CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Mozi made the first successful experiment of pinhole imaging over 2,000 years ago, but he couldn’t thought that pinhole imaging is used in photography technology called pinhole photography. As a famous pinhole photographer, Shi Guorui started his pinhole photography in 1996, and has completed the huge works like Jinshanling Great Wall and Mount Qomolangma. Chaotianmen, the landmark of Chongqing, is his next target. He is planning to use pinhole photography to make more people know Chongqing.

When it comes to pinhole photography, many people may not know it well. In fact, the principle of pinhole photography is the same as pinhole imaging in physics. Put a board with a small hole between a photographic paper and an object, then an inverted image will be formed on the photographic paper. Remove the board forth and back, and the size of the image on the photographic paper will change accordingly. This also is the principle that light travels in straight lines. Shi Guorui started his pinhole photography in 1996 and has become a famous pinhole photographer.

In 2002, Shi Guorui utilized a beacon tower of the Great Wall as a camera obscura to photograph the Great Wall, which is his first outdoor large work by pinhole photography.

After photographing the Great Wall, Shi Guorui decided to photograph the Mount Qomolangma. For this reason, he went to Mount Qomolangma four times in three years, and stayed for 10 days to 20 days each time. Overcoming various difficulties, he finally completed. Shi Guorui explained that the light and dark in the picture are contrary to the real scene. In the picture, the sky is dark and the mountain is white. In fact, the sky is white and the mountain is dark.

This time, Shi Guorui will focus on the landmark of Chongqing - Chaotianmen. He plans to photograph it in a tall building near the Clock Tower Square in Nanbin Road. Looking out from here, you can see wonderful scenes with Chaotianmen and the opposite Jiangbeizui, as well as two bridges: Qiansimen and Dongshuimen decorating the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers like two jade ribbons.

Before the implementation, Shi Guorui will solve various technical problems by investigating on the scene and designing photography plan in advance. On-the-spot sensitization often needs to spend several hours.

In the room of the shooting site, Shi Guorui firstly covered all the doors and windows with thick black cloths as the camera obscura. Then made a 1.62mm pinhole on the black cloth facing Chaotianmen as the camera lens. Finally he hang a photographic paper with 4-meter length and 2.6-meter width on the wall facing the pinhole as the negative.

For Shi Guorui, there are a series of processes such as exposure and development at the end of each shoot, so he doesn’t know whether the photo is successful or not until its completion. Due to the direct sensitization on paper and the dependence on natural light, each work by pinhole photography is unique.

Shi Guorui has been paying attention to Chongqing for over 10 years. In his opinion, Chongqing has a unique charm. "Next October, the work on Chongqing Chaotianmen will be exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Fine Arts. At that time, more people will know about the beauty of Chongqing." (Translated by Jiang Yuling, Fathom Language Limited)