Welcome to ChinaFile’s inaugural “Depth of Field” column. In collaboration with Yuanjin Photo, an independent photo blog published by photographers Yan Cong and Ye Ming on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, we will highlight new and newsworthy photojournalism published in Chinese media by Chinese photographers. For each column, Yan, Ye, and ChinaFile’s David M. Barreda choose one image from each featured body of work, describe the project, and provide a link to the original piece. Our opening column features stories from Beijing to Zimbabwe, on subjects from teens dropping out of the education system to adults seeking sex ed. (by Yan Cong, Ye Ming, David M. Barreda)
Han Jiwei; iFeng News
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Despite being a niche sport, the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has grown rapidly on an international level with a legion of fans across the world. And since Asia has a rich history of martial art, one might see the appeal that MMA has in the continent. But in India, where cricketers are revered as gods, MMA still has a long way to go—although it is making slow progress. Organisations such asFull Contact Championship (FCC) are paving the way for this martial art in India with regularly hosted Fight Nights in Mumbai and Goa.
MS Gopal
Based out of Mumbai and founded in 2007, FCC is the brainchild of Prashant Kumar, who has long been a practitioner of martial arts. With a black belt in taekwondo, training in kickboxing, muay thai, judo and wrestling, it came as no surprise when he told us he was a big fan of Bruce Lee as a child, who fed his fascination about all things related to martial arts. “I used to participate in Free Style Fighting in Mumbai in the early 90s (1990 to 1993). In 1994, I read about the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Champion] in Black Belt Magazine and that’s where the idea of launching an MMA network in India on a professional scale came about,” he told us. (Words: Sara Hussain)
Gopal is not a full time photographer and does not aspire to be. “I left advertising and tried to be a photojournalist for a year in 2011. It left me unhappy and unsatisfied. I enjoy photography, but trying to make a career out of it, killed the joy for me,” he says. He now photographs for publications on and off and continues to work in advertising. (source: http://betterphotography.in)
When photojournalist Daro Sulakauri was a girl coming of age in Georgia, one of her peers was married off at the age of thirteen. After becoming a bride, she stopped attending school, and though the 12-year-old Sulakauri could not fully grasp what being married at such a young age entailed, she was upset by it, and the memory stayed with her long after she reached adulthood.
It was with this childhood acquaintance in mind that the photographer embarked on Deprived of Adolescence, an ongoing body of work evidencing the phenomenon of underage marriage in Georgia. The country, explains Sulakauri, has a 17% rate of early marriage, one of the highest in Europe, and yet the facts remain shrouded in silence and secrecy.
In Georgia, sexual education is not offered to young girls, and the topic is confusing for those who undergo arranged marriages. Unequipped with the age and experience to understand what’s happening, these school-aged girls often meet their grooms just briefly before the wedding. The notion of consent, and the wishes of the brides-to-be, carry little weight.
Daro Sulakauri
Although the World Health Organization has put pressure on the government to acknowledge and fix the problem as it would any other human rights violation, the public of Georgia, suggests Sulakauri, is in deep denial about the phenomenon, which mostly takes place in rural villages.
The topic of underage marriage is always an emotional and contentious one, and when the photographer first began posting her images on social media platforms, she received a significant backlash and requests that the photographs be deleted. Because of the controversy surrounding the subject, in addition to the obstacles that come with gaining access to such intimate, private moments, Deprived of Adolescence continues in many ways to be an uphill battle. Still, Sulakauri and the girls who have trusted her with their likenesses, press on, in hopes that someday things will change. (by Ellyn Kail)
Daro Sulakauri
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„Feature Shoot showcases the work of international emerging and established photographers who are transforming the medium through compelling, cutting-edge projects. With contributing writers from all over the world and a wide range of interests, we feature contemporary work in all genres of photography: fine art, documentary, portrait, still life, landscape and more. We believe that photography is a powerful mode of storytelling, and share works that have a strong narrative vision.“
Almost one year after the deadly earthquake, Nepal is facing a fuel and housing crisis. The ethnic Madhesi minority in the border region has been staging violent protests over its representation in Nepal’s new constitution and India is imposing an unofficial blockade over safety concerns. Fuel and goods cargos have all but halted at the border. Antagonism against India is high due to what is perceived as political interference and manifested as the hashtag #BackoffIndia on social media.
Jun Michael Park/Laif
Hundreds queue in line for 3-4 days to get patrol and profane gas, and the blockade is disrupting Nepal’s already stretched reconstruction efforts and affecting average Nepali people with price hikes and lack of general necessities. Medical supplies are dwindling and some Nepalis are turning to firewood for cooking.
Jun Michael Park/Laif
According to the UN, the earthquake destroyed approximately 600,000 houses and damaged 290,000 in Nepal. Aid groups warn that temporary housings made with corrugated tin and tarp will be inadequate in cold weather, especially in higher altitudes.
Jun Michael Park is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller from Seoul, South Korea.
Jun has worked for Der Spiegel, Welt am Sonntag, Brand Eins, Cicero and Greenpeace Magazine in Germany, LA Times, Financial Times, Bon Appétit Magazine, Lonely Planet Magazine Korea, Save the Children, Asia Society Korea Center and National Film Board of Canada among other publications and organizations.
Jun is a winner of a Silver award in Press-Feature Story category at Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) 2015 and is a participant of the Eddie Adams Workshop XXVIII in New York. He is represented by laif agency in Germany and available for assignment and commission worldwide.
