travel starts with photography

Seth began to urge Chen Xing to provide works to the gallery as soon as possible.

The European region is not yet saturated, and now in Asia, especially in China after the public opinion, the demand for Chen Xing's works has reached a new level.

In modern museums, although photography is not as important as oil paintings, it is also an indispensable part of modern art.

It’s bad enough that there wasn’t an iconic domestic photographer before, but now one has emerged. Those large art galleries will definitely collect one or two of Chen Xing’s works.

I didn’t have this idea before...that’s because Chen Xing is not popular in the country.

After all, without a public base, even if those big museums spent more money than other photographers to purchase Chen Xing's works, what if the audience does not recognize them?
Now there is a public base.

After all, it has been on the hot search.

In the future, even some people who don’t pay attention to photography may remember that there is a photographer named Chen Xing, remember that he is the best in the country, and remember what he looks like.

So now is the time to collect.

just.

Have to queue.

Seth is already considering increasing the number of works every year. Currently, Chen Xing's works are still in short supply, and it is far from the time for Chen Xing to take a break.

Seth's one-month visa was about to expire, and before leaving he wanted to take Chen Xing, who was sending him off, with him.

"France is the place where you can realize your life's value. Look at how much we like you. What happened to you in China will never happen to you."

"I still have to stay at home with my parents."

"Then after your Spring Festival is over, will you come?"

"Lets see."

Chen Xing himself hasn't decided where to go after the Chinese New Year, but he wants to go to the Sahara Desert, which is described in many books.

As a young literary man, he also wants to visit more of these difficult places while he is still young.

Otherwise, when I get older, I will probably only dare to go to some peaceful countries.

Seth left on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

It is advisable to go out and visit spring.

That night, Chen Xing's father asked in the family group:

"Shall we go back home and get together?"

The hometown Chen Jiannan mentioned is an abandoned residential plot on the edge of the town, next to a small road.

My grandfather used to have land here, but the recent policy seems to say that the land will be reclaimed if it is not used to grow anything, so my uncle came back here, renovated the house, and planted some vegetables that can survive without human care.

There is no overall change. The walls have been reinforced, the pigsty and cattle sty have been converted into modern bathrooms, and a small room has been separated out for a bathtub.

This is where Chen Xing’s parents lived when they were children.

But later everyone moved to the town. Chen Xing had no memory of living here since he was a child. He came here a few times before he was five years old, and then his grandfather was brought to the town to live with his children.

After this renovation, my father and aunt always wanted to find an opportunity to go back and take a look.

During the Spring Festival, all the members of the Chen family returned to the town. It was a good time for them to get together, so my father made this suggestion.

Of course Chen Xing immediately raised his hand in agreement.

Everything is banned during the New Year here, and there is no festive atmosphere at all. It would be better to go back to the countryside and see if there is anything new to play.

Others in the family group also responded quickly.

Chen Xing packed his things and only took two sets of clothes. The rest was a camera and a computer. He had to take the computer because he was currently writing "New China Style Photography, Practical Edition".

The first theoretical book was sold out like crazy, so we must release the second practical part while the popularity is still there.

The practical part contains the various works he shot and the parameters, plus the content in the first theoretical part, and it was completed very quickly.

After all, the work is basically all in the first volume, and this practical chapter is just for people to compare with, and it is also published as a photography album.

Chen Xing has not yet published a separate photography collection, but in the few books he has published, photos account for a large proportion of the total, so there is nothing wrong with viewing them as photography collections.

In particular, this practical chapter also contains detailed parameters and Chen Xing’s thoughts at the time.

The two films together are like a photography textbook.

It only takes half an hour to drive from the small town to my hometown. Two-thirds of the time is spent on the main road, and then I turn into a small road and drive for another few minutes.

The path is also very wide, making it convenient for passing other vehicles, and you will pass by a small temple on the way.

The Chen family who were returning home to visit Chun pulled over and prepared to burn some incense at this small temple they had known since childhood before continuing on their way home.

The temple enshrines Guanyin.

There are many Guanyin temples in Sichuan Province, and Buddhism is very prosperous.

Chen Xing remembered the existence of this temple. He should have been here when he was a child, but he couldn't remember clearly. This time he came here to look around, hoping to recall his old memories.

Hedwig was also pulled in by Chen Xing's mother.

My cousin and Xiaopingguo did not go in to worship either. The three of them sat on the black bench outside the temple to rest.

"Isn't this the birthplace of Taoism? Why are there so few Taoist temples here?"

"Yes, there is one on the mountain over there."

My cousin pointed to a hill in the distance.

"Really? How come I didn't know that?"

"You were only a few years old when your grandmother passed away. Later, your grandfather came to our town, so of course you didn't know. Although the Taoist temple over there is not big, it seems to be very impressive. I heard that it was one of the first 24 Taoist temples."

"That's really awesome."

"It's tattered, don't hold your hopes too high."

Little Apple shouted, "Mom, where is Great Grandpa's house?"

My cousin held Little Apple in her arms and pointed to a rooftop that was already visible in the distance and said, "Can you see the roof in front?"

From here, it's only a two-minute walk.

There is also a small shop along the way.

