Xuhua Qin - Page 4 of 4 - Here it's about photography, art, stories... of light blogs.

January 2, 2021March 8, 2023

Traditional architecture along the Qinhuai River

These two pictures were taken in Nanjing Fuzi Temple Scenic Area. The common theme they present is traditional architecture.

Traditional architecture along the Qinhuai River

It didn’t take me much time to take these two pictures, they were done almost in a flash. It was probably because the air was clear after the snow, and the photos turned out quite satisfying. This deepened my understanding of photography: a good environment is half the success of photography.

Qinhuai River is one of the most important attractions in the Fuzimiao Scenic Area. It used to be a place of love and sex in history, where many flirtatious gentry and talented women performed a scene of love stories. It is said that during the heyday of the Six Dynasties, a layer of grease was floated in the Qinhuai River.

With the help of photography we can only imagine, and through imagination to make up for those long-dusted historical details, so as to further restore those living human landscapes.

The pavilions in the picture still retain the traditional architectural style, but the things are long gone. To be precise, these buildings are only the result of renovation over the years. However, I don’t regret it. For photography, I have already gained a lot from these historical buildings.

January 2, 2021March 8, 2023

A mountain village at dusk

The story in the photo takes place in an unknown mountain village in Jiangning, Nanjing. Here surrounded by mountains, rolling, the mountain is not high, there are immortals are famous. Nearby there is an abandoned quarry and some scattered pear orchards. They gave the pear garden a very beautiful name: pear valley.

Quarry abandoned barren mountain is the above-mentioned “bald mountain”. So these scenes together constitute the entire landscape of this mountain village.

When I photographed these scenes, the afterglow of the slanting sun was gently sprinkling on this large area, thus forming the effect of shadows of varying intensity and density. Although it is still far from the oil painting-like texture, it expresses the tranquility and serenity of the mountain village to a certain extent.

People who are tired of urban life have always longed for an idyllic life, where they can spend the rest of their lives in peace and settle their hearts. Some of them have spared no expense to buy properties in the remote countryside, and they have made a lot of extravagant construction. For those peasants who were born and raised in the mountain villages, perhaps they are tired of the comfortable life in the mountains, and escaping from the ravine to work in the city is their biggest dream. Just like what Qian Zhongshu described in his novel “The Siege”: people inside the walls want to go out, and people outside the walls want to come in.

A young man from Maanshan talked to me about his hometown. He said his hometown is full of mountains, more mountains than here and higher. But he didn’t want to stay there for the rest of his life. He said that life is too comfortable. From his words, we can detect that he seems to be very satisfied with the current life of the city to fight.

I only silently said: comfort may not be bad.

January 2, 2021March 8, 2023

Minimalist photography: Factory Series

I seem to be quite interested in the minimalist style. From the attention I paid to minimalist photography in earlier years, and the deep impression those minimalist style works left on me, I cannot help but say that it reflects my aesthetic tendency to some extent. One’s aesthetic taste may be inborn, just as one’s taste in food is more or less fixed, which more or less indicates the great influence of biological genetics on one’s spirit.

Minimalist Style: Factory Series

But it is not as if cultural factors do not play a role either. Perhaps on the contrary, acquired education and cultural practices may be decisive for one’s spirit and thinking. In fact, many of my aesthetic ideas cannot even completely exclude the influence of reading experiences cultivated early in life.

These images may be the product of such aesthetic perceptions. I do not want to express the cultural characteristics of the post-industrial era, but in fact I may have been doing so. However, my aesthetic interest may have always been limited to a limited area of comfort, and instinctively rejected those areas of expression that were painfully uncomfortable.

The picture as a whole presents a calming blue tone, and a little white, without much color rendering, which can be called minimal. Minimalism represents purity, and purity is the closest to God’s will. This is the philosophical proposition of Taoism. And the fashion culture that has transmuted from Japanese Zen culture is stirring up a trend. I don’t know if minimalist photography has been influenced by these trends, but I think they all go the same way for art.

