Friday, December 14, 2007

Radiating beauty

No fervent and loyal blog reader will think that performing a project in China like “The most beautiful people in the world” is simply a matter of going to houses of people and document them.

Before that can happen many things need to be organized.
Things that often are not very simple.

Especially in a country like China dependency is high on collaborators.
This has to do with language.
To speak it and to read it.
But it also has to do with having to know how to remain within the boundaries of culture, tradition and politics.

Hence, the role of the collaborators is vital.
In the beginning it is all very new and exciting for them.
That makes them get involved and this deeper and deeper.
But slowly it becomes hard work.
For example, to make a phone call to a candidate and discuss why that person believes to be the most beautiful and when this is convincing to set up an appointment, is very exciting the first time.
But when talking to candidate number ten, it is a different experience.
While ultimate involvement is still needed, boredom and routine is striking hard.

The photographer therefore has to work on different levels.
It is not only a matter of going out and making pictures.
It is also about keeping the collaborators motivated.
To keep the team together and effective.

This has now reached a critical stage.
In fact, the team has partly fallen apart and now efforts are being made to create a new team.

Meanwhile another level needing a lot of attention is the constant presence of the TV-crew.
They have their own priorities and are rather determined to achieve their own goals no matter what that means for the project.
Constantly it has to be made clear that the project comes first and has the highest priority.
This in a most friendly way to avoid that the situation becomes tense or even ugly.

Another level is the rest of the press.
As there is such high interest, of the foreign press as well, they have to be kept satisfied as well.
Organizing that they can come along on a visit to a most beautiful person.
Keeping a balance during that visit for full attention for the candidate but for the journalist as well.

To perform a project like “The most beautiful people in the world” is hard work.
Every day of the visit to China is dedicated to visiting a candidate and keeping the organization streamlined.
No time for sightseeing or anything else.

Sun Yu Jie is as tall as a basketball player.
He is a Protestant and studying communication.
20 years old, the guy has a tremendous presence.




A kind of radiating beauty, balance, peace and goodness.
He says:
I feel fulfilled with what I have today: my good health and the support of my parents. That makes me feel comfortable and that beauty you can see on my face.



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Pictures on this posting made by Yan Zhang.




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