She recorded the world with a lens and went to India three times to explore this wonderful world.

I like the slow-moving experience, experience the local customs, aim the camera at the local residents, observe their lives and take more photos for them. I have been to many places several times, and great changes have taken place in recent years. In some places, the speed of change is different, but many architectural styles and humanities and arts have been preserved.

Zhang yi/

The author introduces:

0 1

The mental journey of falling in love with photography

Since 2004, I have used my spare time to photograph my family and everything around me with a digital camera. Later, I joined the Correspondence College of Photography organized by China Photographers Association, studied systematically, and gradually began to participate in various photography competitions, which laid a solid foundation for photography.

There were not so many tourists going to Tibet in 2005, so I always had doubts before I came to Tibet. Some friends who have been to Tibet introduced how hard life in Tibet is. Even so, my idea of going to Tibet is firm. Tibet 14 days and nights are really as hard as my friend described, but I think it's still worth it.

We packed our bags in the morning and prepared to March into Mount Everest. The altitude at the foot of Mount Everest has exceeded 5,000 meters, which makes me have mixed feelings: I am very happy, but I never thought that we could climb the first peak in the world; Worried is afraid that the body can't bear altitude sickness. In this mood, we are driving on the highest mountain road in the world.

The peak is covered with snow all year round, which is a holy scene. Driving at 6 am, I plan to shoot the sunrise at the foot of Mount Everest. We put on thick down jackets, hats and gloves and waited patiently for the sunrise in the cold morning. Half an hour later, the sun barely rose from Ran Ran in the east, and the snow-capped mountains were immediately reflected reddish, which passed in an instant. We chose a poor location to shoot, but we were afraid that we were too tired to go too close or too far away from the snow-capped mountains, and we felt that the photos taken by Mount Everest were not very satisfactory.

From 2005 to the present 16 years, I have never stopped, leaving hard sweat all over the motherland, taking countless photos and winning photography awards at home and abroad.

02

India, I have been there three times.

On 20 10, 20 13 and 20 15, I went to india tourism to shoot three times, drank milk tea in the streets of Republika Srpska, received a massage from Jodhpur masseur at home, rode a motorcycle in the streets of New Delhi, bought food in the Dahl Lake market, and visited the slums of Talawi in Mumbai. Shooting Mumbai's famous thousand-person laundry for three days in a row is better than Gat ... although every shooting is very difficult,

India, the birthplace of four ancient civilizations in the world, attracts people's attention with its unique and diverse features. Hot weather, crowded streets, bright and colorful colors, hot and exciting curry with rich aroma, and strong colors with high saturation, the Ganges River and the Taj Mahal are quiet and far-reaching here.

India is a country of faith. Although poor in material but rich in spirit, it places all its spirit on its own beliefs. This is a country with great contrast. The five-star hotel looks out at a refugee camp composed of dozens of tents; The marble floor of the Taj Mahal is flawless and spotless, but as soon as you enter the city, there is dust and garbage everywhere; Even the morning and night in the city are completely different worlds.

On the streets of Jaipur, elephants and camels walk with pedestrians, rickshaws, TUKTUK, taxis and buses. Every corner is dirty, messy and smelly, and the air is filled with the smell of urine, but their food has no preservatives and additives, and dairy products without water make us finally taste the pure and fragrant milk we drank when we were children. Ancient buildings can be seen everywhere, making people feel like walking on a street in the Middle Ages.

Dubiga in Mumbai, India, was specially designed as a "laundry dock", also known as the "thousand-person laundry field". It has a history of 1.50 years and is the largest open-air laundry in the world. Laundry workers here can earn 70 thousand dollars a day, and more than 700 families rely on "washing clothes" for a living. The method of washing clothes depends entirely on manpower. This situation still exists today. Every morning and evening, hundreds of laundry workers wash clothes here, which constitutes the most distinctive landscape in Mumbai.

Understand other people's social culture in a "bystander" way, but still can't completely restore the most authentic and objective social culture of the object. Therefore, we try to carry out a project to explore the diversity of the recording function of photographic media, not only shooting a large number of pictures with cameras, but also making videos and interviewing people, so as to restore the authenticity of the laundry more truly. Through the interview, I was surprised to find that all the laundry workers here actually have a certain degree.

