Xiang Sha Wan

Opening Ceremonies

The event officially opened today with an official Opening Ceremonies in the official yurt. This is my official report of the event.

Breakfast was at 7am, then a short bus ride out to the dunes where we boarded the quaint, touristy, official, open-air "ship of the desert" army surplus transport vehicle.

This adventure had all the earmarks of fun. We thought, "How fun!" and looked forward to the fun. As soon as the fun began, however, we realized the flaw in the open-air plan. You see, it was -6° F this morning with a passing breeze that was only amplified the cruising speed of our ship of the desert. Let's just say it was less fun than we thought it might have been in, say, August for example.

Upon arrival at the Art Palace yurt, we settled in for the festivities. By that, I mean we bundled up and hunkered down against the cold. You can see most of our group in the third row of this photo. Thankfully, the yurt/theater was warmer than outside. You can tell this by the fact that there is one guy in the lower right of the photo that is not wearing a goofy hat.

The opening ceremony had -- surprise! -- some speeches. Three hours' worth, almost all of which were in Chinese except the part where I distinctly heard one "arigato gozaimasu" strangely out of place to everyone except the sole Japanese photographer in attendance. Unfortunately, after the three hour immersion course in language studies, I am sorry to report I still do not understand much Mandarin beyond "Hello" and "Thank you." On the other hand, the feeling in my toes has returned now that I'm back in my hotel room.

The Master of Ceremonies duties were performed by a lovely TV-anchor-looking couple. Keeping in mind how we were all dressed, notice how lovely she looks in her lovely sleeveless evening dress. Just lovely. I hope she recovers soon. I think I'll send flowers to her room along with the get well card.

There was dance and song in the yurt, too. A couple of snaps from my seat in the audience.

Generally speaking, the costuming in these numbers was interesting and colorful. However, there was one song and dance number that I thought was lacking in costuming sophistication, although quite daring in its use of vibrant red.

It wasn't until the song was well under way that I realized the dancers were all wearing photo vests. How topical!

This was quickly surpassed, however, by what Joe afterwards referred to as the "synchronized tripod dance number."

For a couple of days now, we've had a running joke in our group about the potential of doing a film about photography along the lines of those great spoofs like Best of Show, Waiting for Guffman, or A Mighty Wind. I can see Parker Posey and Christopher Guest having a conversation about their favorite f/stop, Michel McKean's search for the perfect red photo vest, or Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as a husband and wife team who travel around the country photographing water towers. In our film, we would definitely need to include a dance routine involving tripods. We would not, however, be the first to explore this artistic expression.

On a serious note, we were all delighted d to see Yan Li receive acknowledgement for all her hard work. She certainly deserves it.

After the ceremonies, the exhibit was opened. Here is Joe posing with some of the local Chinese photographers in his exhibition space. Having American photographers at an event like this in China is still pretty unusual, so we are often the focus of attention and lots of grip-and-grin snapshots. It's fun, but definitely an odd feeling to be in the spotlight like this.

By the end of the day, we were all pooped. This isn't one of us, but it easily could have been. One catches rest wherever one can -- particularly if it's in a spot where one can absorb a bit of warmth from a sunny window, even if it means straddling two chairs for a quick bit of shut-eye. Warmth is warmth and we'll take it where we can find it. There are electric radiant heaters in the bathrooms. Need I say more?

A Slight Pause in the Action

Day two of the conference was pretty much like day two of any conference. Now that the excitement of the opening ceremonies are over, it was down to business. But first, we visited a special presentation, 100 Years of Leica. It was ostensibly about Leica, but poor Leica was quickly swept into the corner when in walked a group of models showcasing traditional Mongolian bridal costumes.

The photographers then forgot all about the Leicas and starting doing what photographers do. . .

No, wait. That's not the correct sequence. First they do . . .

. . . then they chimp. Sorry about that.

Of course, I too am a photographer as well as a red-blooded American male, so I did what I always do, snuggle up for an arm-length snapshot.

