Let no one pass on without a photo of remembrance
Print Edition
It’s often said that the expressive, sometimes weather-beaten faces of the elderly are mirrors of living history.
Enchanting they certainly are, as amateur photographer Zhang Yufeng shows in a series of artistic photos of senior citizens in the Songjiang town of Xiaokunshan.
Zhang and 20 volunteers have begun a project to visit the homes of the elderly — including nursing care facilities — to take photos of the residents. Their ultimate goal is to photograph 6,000 people who are 60 years or older. So far they have photographed more than 700.
Among the volunteers is Li Quan’e, the owner of a photography shop, who is providing some of the equipment and giving technical advice. She and other volunteers also gathered together traditional Chinese garments for the seniors to wear if they choose to make their photos a bit more elaborate.
Zhang used to be deputy chairman of the town People’s Congress. On the cusp of retirement, he is temporarily working as a town researcher.
Zhang said he has always been fond of photography. His photos often appear in the monthly town newspaper. He said he likes to aim his lens at people, objects and scenes that strike him as beautiful and worthy of recording.
To make sure he is always prepared for that, Zhang always carries two cameras in his backpack: a mini SLR camera and a “point-and-shoot” digital camera in his backpack. He has used the digital camera so often that its straps are now rough and worn.
Zhang struck upon the idea of photographing the elderly while on a tour of town nursing homes. He was saddened to learn that many seniors die without leaving behind a single photo to mark their lives.
That fact shouldn’t have surprised him. His own parents, now dead, never left a photo of themselves behind.
“That is one of the great sorrows of my life,” he said. “Their tombstones bear no photo of them.”
Zhang’s crusade to create a lasting memorial for the elderly was supported by town leaders, who appropriated funds to cover some of the project expenses. The seniors who were photographed were not asked for any money.
On March 5, the project began. A group of volunteers arrived at the town nursing home. Photos were instantly developed, and each elderly resident received one 10-inch photo and eight 1-inch photos.
The residents of the home were surprised and delighted to see themselves so beautifully presented. They buzzed with questions about where they could obtain frames to place the photos.
Zhang said their reaction was heart-warming and made all the volunteers feel that the project is indeed a worthy one.
Sometimes elderly subjects come out to pose for the camera. When they are unable to leave home, Zhang and the volunteers take pictures at their houses.
When home-bound Du Quangen, 80, learned that he would be photographed, he had a barber come to his home to spruce up his appearance.
“He wanted to appear at his best,” Du’s family members told Zhang.
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