Creative paths
An often-overlooked facet of photography is the act of finding a wonderful subject in the first place…
Embrace the weird and wonderful as we discover what makes a subject unique and worth shooting
And now (excuse the Monty Python reference) for something completely different. I’m not sure why I haven’t talked about this before actually… but while creativity, imagination and all of that is usually talked about in terms of a photographer’s skill at interpreting what’s in front of the camera, there’s also the non-trivial matter of finding or creating a good subject in the first place.
Certainly, in the world of controlled and organized shooting, such as fashion, studio work and much of advertising, things like casting, sourcing props and finding locations are a valued part of the assignment. But in the real world, it may be one of the more unsung accomplishments.
In other words, you can be creative in finding content. An example came up just a few days ago for me. I had an email from an old friend in Hollywood, producer Mark Magidson who, with director Ron Fricke, was responsible for the highly-regarded non-verbal (as it’s called in the industry) 1992 film Baraka. Great enough to make it into Roger Ebert’s definitive ‘Great Movies’ list.
I worked on it as coordinator for Cambodia, as I’d just finished my first Angkor book and was able to get the crew there (the civil war was still on and fighting continued near the temples). Anyway, the creative premise for this movie, which was about interconnection and impermanence, was not just stunning cinematography but amazing scenes and places. There was a sequel, Samsara, in 2011, and now they’re planning a third, hence the email and a new hunt for special locations.
One of the first things I mentioned to Mark was a recent destination that I’d
researched and gone to shoot on my last trip to China, and he’d heard of it. I’m also into ‘impermanence’ and abandonment, and there had been some postings on Chinese social media of a fishing village that had been abandoned 20 years ago and looked really strange.
The reasons for abandonment were economic, but here, in the Shengsi archipelago of 400 small islands, the special climate – a combination of subtropical and marine – meant that nature had completely taken over. My Shanghai friend Ellen asked around and found a way, which wasn’t quite as simple as I expected. It took a day and a half to get there, including two ferries, an overnight stay on another island, and a further night on the little island of Shengshan with its fishing port. It was exactly as billed, as you can see. A peculiar place indeed to walk and climb around. Ellen was deeply unimpressed, however, not having enjoyed being seasick on the ferries and finding it completely lacking in any cultural interest, barely tolerating my fascination. The best part of the trip was the seafood, which dominated the port’s economy, although finding a good restaurant, which we did eventually, took time (that was the second town on the trip where, when we asked someone local where the best place to eat was, they answered without irony, “My house.”)
Nevertheless, this is China, where the remote can become almost Disneyland in an instant. As we left the overgrown village, we saw a newly built wooden kiosk, and a sign that said they would start selling tickets to tourists that weekend! If you want to join the many, welcome! Google ‘Houtouwan’ and you’re halfway there.
The reasons for abandonment were economic, but here, in the Shengsi archipelago of 400 small islands, the special climate – a combination of sub-tropical and marine – meant that nature had completely taken over