On more serious note, the bridal costumes were so wonderful and intricate. I made a few close ups for my wife and the staff back home to see. I wish the photos could do justice to the textures and detail work in these spectacular dresses. No theater fakes here, these are simply too authentic to be tacky illusion to be seen from a distance.

I asked this model (who spoke some English) if Justine could try on her hat. She was willing and helped her adjust it to fit.

We all agreed Justine would be a great Mongolian model if she weren't an American photographer. So did all the Chinese photographers because she became the focus of all their lenses for a few minutes.

The model then decided to try on Justine's pink earmuffs to everyone's delight in the fun. The Mongolian Princes Leia meets the Mongolian bride from Queens. Now that's a cultural exchange.

After the Leica event, there was a round table discussion about landscape photography. I know there must have been lots of interesting points made because everyone stayed awake and took notes. Unfortunately, it was all in Mandarin, so my participation was pretty much limited to smiling and glancing left and right like I had full understanding of the goings on.

I had been invited to speak about trends in American landscape photography. When it can time for my presentation, I was fortunate to have a very competent translator, Jin, to help me make my points.

It went swimmingly right up to the point the Chinese laptop ran out of battery power and shut down. I stopped, another fellow gave a 30 minute presentation while we waited for a power cord, then I wrapped up. All in all, it went well enough that I hope I contributed something of value. They seemed to think so -- or were polite enough to tell me so.

After lunch, the flat, gray sky along with my general fatigue were enough to entice me back to my hotel room. I was pounded upon by a Chinese masseuse for a while and then took a nap. Sometimes down-time is an important part of these types of trips. I've learned over the years to accept them as part of the process.

Snow in the Desert

In the afternoon, we were scheduled to head back out to the Art Palace. It was bitterly cold again, but because of last night's snow, I was looking forward to a break from the usual action of the program. Time for a little personal work -- that skiff of snow in the dunes was calling for me with a siren song I could not and chose not to resist.

A dusting of snow -- as it always does -- changes the landscape and the surroundings into an entirely new set of potential compositions. I was so anxious to get a chance to photograph that as soon as lunch was concluded I headed out with my camera and started to walk down the road to the Art Palace. In the 10° F or so chill of the afternoon, I knew I wouldn't get far. In fact, about 30 yards down the road I came to the edge of the bluff overlooking some of the buildings associated with the camel folks.

A few moments later, the Jeep caught up with me for the ride over the dunes, but just as we hit the sand, we happened upon these camels up on the hill above us, out for a little exercise. A veiled sun added just enough to cause us all to leap out of the Jeep and reach for our cameras.

The sun was just about to kiss the horizon as we arrived at the Art Palace, but there was enough time for me to freeze my -- er, photograph my butt off. Come to think of it, I did both. Here are a few from the session that I'm most looking forward to working on seriously when I get back home.

I know, these images have nothing to do with China or the Xiang Sha Wan exhibition, but that's the way it is with artmaking sometimes. The muse just must have her way and we are powerless to reign in the motivations and stay on task. I probably should have been schmoozing or reviewing the work of the other photographers, but I allowed myself an hour to wander and shoot. Besides, how many times in one's life will there be to photograph a freshly fallen snow on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Forgive me if this seems an interruption to the rhythm of the exhibition story, but it's my blog and I can have a time out if I want to.

Market Day, Baotou Style

Subtitle: Anyone Need an Ox Head?

With our first totally free day at our disposal, seven of us decided to head over to Baotou to a Buddhist temple. Sounded good, so we hired a couple of taxis for the day and off we went.

As we were pulling up to the temple street, we became aware of a crowd of people and activity in front of the temple. It was market day! I hung my camera out the car for a few snapshots as we approached and then inched our way down the street toward the parking area.

Once parked, the walk up and down the street was a stroll through a Chinese market wonderland. Walk along with me, will you?

This guy insisted that I try one of these red things. They looked like hot peppers, but it turns out they were pickled plums. Very tasty!

This clever marketer had a bullhorn sitting on top of his mushrooms. It blared a recorded message over and over. Here is an audio recorded while I walked down the street, photographing all the while. It runs about 6 minutes.