Perhaps every photographer is trying to explore the more essential things. I am ashamed to say that I still have a long way to go in my pursuit of photography.

January 2, 2021March 8, 2023

Bald Mountain at sunset

The place shown in this picture is a bald mountain somewhere in Jiangning, Nanjing, a unique landscape formed after years of quarry mining. The mountain is full of rocks and slag, naturally there is no grass, and it has the feeling of desolation in the desert.

When I arrived at Bald Mountain, it was dusk, and the setting sun in the west put a touch of afterglow on the craggy rocks. The mountain is uneven and undulating, so it creates a mixture of light and dark light on it. The bright parts show a charming warm tone, while the shadow parts deepen the sense of visual depth and appear very mysterious.

Although the entrance gate is posted with a notice to remind visitors that the mountain is soft and prone to landslides. But still, it could not stop the visitors from coming to the neighborhood to take photos and sightseeing. I saw that the beautiful young female photographer was already returning with a few people who were ready to call it a day. I thought am I too late?

Bald Mountain is not very tall, so the visitors came to go up and down easily. In order to achieve my desired effect, I was going to let the sunlight act as a side light source in order to create a three-dimensional effect, so I had to stand at a suitable vantage point for shooting. However, because of the narrow space and the dense woods that obscured the light, I had limited options. But thankfully, after a few tosses and turns (changing lenses and camera positions), I was able to take a few pictures while the sun was still setting.

January 2, 2021March 8, 2023

The woman walking to the street corner

If left unnoticed and uncaptioned, this image would quickly be lost in the mass of images that flood social media. I think the highlight of this image is the way the woman is walking. Other than that, it’s not unlike the proliferation of commercial images.

I’m not sure I was aware of this at the moment I pressed the shutter, namely the dramatic stance of the woman. But now, I must add, she (the woman) is the visual interest of the image. Compared to similar figures in commonplace images, her appearance is dramatic, uncertain, oscillating, and constitutes a reverse tension to previous experiences, constituting another narrative of the image.

Paying closer attention, we find that her walking posture is not firm and strong revealing a certain rhythmical nature of urban life; certainly not the softness and youthful energy of a young woman. How different she is! She seems to be immersed in her own world, unconcerned with the eyes of others, and content with this. She also seems to reveal a little bit of uncertainty and ecstasy. In short, her appearance fills the narrative of the picture with more imagination and uncertainty.

January 1, 2021March 8, 2023

Qinhuai river scenery snow

I know that a good photo is often the result of various coincidences, which of course does not exclude the role of the photographer’s personal qualities. But it is an indisputable fact that a good scene is half the success. Of course, I am not saying that my work is good or successful. Rather, from my personal experience, the importance of the subject matter and the shooting environment for a photo is indeed indispensable.

The Qinhuai River after the snow, the water and the sky are one color

The air in the Fuzimiao Scenic Area after the snow was unusually clear, which is undoubtedly an excellent weather for photographers. Because this can reduce the pollution of the picture due to dust, better restore the original appearance of the subject, so that the picture is more pure and transparent.

And it lived up to the expectations! I tried to take a few photos, they are indeed very different from the usual effect of shooting, the picture is more clean. In order to better express the three-dimensional effect of the Qinhuai River, I removed the telephoto lens and replaced it with a 16mm wide-angle lens to increase the depth of field effect. In addition, I adjusted the camera’s visual mode to “Clear”. In this way, the blue sky and the river surface will show a consistent tone. In order to prevent the tone from being too monochromatic, I also let the nearby boats and the buildings along the river into the picture to make it match the warm and cold.

Please remember that good weather is the only way to get good shots.

