Beijing Subway. China. 2012
Thinking of Japan…March 11th
JAPAN. Himeji. Women dancing in yukata (summer kimono) at the Kawa Matsuri (River Festival). 2004.
Today marks the one year anniversary since the devastating Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami of March 11th, 2011.
I lived in Japan for one year between 2003-2004, so Japan and the Japanese people hold a special place with me. I watched with horror one year ago today as the disasters rocked a nation I had grown great fondness of.
Rather than re-post imagery of the events that day. I wanted to post a few positive images of Japan. Fond memories of a rich and inspiring culture.
My thoughts today are with Japan and the Japanese people, on what must be a very painful anniversary.
JAPAN. Himeji. A market stall selling masks of Anime characters. 2004
The Gate – Beijing [Mobile Upload]
A cyclist passes an ornate gate, in the west of Beijing. China. 2012
Snacks at Sunset [Mobile Upload]
Two schoolgirls ordering snacks from a street food kiosk, just after sunset in west Beijing. China. 2012
‘China on the Brink’ by The Asia Society
A quick post here to let you know of a new video that has just been released by the Asia Society, focusing on my work over the past few years on China’s environmental crises. It was put together by Shreeya Sinha, who is an excellent multimedia journalist in her own right, and recorded when I was in New York a few months ago. The video provides a pretty concise view of my work and what I have been trying to do whilst covering these issues in China. Hope you enjoy!
From the Asia Society Blog…
Beijing-based videographer and photographer Sean Gallagher has been documenting China’s environmental problems from various perspectives since 2006 — covering everything from wetland disappearance, desertification, air pollution, to endangered species like the giant panda. Often backed by Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Gallagher has raised awareness about the global impact of China’s rapid development.
Gallagher points to China’s desertification problem, which parallels similar issues in North Africa and Australia, as one example of a topic he’s covered that resonates worldwide. “These are issues affecting everybody and it’s incredibly important that we realize the impact we are having on our ecosystems and bio-diversity.”
The multimedia profile above encompasses the wide range of Gallagher’s reporting in photography and video, and offers a personal account of what it’s like to be a freelance journalist in China.
Hazy Nights
For the past 8 days I haven’t seen blue skies in Beijing. The grey haze has descended upon the capital and has sat upon the city through one whole week.
The taste of the smog lingers all day and it’s presence can even be felt at night. As headlights and street lights cut through the dark, the haze seems illuminated against the black.
Beijing. China. 2012
Mei Yan, CEO of Viacom China, for Serafina Magazine
Canon 7D - 16-35 L lens - ISO200 - f6.3 - 1/1250sec
I recently had the opportunity to meet and photograph one of China’s leading media women, Ms. Mei Yan of Viacom China. On assignment for the Brazilian magazine, Serafina, I met and photographed Mei Yan who runs MTV, amongst other media entities, at her office in central Beijing. I thought I would post a couple of the images from the afternoon here and give a small insight into the shoot.
The image above is the one that the magazine chose to run last weekend. You can see that this image was shot through a window, with Mei Yan standing on the inside while I stood outside. I was trying to get an interesting shot of her and I noticed that the harsh afternoon sunlight was creating some really interesting reflections. I asked Mei Yan to stand inside, making sure that the sunlight was hitting her face. I then proceeded to photograph her from the outside, making sure that I was getting her face against the black of the building. As the light was quite strong, I was under-exposing my a stop or two, to make sure her face wasn’t too overexposed.
Canon 7D - 16-35 L lens - ISO 200 - f9 - 1/160sec
The second shot was a little bit more straightforward however I again tried to use the harsh light and shadows to make the image a little more interesting. I under-exposed the image again to make the shadows very dark, almost black. As I was shooting, Mei Yan and I were talking and joking which meant I was able to get a very natural image of her smiling. I tried to balance to photo and make it a little bit more interesting by waiting for the cleaner to pass by on the left and place the plant on the opposite side. Altogether I was quite satisfied with this image and how we got a little bit of luck to make the portrait unique.
To learn more about Mei Yan, check out the article “A Censor’s Daughter Changes the System” on the Daily Best website.
Author of The Fat Years, Chan Koonchung, for the Globe & Mail
Chan Koonchung - The Globe & Mail
Last week I had the opportunity to photograph the Hong Kong author, Chan Koonchung, who has recently sprung to the attention of the international community as a result of the publication of his book, The Fat Years. The Fat Years paints a dystopian picture of China, dissecting the political workings of the country and its implications on the pysche of modern Chinese.
I’ve included a couple of images from the shoot, one of which was used online to accompany the article written by the Globe & Mail’s East Asia correspodent, Mark Mackinon. Read his article “Chinese must not forget the past, warns author of the Fat Years“.
Chan Koonchung in a Starbucks in Beijing. 2012
Chan Koonchung in the Sanlitun district of Beijing. 2012