 

Street market

 

It slices! It dices! It's two tools in one! But that's not all . . .

I'm a novice as a street photographer, but my method seems to work well enough. I use a wide-angle lens, attach the camera to my hand with a wrist strap, and fire away using burst mode. Being able to choose from several exposures is always best with this kind of work. I don't use the view finder, but trust to my aim, only occasionally using the LCD screen to finesse a composition. Here you can see a shadow of my hand and camera on her coat as I held the camera above my head and aimed down. I like the image, but I include it because it also illustrates the technique. And, it's not a bad turkey shadow puppet.

This fellow was selling me hard. He really wanted me to buy one of these steamed -- I think they are potatoes or perhaps sweet potatoes -- but this woman edged her way in and distracted him, leaving me free to photograph.

And then off up the steps and into the temple -- the topic of my next post.

Lvzu Temple

Picking up from where I left off in the last post, I headed up the steps and into the temple.

I've been photographing temples ever since my first visit to Japan in 1990. I never tire of them. This one, however, was very special because of the fresh dusting of snow combined with the low angular light of winter.

Temple wind chime

Upon entering the temple complex, immediately to the left was a large structure that was being renovated. This ladder reminded me of all those similar photos from New Mexico.

Temples are places of worship, but they also are often the homes of the priests and monks who live there. They function almost as small cities. So, in addition to the showy stuff, I often find the "behind the scenes" corners and back alleys just as much of interest.

I've been in photography long enough to know that one's enthusiasm for an image while still in the field may wane once back at home. That said, the following may be my favorite non-portrait image from the trip so far.

This fellow was busy. I ended up photographing him four times -- walking to and from various locations the first three times . . .

. . . and then one of the special moments happened. One of the students happened to speak a little English and, I think, wanted to practice. We struck up a conversation and he invited me into his dormitory room to warm up. Inside was his roommate who just happened to be my busy monk.

The fellow below is their teacher. What a great, embracing and warm smile!

The morning was crowded and quite busy. It was some sort of festival day, but we weren't sure what the event was. Offering incense was one of the primary activities -- a smoky bonanza for a photographer. As Jay Maizel says, "Never trust air you can't see." Good advice for us photographers.

I love details. I have no doubt this one will become something important as both a photograph and as a design element in a future folio or graphic presentation of some kind. Whenever I see these kinds of things my Spidey-sense kicks in with gusto.

The day's work done, these guys were taking a well-deserved break out of the wind and in the sun. I made this photographed and walked by with a "Ni hao" greeting only to have all four of them respond with "Hello, hello!" Lots of smiles, bowing, and handshaking.

Walking down the temple steps, I happened to look over the railing to see these guys, also end of their work day in a sunny spot.

Closing ceremonies

It's party time! With all the serious work of — come to think of it, there was no serious work — let me try that again. With the official activities coming to a close, it was time for the closing banquet. Consistent with Chinese hospitality, that means food, drink, lots of talk, a few speeches, and plenty of song and dance numbers. Toss in a few pretty girls in Mongolian traditional costumes, some almost drinkable "Emperor Hat" paint thinner distilled spirits, and a raffle for some photo gear and you've got all the makings for a good time. Oh, yeah, don't forget the roasted goat.

Yan (in the background) is translating and shouting out the winning raffle numbers. David is more interested in posing as a test subject while Tom plays with my GF1 camera and the ultra wide angle lens.

Don't you love the juxtaposition of the Mongolian costumes with the camo photo backpacks being handed out as raffle prizes? Sort of The Price is Right meets the steppes of Eurasia.

Joe captures the Mongolian throat singers. He refers to his Panasonic LX-3 as his "noisy cricket" camera — a reference to the movie Men in Black.

Harold getting a video.

This poor girl was standing right in front of the loudspeaker while the announcer called out the winning raffle numbers . . .

. . . all the while her friend was doing what teens everywhere now do, texting on her cell phone.

No, they are not really that squished, but the 14mm lens makes them look that way.

