I had an interesting conversation about my photography. I live in China, which you would probably have deduced already, and that means I have to have a visa to live and work here. Well, in the visa office for this year’s visa, I had a long conversation about photography with the officers there.
It all came up because I had the camera there with me—I was travelling and had everything on me…I did not necessarily want to carry a camera into the Public Security Bureau. I showed them a few photos, which I remember were particularly bad that day. Oh yeah, it was the day I shattered my protective UV filter! Anyway, I digress.
I think many of you may need more background on this story. I know, too much background, too little story. Anyway, China is not exactly in love with photographers. Spys and reporters take photographs. And that is the company in which they would usually lump photographers by default.
And, being a good Public Security Bureau officer, a lady I have known for several years felt a compelling need to remind me to “take good pictures”. And when she said “good”, she was not using some generally positive adjective. She meant “good” as in “you better keep yourself in line and not shoot anything you are not supposed to”…that kind of “good”.
Well, I kept smiling. Told her about the website (which I am quite sure she already knows about, if she is doing her job). And then she expounded some on “good”. “Take sanitary photos; take civilized photos”. What?
I know what she means, but it was just too much a temptation to talk to her about her definitions of sanitary pictures or civilized pictures. I know, I know: no trash heaps, only shiny sky scrapers; no poor minority folks, only Han people dressed up in minority clothing.
Though a stranger conversation, it was still fun. Though I kept asking her “What is sanitary? What is civilized?”, I know she knows quite well that I do not intend on actually limiting my photography to Party standards. Now, I have no desire to go out and break a bunch of rules, but I shoot reality. At least, I try to shoot reality. And though I also have no desire to annoy the PSB, I am not going to shoot with the New China filter. Like many filters, it would cut out too much light to really be worth the trouble.