India, an ancient and magical country, makes people feel different. India is a country with color, smell, temperature and magic.

03

Russia must step down.

The Russian complex was cultivated from an early age. When it comes to Russia, the first thing that comes to mind is the portrait of the leader of Marne Province. Literary giants such as Turgenev, Chekhov, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Nikolai Nikolai Gogol, etc. Masterpieces such as Imperial Envoy, Father and Son, Quiet Don River, doctor zhivago, etc. Slightly sad folk songs such as Hawthorn Tree, Katyusha, Lake Baikal, Red Berry Blooming, Path, and the classic ballet Swan Lake. It is this complex that contributed to my trip to Russia.

"The garden is quiet in the middle of the night, only the flowers are singing softly ..." A song "Night on the outskirts of Moscow" was sung several times, which made many China people fascinated by Moscow. "Let the storm come more violently!" "A person's life should be spent like this: when you recall the past, you won't regret wasting your time ..." How many China people's literary dreams have been ignited by these well-known classic quotations? So on 20 16, 12, I flew to Moscow, Russia for a week's journey. The cold winter in Moscow didn't hide my passion for filming. The towering Russian architecture once appeared in Soviet novels and movies, but I didn't expect it to stand in front of me now, which made me excited.

Because Russia is located in a continental climate with high latitudes, I thought it would be very cold and lifeless in winter, but in fact, Russians have already adapted to the cold winter and it is snowing heavily outside, so they still go to the square to play.

Every June 5438+1early October is a carnival day for Russians. New year and Christmas gather here for three weeks. In addition to spending money at the dinner table, Russians have long been accustomed to buying New Year gifts, adding joyful decorations, holding family gatherings or traveling abroad.

04

North Korea under the lens

July 20 16, I traveled in Changbai Korean Autonomous County, Baishan City, Jilin Province. A local brother pointed to the other side while walking and said, "This is the Yalu River, opposite to North Korea." Standing here, you can look across the river from Huishan City, North Korea.

Following the guidance of my little brother, I looked at the opposite city of Huishan, North Korea, and curiously looked at this mysterious country with a miniature of China. There are very shabby houses and good public houses, but generally speaking, the houses are ordinary and have no bright colors.

Through my 70-200 long lens, I can see North Korea on the other side. There are bicycles, motorcycles and vehicles similar to Jiefang trucks on the road. By the Yalu River, there are many women washing clothes, innocent children playing and many soldiers walking.

Generally speaking, they feel like the spirit of our country in the 1970s. Although they are not rich, they look happy. Later, I went to North Korea. In Pyongyang and Kaesong, I photographed many farmers on foot, citizens riding bicycles and students queuing for travel.

Koreans are generally slim, dark-skinned and plain-dressed. They are friendly to China tourists and will smile simply. When you take the initiative to talk to them, they will appear serious and formal. In our view, North Korea's livelihood materials are not rich, and a lot of food needs to be rationed by ticket. There are many reasons for the low living standard of Koreans, but the life of Koreans is very relaxed and the rhythm is obvious.

North Korea's housing is distributed free of charge, so what is the quality of their houses? In Pyongyang, I have seen several construction sites, and the way workers build houses is primitive. Some residential buildings built in North Korea are basically painted with colorful paints and the walls are rough. In the city center, there are many very old communities that need to be rebuilt. Although North Korea's housing is distributed free of charge, it needs to pay its own utilities.

North Korea's residential areas generally have no gates and no green belts. Because there is no property management company, there is no need to pay property fees. Community health is maintained by community leaders. Every building will have a people's supervisor, who mainly coordinates neighborhood relations, news transmission and various quantitative evaluations of the community. The people's monitor is usually a retired aunt and uncle. They are respected in the community and everyone trusts them. North Korea implemented a planned economy, and providing free housing was regarded as an important task at the beginning of the founding of New China.

