"In order to take pictures, you can travel around the world, and you can press the shutter at the most beautiful moment. What others see is just the freeze-frame of the photo, but you enjoy the whole process."-Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-fat
Chinese and foreign stars, There are not a few people who love photography, and there are very few who really understand photography, even a photographer. In the field of large-format photography, Chow Yun-fat is one of them.
became interested in photography as early as in the art training class of Hong Kong TVB. In 1997, at a large-scale film festival to welcome the return of Hong Kong, Fa Ge’s sister Zhou Congling secretly took three photos taken by him under a pseudonym. As a result, one of the photos with a panoramic view of tomatoes won the third prize.
Large format photography is different from general digital photography. The steps are cumbersome and exquisite. Whether it is pre-shooting or post-printing, it not only requires a lot of professional knowledge, but also a lot of patience. He usually prints all the black and white photos he takes, and the printing potions are all ordered back by the United States. Chow Yun-fat held a black-and-white photography exhibition in Hong Kong, which was a large-format photographic work completed with the unique "platinum painting method". Zhou Runfa said: "I like the unknown. Pressing the shutter only completes a part of the shot. You won’t know what the photo looks like until you enter the darkroom to make the photo. Plus, for example, shooting 8×10 film, The film is only 100 yuan per piece, so when you press the shutter, you will really think about it. Is it worth 100 yuan? And this 100 yuan does not include the processing fee!
As an international superstar Zhou Yunfa, he often has the opportunity Shooting movies all over the world also facilitates his photography. "I have never been outside Hong Kong specifically to collect styles and shoot, and I often shoot by the way when I make a movie. "Even though these two things are often done at the same time, photography and acting are completely different for Fa Ge-photography is more of an inner and private enjoyment. "When I went to act and make a movie, my agent and assistant It looks very beautiful. And when carrying a large-format camera to shoot, I often feel tired like a dog. Why do I have to shoot after such a hard work? This kind of fun is really totally different. The purpose of making movies is to support the family, and taking pictures is really happy, and it’s only for yourself. "
is used to shooting in a place he is familiar with. After the shooting, the developed photo will be given to the person in the photo. He once took a photo of Gong Li's makeup on the set. This photo was auctioned for 3.18 million yuan.
Shadow, Chong, and Play are the trilogy of photography
Zhou Yunfa said: "Shadow, Chong, and Play are the trilogy of photography. Shadows include the use and understanding of the camera, viewfinder, lighting, correct exposure, the relationship between depth of field and shutter, etc. You can shoot nature scenes outdoors, or you can shoot indoors. Punching is to match the medicine, temperature and time to get the proper contrast and particles of the negative film. Putting is to turn the captured image into a photo; through darkroom techniques, with paper and medicine, the photo paper is gradually developed from light to dark in the basin to become a picture. Because I love black-and-white photography, the process from shooting to finishing a photo is so fun. In addition to the above-mentioned trilogy, there is more important to film, do more, think about and watch more related exhibitions. "
, who went into the darkroom to print his work, often forgets the time, "I didn't feel like staying in the darkroom for 24 hours, day and night, so my wife had to knock on the door to see if her husband was still there." "Fa Ge, who loves black and white photography, handles every frame of the photo from the moment he took it by himself. He specially ordered printing potions from the United States, and quietly waited for the black and white images to gradually emerge. The endless fun in this process is a joy that others cannot know.
In the discussion of digital and film, Chow Yun-fat has always been faint but firm in his own shooting experience. "Digital or film is actually not necessary to discuss the pros and cons, because the imaging styles are fundamentally different. The photosensitive silver salt grains on the film are deep and the arrangement is also irregular. The negative film accumulated by the silver salt after washing with the medicine is also irregular in thickness. The image sensor of a digital camera is completely flat, with pixels arranged regularly. So although the automatic function on the digital camera is very advanced, I still enjoy the whole process of shooting film. And I think that things like art, after all, have to be created with my own hands. "
In Fa Ge's opinion, taking pictures is the most beautiful thing, because you can only take pictures with the camera in your free time. This thing itself is very easy. "You can take pictures.Traveling around the countries, and you press the shutter at the most beautiful moment. What others see is the freeze frame of the photo, but you enjoy the whole process. "
Chow Yun-fat's photographic works
Interview with Chow Yun-fat's photography experience:
Q: Do you change your camera often or just use one?
Chow Yun-fat: I have Bind 67, Mamiya 7MII, Chamonix’s 6x8, 4x5, 8x10, 4x10, you can choose according to your shooting needs.
asks: What type of camera would you choose when filming? Would it be hard to use a large format camera?
Chow Yunfa: I usually use Rollei when filming 120 double-reverse cameras, it’s not troublesome and hard work.
asks: Many costume scenes at work provide you with a good theme to match the nostalgic atmosphere of black and white film?
Zhou Yunfa: Using black and white film is not intentional To create a nostalgic atmosphere, because I like to use Rollei 400 degrees and Kodak black and white film, Kodak Tir-X is more, it is more tolerant. In addition, I like to use Rollei 2.8F for costume scenes at work The double-reflex camera has a larger aperture and is suitable for shooting with live light.
Q: When operating a large-format camera, it is not as convenient as digital. Will there be many missed moments?
Zhou Yunfa: High-speed connection of digital cameras It is true that you can shoot very quickly and take a lot of shots, but will you be able to capture the most critical moment? The most critical moment is often between two high-speed continuous shots. We shoot movies at 24 frames per second." "Continuous shooting", such a high speed may not necessarily be able to capture the best moments. Large-format shooting is not for more, but for refinement.