January 1, 2021March 8, 2023

The Beauty of Symmetry: China’s Buildings

The beauty of symmetry and balance is found in most traditional Chinese buildings. Especially for pavilions like this one with carved beams, the symmetry of the structure is emphasized. This is not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for comfort and safety, as a symmetrical structure is more balanced and safer. In a broader sense, Chinese philosophy and secular ethics are very much focused on the balance of yin and yang. One yin and one yang is called the “Tao”. “The Tao is the most general description of Chinese philosophy. Taoism is the most authoritative and systematic exposition of the Tao. The masterpiece in this regard is the widely circulated Tao Te Ching.

This cultural tradition is also reflected in the construction of secular ethics. For example, the traditional Chinese description of the marriage relationship states that the male is the yang and the female is the yin, and the male is the master of the outside and the female of the inside. In layman’s terms, men are masculine and women are feminine. Men dominate the external affairs of the family, and women take care of the internal affairs of the family, each of them has its own role to play, and together they maintain the harmonious operation of the family. Of course, we cannot apply this theory to our real life. If the husband is not strong and timid, then the wife who is strong will have to take the lead. So there are no absolutes in everything.

So you can see that the influence of this cultural tradition in China is very broad and far-reaching. Chopsticks come in pairs, posting couplets should also be symmetrical, not to mention that the structure and appearance of buildings should also focus on symmetry.

Back to the composition of the picture. In order to better express the symmetrical beauty of the building, I intentionally turned the camera towards the roof and deliberately omitted the lower half. At the same time, this is also to let the blue sky into the lens and the building to form a visual contrast.

October 20, 2020March 8, 2023

Changshu Shanghu Lake

Poets always sigh with the variability of the climate and weep over it. They are angels who have fallen into the world, with their sensitivity, kindness and innocence, feeling the joys and sorrows of the world.

Visit Shanghu Fushui Villa and feel the color and classical meaning of late autumn

The gift of nature makes life full of freedom, but it also gives life a tragic color. So the Chinese poet Li Shangyin finally wrote the famous line “Leave the remnant lotus to listen to the rain”. Look, how spectacular this lotus leaf is about to wither!

It was a twilight in late autumn, but the sunset had not yet subsided. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a ray of light into the grass, which seemed warm and full of reverie. On the right side of the screen is a shadow. And in the distance is the vast blue sky and patches of white clouds. You stop and stare, this situation seems familiar.

People are always accustomed to comparison. This is not only due to the weakness of human nature, but more importantly, there are deeper philosophical thinking behind it. People find that things are always in a universal connection, so people invent concepts as a tool to understand the world. More importantly, this relationship embodies such a characteristic: strengthening, weakening, inclusive, complementary, etc.

In my opinion, the pavilion and the blue sky in the picture reflect this subtle relationship: enhancement. But you may have different opinions. This is normal, because everyone sees things differently.

In the Chinese literary tradition, parting is a big poetic motif. Those sentimental poets always take the trouble to create poems about parting. The pavilions and white clouds are the most common images in these poems. It is true that literature is related to people’s production and life and nation, but more essential is related to universal human nature. Therefore, a dialogue about us is possible.

This is an artificial scenery arranged in Fushui Mountain. You may have different opinions about artificial scenery. For in-depth discussions on these topics, we can have a separate chapter for dialogue. But what I want to say is that this kind of artificial scenery is the most typical in Suzhou gardens. It can almost be said that they represent the aesthetic tendency of traditional Chinese gardens like Suzhou gardens.

The pavilion in the distance forms a perspective relationship with the stone in front of you, and the high-light area of the sky and the shadow area under your feet form a contrast of light and dark, which increases the depth of the picture.

Fushui Villa is located in an area of Shanghu Lake in Changshu and is an integral part of Suzhou gardens. On its periphery is a large landform composed of lakes and islands. The lake is vast and blue, becoming one with the deep blue sky.

October 17, 2020March 8, 2023

An outing in autumn: mystery, tranquility…

The combination of red and green can indeed create a strong visual effect. In the picture, the background is a piece of green grass, which forms a strong visual contrast with the small red building as the main body. And what surprised me the most was this exquisite and exotic building, really cute.

