Shanghai Daily News

There are two things that Kang Kang cannot live without - his Apple laptop and Fuji FinePix S3 Pro.

Wearing a long beard that he has grown for more than 10 years and a heavy black backpack that accompanies him nearly everywhere, this 49-year-old photographer's striking looks make him quite easy to spot around town.

"I'm ready anytime and anywhere with camera always in hand to capture the fleeting beauty of nature and to record the irreversible, instantaneous moments in life," said the Nanhui native stroking his camera with tender care. "Between an event and a camera, anything could happen in a second."

From a basketball player to a soldier, a factory worker to a salesman, Kang has had a varied career over the past 30 years. However, one thing that remains constant is his passion for life behind the lens.

"I view the art of photography as a subtractive process, a perfect combination of light and shadow, a distilling of reality into a personal vision."

He pointed out, however, that in the addition to the fun of the job, there was sometimes danger.

"To give a unique perspective to an image, I often haul my gear up to a rooftop or a factory stack for the best perspective. I have also crawled around on the ground to get the shot with kneepads as well in using tall ladders," Kang said. "I almost fell off the roof several times, but what the hey."

His photos vary in their themes, from landscapes and wild animals to portraits and interiors. Some are bold, bright and intense in color with stark contrasts and sharp focus; others are gentle, mild and soft with limpid and almost reticent styles.

"I point my camera outwards to the existing world or turn it inward towards my soul," Kang said. "Some photographers are trying to answer the major questions of existence and birth and death through the lens, which is too serious and too big. For me, however, beauty, love and hope are always my themes and these are the three things a real world is supposed to have."

In Kang's images, children are frequent subjects; toddling, playing, smiling, crying, making faces or blowing bubbles. "Maybe because after so many years, I still remain a young heart and optimistic about the world," he said with a broad smile.  "As they say, you are what you shoot. My photos reflect my attitude towards life."

In having dealt with film stock, different lenses, filters, angle finders and digital enhancement for years, Kang still has his first camera - a Haiou 120, a pre-70s classic.

"It cost me 200 yuan (US$25), a large sum of money in 1980," he said. "It has accompanied me everywhere over the past 20 years. We have quite a long history."

That camera often reminds Kang of the days when he first fell in love with photography. Every day after his work at a Nanhui factory, the then-23-year-old had to make a four hour round-trip ferry ride to attend a photographer training course downtown.

It was there he learned how to shoot from unique angles, about lighting and inspiration for shots.

"I remember I usually came back home late at night, exhausted but excited, because I felt I was improving everyday," he recalled.

While photography is an expensive hobby, Kang was lucky as he had an understanding and supportive girlfriend (now his wife) at the time.

"My first camera was sponsored by her and my sister. I am indebted to them for the support they gave me for so many years," he said.

A pearl necklace or a new camera, this was the choice Kang had to make sometimes and each time, of course, he chose the latter.

"I always promised my wife that next time I would buy her the necklace, but when it came to the 'next time,' you know the rest of the story," he said with a big smile, shrugging his shoulders.

When speaking of his cameras, Kang becomes more talkative.

A Nikon F5 plus lenses costs up to 40,000 yuan; three Mamiya cameras are worth more than 60,000 yuan, and a Fuji F3 he now carries everywhere, about 10,000 yuan, among others.

"I don't smoke or drink and I save every penny for photography," he said. "These cameras are my greatest assets."

Eight years ago, Kang opened his own photography art studio. Thus a serious hobby was transformed into a business.

"To run the business with an artist's heart is my way as I am trying to balance art and money making. Next year, I will move to a larger studio with better equipment."