我们都是城市陌客英国摄影师的城中窥影_【分贝】

大城市真是很奇妙，那么多人，充斥着各种各样的故事、希望、梦想，但我们能够相互联系，也就是那么一小部分，绝大多数都是陌客。x0a——Jasper James 和他的多重曝光...

城中窥影
by Jasper Jame

City Sihouettes

Jasper James

英国摄影师。早年为杂志和唱片公司拍照，曾拍摄过乐队“大举进攻”（Massive Attack）、裘•德洛（Jude Law）、罗素•克劳（Russell Crowe）、赛缪尔•杰克逊（Samuel L. Jackson）等国际名人。过去十年，他先后定居纽约、伦敦、北京，其城市系列作品《City Silhouettes》（城市轮廓）通过多重曝光的表现手法，将各式各样的人与城市投影在一起，渲染不一样的城市语境。

Jasper James is a British photographer who has photographed celebrities worldwide for magazines and record companies, such as Massive Attack, Jude Law, Russell Crowe, Samuel L. Jackson and others. Over the past decade, he has lived in New York, London and Beijing. By using the technique of multiple exposure, he has mixed various individuals with city landscapes. His work started to show different characteristics and faces of the city, eventually resulting in the “City Silhouettes” series.

△ 拍摄于Natooke成都店门口

2013年，Jasper James从北京来到成都，为英国航空杂志《highlife》进行一组有关自行车文化的拍摄。短暂停留期间，他感受到了成都的活力和有趣，爱上了成都的公园，对成都的茶馆念念不忘。偶遇Jasper时，他穿着浅灰色衬衣，儒雅地扶着自行车，身边有一个本地小姑娘正好奇地望着他。拍下这一幕之后，我与他交换名片，这才发现他是《City Silhouettes》的拍摄者。

△ Jsaper的名片背面用的是这张照片

In 2013, Jasper James boarded a plane from Beijing to Chengdu in order to shoot a story for British Airways highlife magazine on the local cycling culture. During his short stay, he saw the very vibrant and interesting side of Chengdu, fell in love with People’s Park and missed the tea houses till now. When I came across Jasper in an alley, he was holding his new bike wearing a light grey T-shirt.. A local girl was looking at him full of curiousness. I couldn’t help capturing the scene. After exchanging business cards, I realized the man in front of me was the photographer of “City Silhouettes.”

《City Silhouettes》是Jasper最为人所熟知的摄影作品系列。密集的楼群与生活在这座城市里的人，通过让胶片二次曝光，若隐若现地融合在一起。“大城市真是很奇妙，那么多人，充斥着各种各样的故事、希望、梦想，但是我们能够相互联系，其实也就是那么一小部分，绝大多数都是陌客。”Jasper希望以这样直接的拍摄方式，表现城市与人“对抗相生”的矛盾关系。

City Silhouettes is Jasper’s best-known photography series. The combination of an individual and a dense cityscape within one shot creates visual interest and at the same time a very approachable piece of art. “I find big cities fascinating, with the huge number of people who are filled with their lives, all the different stories, hopes and dreams. However, we can only connect personally with a tiny number of people, on most levels, we are all strangers. ” Jasper said. By using such a direct way of photography, he tried to show the contrast between the city and its people.

对话Jasper

Dialogue with Jasper

Lenore：《City Silhouettes》怎样萌生？如何选择合适的人与建筑背景？

生活在东京时，就想过拍摄一组城市系列，我希望有更多个人风格，而不单是城市风貌。后来我来到深圳，这是个快速发展的城市激发了我。外来人口的大量涌入带来了新的城市格局，人们生活的多样性让这个摄影系列有很好的延伸空间。我寻找有意思的天际线、标志性的公共建筑，再通过个人发现和公众媒体找到合适的入镜者。其实，任何群体都可以，他们有自己的诠释方式。

Lenore: How did you come up with the idea of City Silhouettes? And how did you select the suitable individuals and cityscapes?

Jasper: It developed after spending time in Tokyo. I wanted to make a series of images that captured the cityscapes while putting a more personal spin on it than just images of Tokyo. I was inspired when I moved to Shenzhen. The mushrooming of this mega city brought the push from rural to urban living which changed the characteristic of this city. The diversity of people's lifestyles within this city set up the highlight of this series. Then, I just tried to find interesting skylines and access to public buildings. Most individuals I found mostly through personal contacts and social media. In fact, everyone has his own interpretation of his living in the city.

Lenore：如何运用多种曝光拍出好照片？

多重曝光是不断尝试、产生误差从而领悟的过程。2006年开始尝试这组作品时，用的是胶卷相机，一张成功的多重曝光耗费了我很长时间。随着相机和手机拍摄功能的日益强大，多重曝光已然成为流行。拍摄的关键，是要有自己的风格。

Lenore: How to create great photos by using multiple exposure?

Jasper: For multiple exposure, it’s a case of trial and error and learning what works for you. I started to take photographs on film cameras in 2006, and it took me a long time until I got the results. With the jump in technology of camera & phone settings, multiple exposure has already turned in to an online trend. Keeping your own style is the crucial key of shooting.

Lenore：在成都有没有拍摄过城市系列？

Jasper：我来过成都两次，时间都很仓促，虽然很愉快，却没能完好感受成都的人文和魅力，有机会我一定会再来成都的。

Lenore: Did you shoot a City Silhouettes series in Chengdu?

Jasper: I have been to Chengdu twice neither staying long enough to know local culture and cityscape well. I’d definitely like to visit this city again.

Lenore：什么原因促使你留在北京，中国是你现在的工作大本营吗？

J2007年因为Gettyimages广告项目的邀请，我第一次来中国，第二年我就决定留在北京。我的工作总是与旅行相关，这一周我可能在中国山西，下一周我可能就在美国旧金山，在哪里生活并没有限制我的工作。居住北京期间，我深度游历了中国内地和亚洲很多国家，在北京的有趣生活也给了我很多灵感。

Lenore: Why did you choose to stay in Beijing? Has China become your work base now？

Jasper: I came to China originally around 2007 working for Gettyimages advertising. Those initial trips led me moving to Beijing the next year. My work connects with traveling; I probably stay in Shanxi province (China ) this week and then land in San Francisco ( USA) next week. Where I stay doesn’t limit where I take photos. The interesting life in Beijing brought me a lot of inspiration, I intensively traveled around China as well as other Asian countries.

Lenore：旅行中你也去到了很多美丽小地方，你喜欢乡村生活吗？

我总是生活在城市，却也越来越喜欢小地方的开阔和宁静，能闻到大自然的气息。我通过旅行、传记文学、电影了解中国的传统文化，通过现代城市与传统乡村生活的切换，感知不一样的中国。

Lenore: You have been to many small places with beautiful landscape, do you like the countryside?

Jasper: I’ve always lived in cities, but more and more I’m drawn to spending time in small places with more space and quietness where you can feel the nature. My study of Chinese traditional culture has come through traveling, biographies, films, but also the lifestyle change from cities to countryside. This all let me see the different faces of China.

Lenore：对你而言，摄影意味着什么？

Jasper：我可能天生就是一个观察者、一个局外人、一个愿意去全世界冒险的探索者。我的好奇心很重，摄影是我与世界相互影响的沟通方式。

Lenore: What does photography mean to you?

Jasper: I guess I started taking photos as a natural observer, an outsider and an explorer who would take on adventures to see the world. I am quite curious in general. Photography is my way to communicate and interact with the world.