Old Man River (Yangshuo, China)

[robfactory]

Got to meet somewhat of a celebrity. Mr. Huang, 86, is the face of the Yangshuo area. The former fisherman now spends his day in costume, dressed up like the fishermen of old, as his main source of income. I got to take photos of him on 2 different occasions. That's why there's also a shift in color.
Camera : Sony A7R IV
Lenses: Sony 12-24mm F4 & Tamron 28-75mm F2.8

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    75mm    f/6.3    1/125s    ISO 100

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    28mm    f/6.3    1/125s    ISO 100

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    12mm    f/5.6    1/125s    ISO 50

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    24mm    f/5.6    1/125s    ISO 50

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    28mm    f/6.3    1/125s    ISO 100

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    12mm    f/5.6    1/125s    ISO 100

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    45mm    f/8.0    1/60s    ISO 500

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    47mm    f/5.6    1/100s    ISO 320

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    48mm    f/5.6    1/100s    ISO 320

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    14mm    f/5.6    1/250s    ISO 1000

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    13mm    f/5.6    1/250s    ISO 400

ILCE-7RM4    FE 12-24mm F4 G    18mm    f/5.6    1/80s    ISO 200

ILCE-7RM4    E 28-75mm F2.8-2.8    45mm    f/5.6    1/100s    ISO 400

 

[davect01]

Looking spry

 

[Richard Crowe]

Neat shots! I missed him when I was in Yangshuo... It was raining cats and dogs and he was not out. What a shame - this was one sequence that I wanted to bring back from China...

 

[Antonio Correia]

Nice shots Rob !

 

[robfactory]

Neat shots! I missed him when I was in Yangshuo... It was raining cats and dogs and he was not out. What a shame - this was one sequence that I wanted to bring back from China...

It was a grey stay when I was there. Very little to shoot. I didn't get a chance to take a picture from one of the mountains because it was too cloudy. I was able to find him and take a couple of shots by pure coincidence. He made the trip to be honest.

 

[WNG]

Interesting bit of information. Although the images found online are wonderful, weren't aware that these days, they are staged and he's in costume.
Nonetheless, they are still awesome portraits with a spectacular backdrop. Nice job.

 

[serhan]

Great shots as usual!

 

[serhan]

I guess they might be making more money with tourism then fishing... I think it is similar in villages next to the national parks in SW US...

I read this article while back:
https://petapixel.com/2019/03/18/the-winning-photo-of-the-120k-hipa-prize-was-apparently-staged/

Interesting bit of information. Although the images found online are wonderful, weren't aware that these days, they are staged and he's in costume.
Nonetheless, they are still awesome portraits with a spectacular backdrop. Nice job.

 

[JonathanF2]

The guy looks like he came out of a Chinese period movie drama! His birds are crazy!

Cool shots!

 

[robfactory]

Interesting bit of information. Although the images found online are wonderful, weren't aware that these days, they are staged and he's in costume.
Nonetheless, they are still awesome portraits with a spectacular backdrop. Nice job.

Yeah, there are a couple of these guys who come dressed, paddle around and one takes pictures of them. Modern machinery has taken this type of fishing out of the waters. However, it is still part of the history of this village.
I wouldn't say I staged it, but more that he was there doing his thing and I took photos of him doing his thing.

 

[WNG]

Yeah, there are a couple of these guys who come dressed, paddle around and one takes pictures of them. Modern machinery has taken this type of fishing out of the waters. However, it is still part of the history of this village.
I wouldn't say I staged it, but more that he was there doing his thing and I took photos of him doing his thing.

Not meant to accuse you of anything not authentic. Life is but a stage!
Just reflecting back on past images seen of the same region and community. It's a romantic belief that actual everyday life was so wonderfully captured. Now to discover it isn't so. That's all.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

They are great pics, and this guy does a great job of portraying history. Does he make a living from this?

 

[MWhite]

Think of him as a re-enactor.

 

[robfactory]

They are great pics, and this guy does a great job of portraying history. Does he make a living from this?

Yep, this is his thing now. At 86, the fishing ? industry would be too rough for him.

 

[robfactory]

Not meant to accuse you of anything not authentic. Life is but a stage!
Just reflecting back on past images seen of the same region and community. It's a romantic belief that actual everyday life was so wonderfully captured. Now to discover it isn't so. That's all.

I gotcha. ? Life is but a stage, and we are all just playing our part. ?

 

[WNG]

He's the oldest successful cosplayer in the world!

 

[bdbits]

The quote from Shakespeare is "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." and it continues on from there into a rather cynical explanatory monologue.