During the trip to North Korea, the North Korean tour guide told us that North Korea implements three free policies: housing, medical care and education. Speaking of these three free policies, the pride of tour guides is beyond words. Under his leadership, we visited the Wanjingtai Children's Palace in Pyongyang. In North Korea, children are called "kings of the country" because their growth is related to the future of the country. At present, North Korea implements 12 compulsory education, and the state bears all the expenses in full. Colorful extracurricular interest courses are an indispensable part of compulsory education. Wanjingtai Students' Children's Palace can not only help children learn knowledge and skills that are not available in books, but also cultivate their artistic expertise and sports literacy, and become a "second classroom" deeply loved by children.

Dialogue author

Ask and answer. A

Q

Can you share the story behind the winning works of the 20 19 National Geographic Global Photography Competition in China?

A: The winning work "The Present Situation of Cuba" was shot in February 2065438+2007. Cuba is a socialist country, and the whole national structure is very similar to that of China in 1970s. However, these years are in the most primitive state of reform and opening up, and many phenomena are similar to those in the early days of domestic reform and opening up. It is precisely because these things are familiar to me and have experienced, such as shopping by ticket, going to school and seeing a doctor are free, and so on. These situations are very attractive to me. When I shoot, I will think of our past life. I shoot with emotion and thinking, so I am particularly passionate when shooting.

Q

You have been filming Spring Festival travel rush for more than ten years. What did you find through this project?

A: In 2008, I filmed Spring Festival travel rush in Guangzhou Railway Station for three consecutive days, and recorded the scene truthfully. Later, three photos were collected by Guangdong Provincial Archives. From 2008 to now, I still shoot "Spring Festival travel rush craze" at Guangzhou Railway Station before the Spring Festival. In recent years, in the process of passenger transport in Spring Festival travel rush, governments at all levels have also improved the conditions year by year, making it possible for migrant workers to reunite with their families one day earlier. Secondly, we can see that the economic and material conditions of migrant workers have improved a lot through my lens.

Q

Over the years, you have taken many photos and even spent more than ten years recording a certain theme. Why do you insist on doing this?

A: Personally, I prefer to take documentary photography. I have been taking documentary photography for more than ten years, and gradually formed a special topic. Every project was shot after a long time of thinking. At first it was just a simple record. After a long time, I will have feelings for every work, just like my own children, watching "it" gradually form its own style under the camera.

Q

You took an active part in public photography. What did you get from it?

A: From 2065438 to the end of 2006, I began to contact mass photography. I am sad to see the painful expression of children from poor rural families when they are seriously ill. I want to do something for them, to restore their children's health, to interview, shoot and publish articles for children with major diseases in every poor family, and to raise money online. I am glad to see that my efforts have not been in vain. I have helped these poor children raise a lot of money. 20 18 I helped a family of four migrant workers in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, whose home was burned by gas explosion. I took three interviews and sent articles to help them raise 1 10,000 donations.

Q

What is the deepest feeling after traveling to so many places?

A: What impressed me most was the socialist country Cuba. Its lifestyle is particularly similar to that of western countries, but their living standard still stays in China in the 1970s and is still in the stage of supply system. However, the Cuban people are born optimists. I like this country very much and want to visit it again in the future.

Q

You said to record the era with a lens, and the train of the era was running at a high speed. What is your photography life now?

A: I also like to travel everywhere, take photos and send articles in my daily life. At present, I have bought the DJI UAV Royal 2, and I am learning and shooting at the same time, exchanging experiences with film friends and creating more good aerial photography works. With the advent of the 5G era, the concept needs to be updated, not only to take good photos and write good articles, but also to learn to shoot and edit videos, so every day is very fulfilling.

skill

About Russian tourism

The journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg is about 700 kilometers. From Moscow to St. Petersburg, it takes nearly 8 hours by train, 4 hours by train and only 1.5 hours by plane.

About North Korea Tourism

Because of the particularity of North Korea, it is almost impossible to get a personal tourist visa for this country. If you want to go to this foggy city, you can only join a group. North Korea's security situation is good, and tourists are not allowed to leave the group freely, so there is security throughout.

Photo: Zhang Yi

Editing and typesetting: Rorosa