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Making a vegetable garden out of West Lake
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AMATEUR photographer Ding Haijun has turned some heads with his fresh take on West Lake. And by fresh, he means adding vegetables in his photographs.
In one shot, he uses cucumber peels to make a bridge, in another coriander is used to represent trees. Purple onion skins symbolize lotus flowers while Ding uses rice to pave a road. He adds a dreamlike quality to his “New West Lake” series by backlighting the photos, now on display at the Hangzhou Citizen Photography Festival, which ends on June 30.
Ding, 47, who runs an advertising firm, said his trick is to use a light box.
He said he uses two pieces of glass. He places the vegetables on one piece to create the foreground while the other piece is used for the background, which he likes to be out of focus.
It sounds simple, but it takes Ding about three hours to create one photo as he needs to cut the vegetable, design the pattern and adjust the lights before shooting.
Ding places great emphasis on color contrast and composition. For example, in one photo, a lane paved by rice and shaded by celery looks three dimensional. In another, under a bridge there is a shadowy inverted image of a bridge and tree branches.
From Changxing Town, Huzhou, Ding admits he loves West Lake, adding his designs are based on other photos of the famous body of water or his memories. “These photos are the impression West Lake gives me,” he says.
The photos have been split into two exhibitions, one at Solitary Hill and the other at Bai Causeway. The festival ends on June 30.
“I love life, and I love West Lake,” he said.
“I hope visitors can feel that from my photos. Life is actually the base of creation.”
Ding said he started this vegetable series last year when he was inspired by what could be done with a light box. He has created a photo diary with hundreds of his pictures.
He designs and shoots one photo every day. His subject matter varies from animals and sports to people and scenery, whatever interests him on the day.
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