Reprinted from Acquired
Mentioning this name, many people first thought of erotic films such as "Qingben Beauty" and "Jade Futon".
In fact, compared with the identity of the director of the third-level film, his photographic achievements are higher.
Do not shoot scenic spots, monuments, big people, focus on the real life of the people at the bottom.
There is a popular saying in the circle: "There is no master in the Chinese photography industry, only one named He Fan." ”
01
"Genius" He Fan
Self-taught
He Fan, born in Shanghai in 1933, his father was the owner of the silk business, the second generation of the rich.
One of the few color photographs
Although his life was rich enough, because his parents were too busy at work, he spent many times alone in his teens, and the theater became a pastime.
The changes in the color points of black and white, light and shadow, light and dark in the film make him see God in every frame, which is deeply engraved in his mind.
Although the time between father and son is not much, but the heart is the same, when he was thirteen years old, his father gave He Fan a Brownie camera and supported him to take pictures with practical actions.
Without professional teachers to teach and not knowing what to shoot, he shuttled through the streets and alleys of Shanghai, took pictures of the people and scenery he liked, and went home at night to wash the bathroom as a darkroom.
"Rainy Days in Shanghai" and "The Bund in Shanghai" won Grade A awards when he was in middle school.
《Shanghai》
Early fame
At the age of eighteen, He Fan moved south with his parents and his family, moved to Hong Kong, and read literature at the New Asia College, which advocated "tracing the spirit of the lectures of Song Ming College and adopting the tutor system of Western European universities", and received a good education in Chinese studies.
The beauty of the artistic conception of Tang poems and Song Ci was injected into his black and white photography.
The grandeur of the sea and the sky and the smallness of the sailboat, the lines projected by the telephone poles on the road, and the portraits in the rectangular windows of the walls are all poetic.
Later, someone asked He Fan what was his favorite work?
He said that the inspiration came from the ancient poem "The Twilight Is Far, What is the World in the World", "The Twilight Is Far", the sunset sets, a worker pedals a tricycle to the seashore, no cars and no pedestrians, quiet and beautiful.
This expression of figurative imagery allowed He Fan to establish a unique style and became famous in the photography world.
Before the age of thirty, he won the award, won more than 280 international photography awards, and was awarded the "World Photography Top Ten" by the Photographic Society of America for eight consecutive years.
The outside world calls him a "generation of grandmasters" of Chinese street photography, which has verified Zhang Ailing's truth and famous saying that "it is better to be famous early".
02
Face the underclass
The real reverence for He Fan lies in his benevolence and righteousness.
Despite his rich life and meritorious service, he has always been full of concern for the people at the bottom of China and loves the joys and sorrows of the little people.
"Hong Kong Memoirs", "Life Theater" and "Yesterday's Hong Kong" are the Trilogy of Hong Kong intertwined with light and shadow, recording a rare picture of the 1950s and 1960s.
The first part, "Memoirs of Hong Kong", is a very classic and well-known one published by Ho Fan in his lifetime, which includes the life on the streets of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s.
The daily chatter at the entrance of the stairs, the busyness on the construction site, and the flow of people between the city docks are all the imprints of that era.
The second part, "Theatre of Life", further analyzes Hong Kong and includes many portrait photographs to reflect the reality of people's lives.
There are no gorgeous scenes or tall characters under the lens, and the rough sense of facing the underlying society.
Shouldering heavy burdens, climbing bamboo walls, and pulling cart workers, it is sad to watch.
Leaving early and returning late, hard work, this is the difficulty of survival of the toiling masses.
Life is full of tastes, not everyone's childhood is carefree, poverty will make people mature early and bravely face suffering.
When it comes to such works, He Fan feels that the grassroots spirit they express is the most memorable to him. The little people are struggling to survive and have been struggling.
I need to care for them with a humanitarian spirit.
The third part, "Yesterday's Hong Kong", is different from the realistic style of the first two parts, using a large number of multiple exposure techniques to create "abstract" works that intersect past and present, fantasy and reality.
"Shadow" is the cover art of the work, and it is also a typical masterpiece of He Fan, photographing the triangular shadow on the wall outside the academy dividing the yin and yang, and a woman standing in the corner with her head bowed, and in 2015, she sold for 375,000 yuan.
The clever composition of chiaroscuro is a highlight of the work, the composition of a large straight line makes the picture divided into two, concise, and the woman in the cheongsam stands on the viewpoint and becomes the visual focus.
Although the overall elements are very few, they are reminiscent of the unique artistic charm of Hong Kong in that era.
This may confirm the sentence: "The lens captured with the eye can only be called a photograph, and the lens captured with the mind is the real art." ”
03
Throw away the past and start over
Flowers, applause, awards, photography has given He Fan unlimited honors.
But he did not think about the past and did not fear the future, let go of everything he had, and still turned to film.
Not for anything else, but for love.
The new industry allowed him to start from scratch, without the opportunity to become a director, he worked as a handyman on the set, participated in various small roles, and was not afraid to work without being tired.
Played Tang Monk
Later, he finally waited for the opportunity to make a movie, but only for erotic films.
Is it to bend over backwards for dreams, or to succumb to reality?
He Fan decided that even if it is a tertiary film, he will operate it as a kind of business and shoot beauty.
Therefore, in his films, not only the most beautiful Ye Yuqing is left, but also a unique choreography and empty mirror.
An action and an expression of the actor are striving for aesthetic beauty.
Some people questioned He Fan's choice, obviously he has achieved fame, he can be a master of photography, why do you do things that are not conducive to reputation?
He replied: "I have always believed that any work of art should stem from real emotions and understanding, that my work has no purpose, that as an artist I just want to express myself, that I need emotional impulses to make meaningful work." ”
And when the work resonates with the audience, it is a satisfaction that money cannot buy.
In his later years, after moving to the United States, he learned to organize the previous photos, and through superposition, juxtaposition and other techniques, he made them glow with different meanings in the new era.
Maybe a little bit of mustard, maybe summing up himself, recalling the past, he said: "I have made a lot of tertiary films, but my photography has never compromised. ”