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Retirement

Mr Hong Senior paused for a moment from his shovelling of coal to allow me the chance to shoot him. He was shovelling the coal into the back of his rural hut that he shares with his son.

Mr Hong Senior and Junior live together in far north Xinjiang Provence in China. The two share a modest 2 bedroom mud and clay hut in a small encampment that lays next to a once bustling trading town, that has seen better days since a major highway was re routed and the local chemical plant shut down.

Most of the surrounding houses are derelict and not inhabited. Coal is a common form of heating and cooking for people in the area.

Mr Hong is 92 years young.

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Richard Ford 3 years ago

Cupcake 3 years ago

Wonderful capture.

Richard Ford Thank you Cupcake, I'm thrilled that you like it!

Deborah Fort 3 years ago

Thank you ever so much for sharing him with us - he looks to be a marvelously kind man with a very rich life despite his surroundings.

Richard Ford I wouldn't mind his surroundings. In the west we really have learnt well how to complicate our lives and add stress! :-)

Laurent Roch 3 years ago

Wonderful portrait !

Richard Ford Thanks Laurent. I have one more of him - I'll see if I can do anything that with it that is different than the current two published shots.

Alberto Peroni 3 years ago

Excellent portrait and story!

Richard Ford Thanks Alberto. Your appreciation is duly noted with joy!

Wulff 3 years ago

Very very nice this one, and what a story :-)
/Wulff

Richard Ford Thanks Wullf.

Codrin Lupei 3 years ago

Great image, Richard, an impressive portait and story, liked it a lot in screening! Very well done, one of my favorites from your work!
all the best
Codrin

Richard Ford Thanks Codrin - appreciated as always. I know I can always rely on a comment or favourite labelling from you. Warming as always.

Cheers,
RF.

WK Chew 3 years ago

I love this shot in the screening. Well done!

Richard Ford Thanks WK. I debated on the BW or colour for this for a while - but since I did his close up in colour and this scene had coal and snow in it - I felt that BW would work well. Seems others agree!

Aart de Boer 3 years ago

I recognized him immediately! Great portrait. My compliments!

Richard Ford Yes - Mr Hong may yet become a celebrity in an environment a million miles away from his existence in a form that he probably does not even understand or knows exists! ;-)

gerard sexton 3 years ago

One of your best imho Richard!

Richard Ford Thanks Gerard. I like it for what it is - the quality and the message. Though photographically I place these kinds of shots just a small level above landscapes. However these shots are more accepted and enjoyed here as opposed to what I feel is raw street shots - so you will see more of these types of mine here than my favourite style that will be relegated to Flickr and my personal page.

andrea lorenzetti 3 years ago

beautiful portrait

Richard Ford Thanks Andrea.

Marvin Trachtenberg 3 years ago

Richard, the "simplicity" clarity and setting are perfect, and the man's face and body speaks volumes... marvin t.

Richard Ford Thanks Mate.

Ben Goossens 3 years ago

Fist the face and now the man with a story:-)))

Richard Ford I still have more to go - though not sure if any of them can add any more to this scene and this man. I will add them in a few weeks but I doubt they will be published - but look for them on my personal page.

jojo 3 years ago

I too am glad that you gave us his history, it makes this so much more...he has a life and sparkle in his eyes that you have captured beautifully...jojo

Richard Ford Thanks jojo. The sparkle is all flash though and nothing about my technique. ;-)

Matjaz 3 years ago

Compliments for the story and photo!

Richard Ford Thanks Matjaz.

Giorgio Lorcet 3 years ago

beautiful portrait, in that face ther's a long story. bravo.

Richard Ford Yes indeed. I would have liked to sit and talk longer with him - but he really wanted to get back to work. So I could not dig into his history too much.

Marcello Della Corte 3 years ago

He is 92 and still kicking! Bless him! A very nice portrait (and story, too)!

Richard Ford The benefits of an erstwhile and active lifestyle I am sure. Modernity can be a negative sometimes.

Mal Smart 3 years ago

the years of hard work are etched in the features of this gentleman, well done Richard. mal

Richard Ford Thanks Mal. I have printed up a nice framed A3 of each of the good shots that I took of him and mailed it off to his son - along with a few other smaller prints of the same images. I am sure it will be a prized and great memory for his son to keep in the future.

gerard sexton, Codrin Lupei, WK Chew and 9 more people added this to favorites

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