Chen Xing took a look and thought the environment here was quite good.

After the elders had burned incense, they drove back to the old house in less than a minute. The yard had been leveled with cement and was large enough to accommodate five cars. Chen Xing walked around with his camera while others took things out of the car.

There is an earthen stove and firewood at home.

My aunt knew many of the villagers around, so she went out and brought back a bunch of sweet potatoes and corn. We had barbecued them for lunch, and in the evening she lit a fire on the earthen stove and roasted sweet potatoes.

Chen Xing was almost walking to the convenience store.

Many things in the countryside are old, old telephone poles, old houses, ponds, and even the convenience stores are very unique.

In the glass cabinet on the left were many cigarettes that Chen Xing had never seen before. The room on the right was where people played mahjong, where some elderly people played mahjong.

“It’s perfect for black and white.”

There may not be any good color combinations for the rural style, so the composition and lines will test the photographer's basic skills, so black and white without color is the most appropriate.

Realizing this, Chen Xing regained his interest in photography after a long time.

But in this rural area, the most interesting subject matter is not the happy scenes he imagined. In those books and on the Internet, children born in rural areas are always described as a generation with a childhood.

Chen Xing did not see childhood in this village, only old age, and a number of uninhabited houses with collapsed roofs.

These are the houses he photographed.

After obtaining consent, he also went to take pictures of the convenience store and the mahjong hall next to it.

The composition is symmetrical, with the central axis being a pillar that divides the two sides. On one side is an unmanned village store, and on the other side is a joyful village activity room.

The old people look quite free and easy when they laugh.

When he went into the room to check the photos in the afternoon, he felt that many of them were very artistic, and black and white requires such artistic conception.

He was quite satisfied with it, so he sent it to Seth.

I have been working less recently, so I am posting some just to deal with the emergency.

Unlike Chen Xing's previous work outside, my mother basically watched Chen Xing's work progress throughout the whole process. After he sent the photos, my mother asked in confusion:
"Is this the end?"

"Well, just wait until you get paid."

"So simple?"

“Black and white photos are so simple, they basically won’t be retouched or altered, keeping them as they are is the best, and it’s also easy to win awards.”

She doesn’t know whether she will win the award or not, she just thinks any random photo of her son will be worth millions.

"Come on, come on, finally our whole family is back home, take a picture for us."

"Family portrait? Okay."

Chen Xing hurried downstairs with the camera. He used a tripod to place the camera between the two cars. His mother loudly called out to others to come and take pictures. A group of people stood at the door of the main room.

Neatly.

Chen Xing, the youngest in the family, has also found a partner and has even obtained a marriage certificate, but they haven’t had a formal wedding yet.

The two are the tallest and look the most suitable when standing together.

Hedwig held Chen Xing's arm and stood at the edge at the back. The happiness on her face was an expression that all photographers would like to capture.

Chen Xing also happily made a “yeah” gesture.

Dad and aunt both looked serious.

The uncle didn't know where to put his hands, his expression was stiff, and he forced a smile, which didn't look very nice. The mothers stood together, holding hands and smiling.

………………

A few years later, a black-haired mixed-race white girl found this photo in a pile of luggage after moving. She found that she knew everyone in the photo, except herself.

So I took the photo to find my father.

"Dad, why am I not in this photo?"

Chen Xing was chatting with Seth in the living room.

He took the photo, looked at it, and said, "Well... of course I know why, but did you call me uncle?"

The girl quickly called out to Seth, "Uncle."

"In English!"

"I don't know English..."

Seeing that the little girl was about to cry, Seth said quickly: "What did you ask her to do? How dare you be so mean to such a cute child? Don't cry, uncle has candy!"

"He's almost seven years old and can't speak English. It drives me crazy."

"This child is left in China by you every day, and never goes abroad. Where can he learn a foreign language? After seven years, you finally figured it out. Paris is the place that understands you the best."

"I can't help it. I traveled to Europe more than ten times last year. I received various awards and judges' invitations. Hedwig has complaints. I have to spend more time with the kids."

How terrible it is that Hedwig has a problem with him.

So Chen Xing considered it and decided to move to Paris. The large manor is more suitable for children to play, and the commercial housing, even if it is a large flat, is still a bit small.

Hedwig came over with some fruit, her seven month old belly looking like she was about to give birth.

This time the winners are twins, so there will be three children in the future. We can’t do without a big house, and my eldest daughter is also old enough to go to primary school.

Well, I'd better study in Paris and see what happens when I grow up.

Chen Xing and Seth chatted for a while, and then Seth took out a large invitation and said, "Your value is higher this year than last year. Many photography festivals are inviting you to be a judge."

"Please help me turn down half of them. I need to stay at home and spend more time with my wife."

"A good family man, right?" Seth scratched his head helplessly and said, "But you have to supply the gallery, right? Or take pictures of this manor? So many roses, so beautiful..."

"Hmm... isn't that too perfunctory?"

"The most valuable photographer in the world, a painting costs millions. If you don't make this money now, when will you? You may not be the one next year."

Chen Xing took a look at the skills on the system and said confidently, "I think it will be me every year in the future, so compared to quantity, the quality of the work is the most important."

…………

(End) (End of this chapter)