Project Description

Han Jun, an Employee of Shoukai Group:

The First to Follow and Photograph Domestic and Foreign Music Masters

By Wang Luman

Reporter of this Newspaper (Text and Photos)

      The interview was conducted in Han Jun’s studio located in Wangjing. The room is not large, and the bookshelves covering the walls are filled with various CDs, making it seem a bit crowded. “I’m not a professionally trained photographer. Fortunately, my hobbies of photography and music have contributed to my current achievements in stage photography.” Now, Han Jun has become a well-known stage photographer in the industry. He freezes the light and shadow on the stage with his lens and writes his artistic life with his passion.

    “I’m an ordinary employee of Shoukai Group. For many years, I’ve been responsible for the work of the labor union and news publicity.” Han Jun told the reporter. Due to the needs of his profession, he often deals with media such as television stations. Not only has he learned photography and videography, but he has also integrated these skills into his daily life.

     Han Jun, who was   born into a family of art and literature, is a true music enthusiast. From listening to records to photographing live performances, the love flowing in his blood has made him persist in doing one thing, that is, focusing on stage photography.

     During the interview, Han Jun specifically mentioned the Beijing International Music Festival, one of the internationally renowned music festivals. Since the first session, he has been involved in the interviews and shootings, and now he has completed 20 sessions. Han Jun said, “These nearly 20 years mean that I have accompanied the growth of many musicians with my lens.”

     Han Jun recalled that in 2001, at the fourth Beijing International Music Festival, violinist Maxim Vengerov came to the Beijing International Music Festival for the first time. Then, in 2004, he cooperated with the Verbier Festival Orchestra at the closing ceremony. Eight years later, in 2012, at the opening ceremony of the fifteenth Beijing International Music Festival, he appeared again. Han Jun said, “The most obvious feeling is that when Vengerov came for the first time, he mostly chose showy short pieces. When he came the second time, he started to play large-scale works. His performances at least three times seemed to be more and more composed each time.”

    In the process of recording the music festival and walking through various concerts, Han Jun has almost become the person who has photographed the most domestic and foreign music masters. He is also proud of this. “I love music and understand it, which also makes the works I photograph vivid and full of stories.” Han Jun told the reporter. Besides concerts, his lens has also recorded the figures of countless domestic and foreign well-known drama, dance, and music performing artists. On his computer, there are precious images of many domestic and foreign well-known works such as Yang Liping’s “Winter of the Peacock”, the Shanghai Ballet’s “Hamlet”, Wagner’s “Valkyrie”, and the dramas “Ruan Lingyu”, “Home”, “White Deer Plain”, and “King Lear” of the Beijing People’s Art Theatre. He has also become a regular photographer for taking stills and shooting live performances of well-known performing groups such as the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, the Central Ballet, and the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra. “

     To photograph drama performances, one not only needs to have a sufficient understanding of the performance itself, but also needs to get into the mood faster than the actors.” Han Jun said. Years of shooting experience have enabled him to summarize and master countless relevant knowledge about stage performances. He can predict the next move of ballet dancers and the next lip shape of opera performers in advance during the shooting process. Han Jun communicates with artists through his lens, enjoying the art itself while also telling stories with his lens. Famous director Li Liuyi once commented that Han Jun “is a person who tells stories with pictures”.

     During the interview, Han Jun showed the reporter many of his collections, including the original CDs signed by music masters and group photos with various art masters. He said, “I once thought that once the photos were taken, the signatures were obtained, and the group photos were taken, it would be considered ‘a job well done’.” For this little personal preference outside of his profession, Han Jun enjoys it and is as excited as ordinary music fans and drama fans. And perhaps it is precisely because of holding this original passion and focusing on stage photography that Han Jun can shine with a glorious charm like brilliant light and shadow!