Yan Li is such a wonderful and energetic force for photography in China.

Finally, near the end of the night, we have a winner. Joe — lucky dog — wins a carbon fiber tripod! He's in the green sweater up on stage holding his bounty overhead in a victory pose.

And the official events closed. But, we still have some more photography days to come.

Mr. Zhao Has a Visitor

Today was departure day for almost all the Americans. David, Joe, and I had arranged our travel with a couple extra days at the end for photography. Justine also had an extra day. We'd looked forward to this day to get out and photograph for months, but sometimes plans just go awry. The stress of the cold temperatures had started to take its toll and most of us had developed a cough and some chest congestion — so much so that David and Joe had no choice but to throw in the towel and skip today's photographic adventures, electing instead to stay warm in the hotel and nurse themselves with a day of rest. Sad as we were for our ailing comrades, Justine and I set out in a cab for a local fishing village with Leo in tow as our translator. What a day it turned out to be! There were four distinct sessions.

The Fishing Village

It started off simple enough — some farm buildings and few objects.

But it wasn't long before we attracted attention and were invited inside to warm up. This group of fishermen were just hanging out in this little store, huddling around a small stove burning corn cobs.

When they saw Justine, we think they must have thought that because she is a woman that she'd want to spend time with the women in the back. We were invited into the back residence to photograph Grandma. The cat was sleeping comfortably on the floor, but the younger woman insisted on placing it on the bed. I was more than happy to obey and photograph the cat, too.

When we came back out into the store, we learned what the gathering of fishermen was really for. A hot game!

This is one of the ponds the fishermen use for fishing. We'd assumed a fishing village must be by the river, but the fish they catch are also cultivated in these multi-acre ponds. Here the wind has blown the dry snow into these interesting patterns on top of the ice.

The Restaurant

Down the road a bit, we stumbled on a restaurant that specializes in Yellow River fish. I was photographing the outside of the building when the owner came out and invited us in for some tea.

Landscapes Along the Yellow River

What self-respecting Sinophile photographer would pass up an opportunity to photograph the Yellow River? I was there, the sun was out, and our taxi drive knew of a road we might like. Off we went, not to a road, but to a dike. That next hour was one of my best of the trip — at least for landscape images.

We were driving along a dike that crosses the mud flats of the Yellow River and eventually arrives at a bridge that crosses the main channel. All along the dike were frozen wetlands and reeds. It was blowing 20-30 mph and the temperature was probably in the 10° F range. I don't want to know what the wind chill was. I'd photograph for just a couple of minutes, then jump back in the car to get warm. Jump out again, back in again. We did this for the couple of miles out to the bridge and back. I'm sure my taxi drive must have thought I was nuts, but the images are some of the most exciting for me of the trip. I'm looking forward to working them into a finished art project of some kind — perhaps a folio. We'll see.

Mr. Zhao's Farm

Back in the farmland, we spotted a large group of buildings that indicated large family farm. I learned that these are multi-generational farms, the land leased from the government for 70 year terms. We were just crawling along in the taxi, stopping occasionally to photograph when an old man came out to greet us. He introduced himself to Leo, our translator and guide, as Mr. Zhao. The farm was his and is now run by his son and grandson.

Mr. Zhao invited us into his room where I made this last portrait of the trip. He is a big basketball fan. What a fitting way to end the photographic portion of my trip — a cultural bridge in a most unexpected place.

The Travel Comes to a Close

The final day was one of rest, packing, and staging ourselves for the long trip home. In a 21 hour marathon, we woke early, caught a flight from Baotou to Beijing, did a little people watching in the Beijing airport during the five hour layover, then flew 11 hours back to Seattle and the final 2 hour drive back to Anacortes. Wake up in Baotou, go to bed at home. What an amazing world we live in!

As my final image from the trip, allow me to wish all of you a very happy "Year of the Rabbit."

What Worked, What Didn't

At the end of every major trip, I always like to recap what worked and what didn't so I can learn. Here's some thoughts on this trip.

