Of the fifty-six minorities present in China, thirty-five of them are located in Southwest China in the Yunnan Province. When photographing people, I’m often pulled toward the small babies with bare bottoms and adorable smiles, but the closer I travel to Tibet, the more intrigued I am by the minorities and their clothing styles, traditional food, and most unique of all, their faces. I often find that a close-up shot of an interesting face is more than just a photograph. After the fact, looking at the photo, I begin to wonder what their lives are like, what they’ve experienced in their lives, and what crosses their mind when they see me walking through their villages.
Arriving in Dali, we took a day tour around the enormous, ear-shaped, Erhai Lake visiting minority villages along the way. I’ve never been so intrigued by the dozens of faces surrounding me in all my travels. Never before have I turned away from beautiful snow-capped mountains and a crystal clear lake to instead snap shots of the locals walking by. All of the villagers either didn’t notice my camera among the crowds walking through the streets, or they simply didn’t mind being frozen in time.
Then we arrived in Lijiang. We were told before arriving that although Dali is great, Lijiang is magnificent. The reports weren’t exaggerated in the least as Lijiang is by far the most amazing city I’ve visited in China. The 200-year old village has been well preserved and the local food specialties are some of the best I’ve had the opportunity to sample. Once again, we were surrounded by minorities dressed in the most eccentric dresses and unique head adornments. I snapped a few photos but mostly enjoyed people watching as we ate lunch.
When I finally did start taking photos I found it a bit harder than the previous days. At one point, we passed a round, old woman sitting on the corner, peeling potatoes for what I imagined to be her evening’s dinner. I quickly adjusted the camera for the shadowed corner and just as I pulled my camera up to my eye, she looked up from peeling potatoes and bolted for cover.
Before I realized what was happening, she had stood up, turned her back to me, and bent over, pointing to her plump butt, yelling “take a picture of my ass”!
I slowly lowered my camera in shock, panning the Chinese faces surrounding me looking back and forth between me and the old woman. I began to walk away slowly, really not sure if I should laugh or be hurt that an old Chinese woman was yelling obscenities at me. As I walked away, she continued yelling until I reached the corner and turned out of sight.
For the duration of the afternoon I was beyond timid to photograph anyone else.
Sometimes I dislike the Chinese poking their cameras in my face as they’re obsessed with tall noses, big eyes, and blond hair, but if anything, I simply turn away. I’ve never, nor will I ever, yell obscenities at someone to put their camera down, or, god forbid, tell them to “take a picture of my ass“. As the shock has now worn off, I now wish I would have snapped a photo of her ass so you could all see just how plump it was.
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