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Photos tell of journeys to India, China
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then go to Atwood Gallery to hear about 20,000 words spoken to you. From taking five trips to China and India, Rob Meyer shows his documented creations.
Meyer recalls the first trip: “It was the first time I traveled out of the U.S. alone. I had no idea what I was doing.”
Meyer remembers the experience of a family portrait when he was young. This is an example of the picture not being worth the film.
“It was one of the most horrible experiences. (The photographer) was more worried about his equipment — incredibly reflective of the photos,” he said. “We were outside hours and hours waiting forever for this man to figure out the correct settings. Not one of us looks like we enjoyed ourselves.”
The pictures in the gallery are another story.
“Most of these pictures take 20 seconds and then I’m done. For some of them, I walked up to (the people) and explained I wanted to take pictures.”
Meyer explains some of the feelings he had when taking one of the photos — “The Shy Chinese Lady.”
“I had taken a bus for no reason. It was a day trip. I got off the bus at a town and just walked up to the rice terraces,” he said. “Everybody was just staring at me. We used hand gestures to talk. Then for some strange reason I was attracted to this lady and no one else. She was so shy.”
Meyer said that after some brief interacting, the woman felt comfortable enough to have her photo taken.
“At first she didn’t want to have her picture taken,” Meyer said. “So then I let some kids take pictures of me, and then of both of us. And eventually in a little bit of time, she said it was okay. She smiled but very lightly. Then she seemed to enjoy it actually.”
Meyer says his shooting style is “unimposing.”
“A lot depends on what they’ll give you,” he said. “I might show them what I do. I might give them my camera. If they’re not willing to look or show me about themselves, I don’t take a shot. Some are trusting, and become comfortable enough and let their guard down. I give them attention and they feel special that they are the focus of attention. They show this in the picture as their sense of pride.”
Meyer describes his printing style as more personal. When he prints, he focuses on what he thinks is important.
“Part of the process is just like composing something — this is what I want, this is what I don’t. Everyone should have their own printing style.”
Associate Professor Wayne Braith taught Black and White Sensitometry at SCSU when the Imaging Engineering Technology Department existed in the mid ’80s, and remembers Meyer in his class. Braith, who now teaches math sees the technological aspect in Meyer’s prints.
“There’s no art involved in that (technical process),” Meyer said. “You can’t have one (artistic process) without the other (technical process). It (photography) takes a good eye for art and if you only have that, you hire someone.”
One of the reasons Meyer travels to another country is that he wants “to feel a huge cultural change. Some of it (the trip) can be incredibly painful.”
Not having the same language is one main obstacle. Meyer said the other challenges are finding toilets and drinkable water. Also, being a stranger in general seems to cause quite a commotion.
Meyer explains there are different ways to travel.
“When you’re traveling with someone, it’s a lot more fun getting lost with some one else that you know. It’s different with just yourself,” he said.
“By yourself, you’re more approachable. People can be just as curious with a certain number(of people) but there might be some apprehension,” he said. “If I’m by myself, they might think differently: ‘I need help.’ People have taken me into their house when I’ve been alone.”
Tom Meyer can be reached at: [email protected]
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