years of filming "Family", Huang Qingjun has been to nearly 30 countries, and the impact of the Internet on society has made him feel deeply. Therefore, in 2015, he took 23 days to shoot the "Dangang-online shopping" series. Depart from Beijing to Jilin, then go to Harbin and Mohe, then transfer to Inner Mongolia, and then go to Kashi; then from Lhasa to Lijiang-Liuzhou-Hangzhou, and finally shoot the last scene in Beijing in one breath. In the same period, people from different occupations in different regions, their online shopping life is truly presented in the lens, and also left many stories that impressed him.
Wang Yafeng, a boy from Mohe, Heilongjiang, recalled after 10 years of billing that he spent more than 220,000 yuan on Taobao. Almost all of his hotels and household items came from online shopping. Behind his house is the Sino-Russian border. For him, online shopping is an important pleasure in life.
The wife and wife of Mehmutti Tulson, who lives in Kashgar, Xinjiang, were pregnant during the shooting. According to local customs, the face of the pregnant woman was unremarkable, but she put on a mask and happily accepted Huang Qingjun's shooting. At that time, in southern Xinjiang, most locals did not have online shopping experience like McHumati-he is the only college student in the family, fluent in English and Chinese, for him, online shopping is very common.
Jia Yuhao and Lv Xuefeng were originally engineers. In 2011, the two young men quit their jobs and settled in Lhasa to run an inn. Nearly 80% of the things in the inn are bought online, coffee machines, "hand-made", and outdoor equipment they love. During the shooting, the two put on sleeping bags and smiled. For them, online shopping helps them realize themselves. Today, they have transferred out of the inn and live in Fujian and Shaanxi respectively. What makes Huang Qingjun proud is that this photo was selected as the cover of "Dynamic Asia" by China Daily. The president of Asia News also gave the book to Premier Li Keqiang.
Among all the works of "Family", Huang Qingjun said frankly that he liked the photo taken in August 2007 in Xinbalhuzuoqi, Inner Mongolia. Not only was it photographed by master photographer Robert Frank, South Korean curator Gu Benchang also said that this photo is "like the top grade in Chinese painting and the top grade in" Family "". At the time of shooting, what impressed him was the picture at the time, very clean. He feels that "good things must have common features." Ancient objects and modern wind power generation collide with many thought-provoking clues.
This photo captures responses from countries around the world. Huang Qingjun received an email from abroad every three months, saying that he "want to publish these photos." A Dutch boy also said that he traveled to Inner Mongolia because he saw this photo in high school.
Huang Qingjun feels that it is those objects in the photo that are not noticed or hidden in general that resonate with many viewers. Many people leave comments saying that they have witnessed changes and changes in the way of life in China's modernization process. Huang Qingjun was gratified that it was these emotions and environment that he paid most attention to when shooting.
"Sweep the street" with Robert Frank
Huang Qingjun has experienced many interesting things. He still finds it hard to imagine so far. He once took pictures with Mr. Robert Frank, a master photographer like God, "sweeping" across the street and basking in the sun together. "The first time I visited the master in New York in 2012, he gave me a copy of his famous work" American "and signed it. After reading my work, he asked for the book back and added a sentence. : 'Thank you for showing me these photos and helping me open a window to see China.' "
They also went to "sweep the street" in Brooklyn. Although Huang Qingjun's English was not fluent, he could appreciate, "Frank was constantly trying. He was still using a film machine at that time, but his observation ability and thinking style were always changing. "The master's actions also made Huang Qingjun think about it." If he took a photo of me, he would take out a bunch of his photos, spread them out, and arrange them so that I would pick one. "
In October 2012, Paul Smith, the founder of the famous British clothing brand Paul Smith, saw Huang Qingjun's work in the Guardian Weekly. He contacted him and expressed his love for his work. When Huang Qingjun went to London in September 2013, the two met and Paul also collected a picture of his work.
It was even more wonderful to see the German photographer Thomas Ruf. At first, Thomas Ruff was invited to lecture in Beijing, which left a deep impression on Huang Qingjun. During his stay at the Venice Biennale in 2017, Huang Qingjun wrote a letter to Thomas without getting a reply. After arriving in Rosseldorf, where Thomas was, with a mood to give it a try, Huang Qingjun wrote two more letters in a row. Surprisingly, not only did I receive the email the next day, but also clearly stated the address of the house number and the time of boarding. What shocked Huang Qingjun was not just the huge studio owned by Thomas. "He didn't even have any assistants, he did it all by himself! To know that his artistic style has changed a lot, not to mention the portraits of his early fame. The starry sky and the shooting of the machine were all done by themselves, totally unimaginable. "Although the visit time was very short, Huang Qingjun benefited a lot." Solved a lot of my confusion, and the Germans are very rigorous in their work. They do their best for the material , Really opened up a way of thinking for me. "
Huang Qingjun adheres to his shooting principles: respect the person being photographed, including what they want to express. "Even if it is for real records", do not "touch the privacy of the person being photographed." He feels that he needs to take risks to do art. In the future, he is preparing for a form where he can "talk to himself" without having to trouble others. "I don't know if I can succeed, but I am trying."
Text / Reporter Li Zhe