Photography is No Longer Credible
He Xingyou started to be a photographer after he joined in the "Down to the Countryside Movement" in 1974, nearly 40 years ago. In the past, he used photographic films with a small camera, and then he turned to the camera with large formats. He is not interested in the feeling of peeping into different objects through small cameras, nor is he fond of sweeping them through burst shooting. In a word, He Xingyou does not like to occupy a commanding position. The ups and downs of his life experiences have further inspired him to focus on ordinary people and ordinary things. This is also why he has been using a large format camera for portrait shooting since his early years. Such photography requires not only the communication between the photographer and subjects, but the initiative of subjects as well1. During this process, He Xingyou takes more delight in immediate agreement, mutual respect and interactivity rather than indulging in discursive power and right of disposal. Using his large format camera, He has photographed the magnificent scenery of Tibetan plateau, as well as underclass people who displayed their pleasures of life. He also has two photographic collection published, which include quite few wonderful pieces.