What Worked

• Down is the only way to stay warm. The down vest under my down coat kept me comfortable even though the temperatures were down in the single digits (Fahrenheit) and never rose above 20°F the entire trip. The Cabela's down baseball-style cap was a hit. My ears were warm, but I did have serious goofy hair the whole trip. I look a little like a quilted beach ball, but I was comfortable.
   

  

• Again, the monopod was great. Although I took a Joby Gorillapod, I never used it once.
• ISO 400 with noise reduction is the highest I've ever allowed my Panasonic G1 to go. However, one of the other photographers suggested that I try ISO800 in bright sun where there would be little that was underexposed. The theory is that noise is far less problematic in these situations, presumably because so much is exposed to the right. By golly, he was right and the ISO 800 images from the street market in Baotou allowed me faster shutter speeds handheld and cleaned up just as well as ISO 400 images after a bit of extra noise reduction in Lightroom. Sweet! Here is a 100% crop from the noise-reduced ISO 800 image. What noise? I'll take this any day for this type of photography.

  

  

• The Redhead wind screen for the Olympus recorder was great. Check out the wind chime in this blog post. The wind was blowing about 15 mph the entire recording.
• Crystal Lite Peach Tea individual serving packs. Perfect for standard sized bottles of water. Just trust me on this one and carry them everywhere.
• I took my standard business cards, but with an addition. I had Yan Li translate my card for me and then I printed my name (phonetically), position, and "LensWork Magazine" in Mandarin on some mailing labels and stuck them on the backs of my cards. Worked great. Of what use is it to give your card to someone who cannot read your language?

  

• Lightroom on the Sony Vaio X was great. Ran smooth and allowed me in-the-field editing of images and posting to the blog. The larger battery was amazing, lasting not less than 10 hours on a charge.
• The Panasonic GF-1 did some great movie clips. I was very glad I had it along.
• The new Metz 50 AF-1 flash is a real winner. It's bright and very efficient. I made hundreds of exposures on a set of batteries and was very happy with the results — with one caveat, see next item.
• My new Gary Fong flash diffuser was both good and bad. I found it was a beautiful light for close portraits — torso and head shots — but was pretty useless beyond about 6-8 feet. I'm not sure it was designed for that, but I found my flash too underpowered to use the diffuser effectively at those distances. I found using undiffused flash worked much better at distances beyond 8 feet or so.

  

  

• The "introduction book" worked like a charm, as it has always done in the past. Once people could see what I was up to with my requests to photograph them, they were ready and willing to help and allow me access to their homes and to photograph them. Here is one fellow reading the book. This allowed me access to photograph the old woman to the right, his mother. They were so nice and gave us tea as well as a wonderful memory.
   

  

What Didn't Work

• I am sorry to report that my Ewok pants from Cabela's were a bust. (Cabela's MTP Polar Weight Bottoms) I was much warmer in the tight-fitting polypro underwear than in the fleece pants I thought were going to be so warm.
• I took fingerless gloves to be able to operate the cameras, but it was simply too cold. I ended up using full-fingered gloves the entire trip. That said, I was happy the way I could still operate the camera well in spite of the bulk of the gloves.
• The built-in flash on the camera should be a tool of last resort. On several occasions, I was forced to use it because I had left the Metz behind in the hotel room thinking I would not be needing it. Unfortunately, the non-removable lens hood on the 7-14mm wide angle lens cast a large shadow in the photos. So did the lens hood on the 14-45mm lens when I forgot to remove it for flash shots. Both of these problems would have disappeared had I used the Metz for all my flash work. Live and learn. From now on, the Metz is with me always.

  

• I was so close to being overweight in my suitcase that at the last minute I left my fanny pack behind. I thought instead I'd just use my pants belt to hold my beltable cases. It worked, but barely. I do prefer hanging my equipment on a belt rather than in a backpack or a sling bag, but a regular pants belt is just not sturdy enough to comfortably carry the load. I think I'll try a large web belt that I can use strictly for photography equipment the next time I can't use a fanny pack. The fanny pack would also have allowed me to carry the Metz everywhere, so it's really the answer. Next time.