City Weekend
We were delighted to find out last week that Chelin Miller, who is a former student from one of out hutong workshops, was featured in Beijing City Weekend and interviewed about her experiences taking on of our classes. You can read a snippet of the interview here online and read it reproduced below. Well done Chelin! To see images from the workshop Chelin attended, please go here.
Snap Happy: Hutong Photography
*Amateur photographer Chelin Miller tells us why she hones her skills in Sean Gallagher’s photo workshops
What is it about photography that draws you?
Photos tell a story, preserve memories and can be a fantastic creative outlet.
Have you ever studied photography before?
I have never studied photography seriously, but I’ve had a passion for it since I was a teenager.
(c) City Weekend
How did you find the hands-on photography workshop?
There was a feeling of camaraderie from the beginning. We were eight in our group. Armed with our cameras, we went out around the hutong and although we were all together, we all perceived different aspects of the area, the people and the architecture. It was fascinating to come back to the hostel and review everybody’s photos; I think we all learned a lot from each other.
Is the workshop accessible to the camera challenged?
Yes, the workshop was very clear and concise. It covered enough basic technical and composition steps to be able to take good photos even if you were a total beginner, without slowing down the pace for those with a little bit more experience.
Will you be taking the workshop again?
Yes, definitely. I can’t wait to go to Harbin for the ice festival with Sean and Jessica’s group. Being with others who share my passion, making jokes, feeding ideas off each other and learning from each other is what makes the workshops so enjoyable.
Yesterday morning, I was invited to the China Radio International studios here in Beijing, to take part in a panel discussion about desertification. The discussion was a great success and I was really happy to be able to talk about this issue and my work for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting on the radio for the second time this week. One of my aims for the distribution of this work was to get it out into as many different media outlets as possible. With the advent of new media, I think radio has been forgotten a little in a way, so it’s good to promote it here on my blog.
The above audio file is an interview that aired with China Radio International today, on the subject of desertification and my work for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.