As a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, red lanterns represent auspiciousness and wishfulness. Because of this, they can be seen every time on those festive days and some important places.

When the red lanterns are combined with thatched houses, this kind of picture seems to be more able to convey the life of ancient Chinese. In that era, although material conditions were extremely scarce, people were rich in their hearts. In the era when Tao Yuanming lived, people often worried about food and clothing. However, the great poet Tao Yuanming can still create great poems that have been passed down through the ages under these difficult conditions, which is indeed admirable.

It was already late autumn. But the jungle is still crisp and pleasant, as if summer has not yet gone. The reflection in the lake outlines the fuzzy outline on the shore, with light and dark intertwined, light and shadow overlapping, quite a mood.

But you have to know and believe that summer has indeed left us, and autumn is about to end. A long winter will follow. So, if you don’t like winter, you must take advantage of this time to go outdoors and take a look.

Photography works: ancient temples in the mountains

This temple is called “Baoyan Temple” and we can vaguely see its existence in the picture. Yes, it is hidden in this dense forest. And all this seems so “Zen”.

Photography: Baoyan Temple in the Deep Mountains

There are many legends about Buddhism. These legends often reveal a certain kind of mystery and wisdom, and together they constitute a certain understanding and concept of Buddhism among the people.

The cabin under the backlight did not look unclear. And the sky at this time is not beautiful, a bit gray. So the overall picture lacks hierarchy. But I can still capture some satisfactory information from the picture; tranquility.

This is the cabin seen from another angle. There is a person in white clothes standing nearby.Is he thinking? Or immersed in this beautiful landscape?

September 4, 2020March 8, 2023

The Customs and Traditions of the Wu-speaking Region

“Wu” has more camphor wood. Remarks: The “Wu” land mentioned in this article mainly refers to the Wu dialect areas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Camphor, also known as Cinnamomum camphora, is a tree with crown leaves and green all seasons. Tongshen has a faint medicinal fragrance, which is an extract of household mothballs.

The representative of Jiangnan culture: the customs of the Wu-speaking area

In my impression, all plants that can survive the winter without failing their branches and leaves seem to have a special ability, a kind of cold bone. For example, coniferous pine, four seasons green, and this camphor tree. Although they are green leafy plants compared with tall poplars and phoenix trees, I think they are the only ones whose colors are generally colder.

The architectural style of Jiangnan dwellings represented by the “Wu” land is generally in a cooler tone (white walls and black tiles).

Not only that, but Wu people are also biased towards light diet. Say it is light, mainly in terms of vision. The Chinese use “color, flavor” as a criterion for judging the success of a dish. But in terms of the word “color”, Wudi’s cuisine has fallen out of favor, and at first glance it will basically not arouse your appetite. In terms of taste, local dishes are too sweet and greasy, which is different from most other cuisines. In dealing with people and things, Wu people are more trustworthy, but lack a certain degree of enthusiasm, and have the finest of ordinary citizens. This may have something to do with the earlier development of local industry and commerce.

But you must not get me wrong, thinking that here must pay attention to business and despise cultural education. In fact, this is not the case. It has always been the fine tradition of “Wu Di” to respect culture and education. This tradition has created an unprecedented grand gathering of talents in the “Wu” land since the Song Dynasty. According to historical records, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of Jinshi and Juren trained here was the highest in the country. To this day, its level of education is still not inferior to other places.

The representative of Jiangnan culture: the customs of the Wu-speaking area

One side of water and soil nourishes one side. Food, architecture, education, geography… these elements together constitute the unique local cultural characteristics. To varying degrees, this characteristic can be called “Wu Culture” or “Jiangnan Culture”.

In my opinion, in the world that my lens wants to present, Jiangnan has a spirit with historical complex. Not only do I want to present Jiangnan in the eyes of the world, but I also want to present Jiangnan in my own eyes.