NTD’s 2009 Chinese International Photography Competition

The world is a very big place, full of diverse lands, people, and cultures beyond the description of words. These are all glimpses of the past, moments in time that were gone in a fraction of a second. Only the very best photographers are able to find these moments amongst the millions of other moments. In this year’s NTD 2009 Chinese International Photography Competition, we will be taking a look at some of the very best photographs that the international Chinese community has to offer.

Over five thousand photos from over 39 countries were submitted to this year’s competition. These were narrowed down to only a handful of entries that best capture the culture, life, and energy of their subjects. With a cut of a ribbon, this year’s competition is now officially underway. The photos will be on public display in Midtown Manhattan through the end of November.

[Karen Fuchs, Professional Photographer]:
“When I first started looking around, what really appealed to me was that I got the essence of a different culture and in particular, seeing all the landscapes and the portraits, it really invited me or it made me want to go and visit China and experience some of those moments and those aspects for myself.”

[David Eshnaur, Banker, Amateur Photographer]:
“It gives you a warm feeling to see the glow. The reds and the pinks and the fall colors are a warm feeling. And then to see some of the moments of the people and their experience, most of them are happy. That’s a good thing.”

Each photo has a story to tell. But for some, there is a story to tell outside of what’s in the picture.

[Serene Lee, Competition Organizer]:
“We received a lot of artworks, photographs from Mainland China. That is difficult for Chinese photographers in Mainland China because they have to break the Internet blockage to break the information limitation.”

Several of these submissions are of so called ‘sensitive issues’, dealing with topics of human rights, natural disasters, and the persecution of minority groups that the Communist Party of China would rather not have immortalized on film.

[Serene Lee]
“But they finally send their artworks and their artworks are excellent…For those Chinese photographers living in totalitarian regimes, it’s very hard for them to have their own thinking. Sometimes they have to follow the party line…we try to provide…a stage for those talented excellent photographers. For them to be themselves, to have their own thinking.”

And it is this freedom of expression that allows for these photographs to speak.

[Karen Fuchs]:
“I think photography can bring out emotion, but its so hard to say what emotion it will bring out because I think it is so related to your own personal experience whether you will react positively or negatively to an image.”

[Juliana Hoffman, Photography Enthusiast]:
“I choose this one (as my favorite) because I grew up in a really green area of Wisconsin. I really appreciated the green and the time of day, the early morning. I used to do a lot of walks in the morning because of the heat, and I think there’s a lot of emotion in this time of day. Its kind of removed from the rest of the day. It’s a very special, calm time to really enjoy yourself and your company.”

[David Eshnaur]:
“There’s something about capturing a moment that’s special. My favorites have been several. There’s a fall scene over on the other side called “Home”. The one over to your shoulder…there’s the one on the wall, the Glacier Rocks. The glacier rocks are beautiful with the reflections from the pink and yellow sky.”

Perhaps what is most powerful about photography is that even though these photos show the rich diversity of human culture, they also show that despite our differences, we are all the same. We smile the same, we laugh the same, we cry the same.

[Karen Fuchs]:
“You could learn something, how other people live in the world and not necessarily take our standard of living for granted and yet you still see happiness and contentment on their faces. So maybe that’s a lesson.”

The winners of this year’s competition will not be announced today. We’ll have to wait until the end of the month before judges make their final decision. Until next time, stay tuned and keep watching.

(NTDTV)