Rebirth of top photographers

Chapter 296 The best single of the year and the most creative of the year

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends watching the live broadcast. This is the awards ceremony of the Freeze World Grand Prix. I am your old friend, Cornell!"

On the brightly lit stage, there was only a familiar middle-aged blond man holding a microphone facing the audience.

Under the stage, there were photographers and artists from all over the world.

Chen Pingsheng sat in the front row this time, with Shah still beside him.

Hawke also came to the scene. This time he participated in animal classification and sat in the fourth row.

At the same time, Yu Xiang and Feilin were also watching the live broadcast. They were sitting in the office, just like the first time they watched the competition, smoking cigarettes and watching the host in the live broadcast.

"Sister Feilin, what awards do you think Brother Chen can win?" Yu Xiang asked.

"I think he might win more than one award." Feilin smiled and saw Chen Pingsheng in the live broadcast.

"Yes, he has released a lot of albums this year." Yu Xiang also laughed, feeling a little emotional.

Then the two people continued to watch the live broadcast.

"Do you miss me very much?" Cornell wore a red suit this year, studded with various diamonds and crystals, paired with a white shirt and black leather shoes. It looked like a shining human trophy.

He showed his presence with a playful smile: "I know, you must miss me very much, because the last competition... tsk."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he meant.

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed immediately, and for a moment there was a cheerful atmosphere in the auditorium.

"It's hard to explain. Looking at the face of our Chairman Eriksson, I think I will definitely not be the host of the next qualifying competition." After finishing the joke, Cornell returned to the topic.

"Well, since everyone has so much expectations for the new qualifying competition, let's officially enter the awards ceremony! But before that, Mr. Lalis Eriksson is invited to come on stage to present the qualifying competition. Speech!"

"Wow!" There was applause.

Mr. Erickson stepped onto the stage to applause and took the microphone.

"Okay, let me make it clear first that the next host..." He looked at Cornell: "It is indeed not Cornell."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The camera showed Cornell, who made a face, and the audience suddenly laughed again.

Mr. Erickson paused for a moment and continued: "I am a vindictive old man, and you all know that."

After the audience's laughter subsided, he said: "Gesai, it has been 25 years, growing from a baby to a young man. And I have also stayed in this position for seven years. I have seen too many geniuses such as Bamboo shoots have sprung up after the rain, and I have also seen the rise and fall of the photography industry.

"I have seen so much that I am increasingly worried about the future of photography. As you know, AI has become the new 'enemy' of photography. But this is what the public says, and for me, it is not the enemy. But a tool.

"I had a chat with Chen a few days ago about his views on AI. He and I have surprisingly similar ideas. We both believe that AI will become a new tool for photography creation. Maybe it won't be long before you can see Chen taking it with him. Let’s meet everyone with AI photography.”

Upon hearing Chen, the camera immediately turned to Chen Pingsheng, and his face appeared in the eyes of all fans watching the live broadcast, and also in the eyes of Wei Seya.

She was currently in the recording studio, watching the live broadcast in her free time.

Looking at Chen Pingsheng's elegant sitting posture and calm attitude, Wei Seya suddenly thought of that night more than two years ago, when they were walking in the dark park.

At that time, this man was just an ordinary photographer, but in two years he went from the bottom to the top of the art pyramid, becoming a household name.

She felt inferior to him.

She has resources, connections, and a company to back her up.But Chen Pingsheng had nothing, he only relied on himself.

However, the achievements achieved are undoubtedly far more eye-catching than those of A-list stars in the entertainment industry.

Because artistic life is more durable than the fan economy and can last a lifetime.

Stars in the entertainment industry are likely to lose their status due to inappropriate remarks or accidents.

Therefore, Wei Seya sincerely envies Chen Pingsheng. She also wants to expand her career. She wants to be a singer and dancer, even though in today's era, there seems to be no room for them to survive.

But this is the price of pursuing dreams and the regret of the times.

Getting rid of the messy thoughts, Wei Seya continued to watch the live broadcast.

Mr. Erikson is still expressing his views: "Photography is not an art that only depicts reality, although it carries many appearances of the real world. But judging from the development trends in recent years, photography can also Developing in a more abstract and figurative direction. In this competition, I saw many similar works.

"This represents the development trend of photography and the preferences of current photography enthusiasts."

"And here I want to say that the sales of albums in the past two years have gradually picked up. Compared with the historical low three years ago, they have increased by [-]%. This is undoubtedly the best news!"

"Wow!" Applause sounded.

"So, everyone, this will be a great opportunity for the development of photography. I hope you can use your creativity. Gesai will not let you down, and neither will I."

"Next, let's enter the formal awards ceremony!"

After saying that, the big screen immediately started flashing, and Cornell strode to the stage: "The first award, the Architecture Category Award!"

Chen Pingsheng watched the winners stand on the stage to express their thanks and then step down. The newcomers came on the stage, expressed their thanks and then stepped down again.

Time seemed to fly at this moment, and in the blink of an eye it was time to announce the first grand prize.

"Everyone, the first award will be announced soon!" Cornell looked at the audience with a smile: "For the best single photo of the year, the artist Thomas and his wife will be invited to come on stage to present the award to us!"

The couple are both engaged in garden art and are well-known all over the world. They each have representative works, so they are well-known in the art world.

After Thomas took his wife on stage, he held a small card, faced the microphone and said: "Who are the nominees who have been favored by the goddess of luck? Let me take a look."

Opening the card, he wowed, and then read out the names of these people.

"Monaco, Abby Mateo, The Last Supper."

“Italy, Timo Biddle, ‘Brand New’.”

"Neon, Masako Iwase, "Apples in the Afternoon."

“Colombia, Valérie Vohan, ‘Her’.”

"Huaxia, Chen Pingsheng, "Human Disappearance"."

Every time a name was read, a camera was shown to a specific person. When Chen Pingsheng's name was said, everyone in the audience couldn't help but look at him and then at the screen.

Because everyone is looking forward to his work and want to see what kind of work this most legendary photographer in recent years will produce.

The large screen also responded to everyone's expectations in a timely manner, with a single piece of Chen Pingsheng's work displayed on the screen.

This work was completed while filming "After Humanity", for which he went to Chernobyl.

Chen Pingsheng did not stay in Chernobyl for long. Even now, it is still a restricted area, blocking human exploration.

He took this photo in one of the buildings with the help of people involved.

This is a photo completely covered in green. The stairs are curled up in the lower left corner of the picture, forming a triangle, while the walls occupy a large area.But the original wall covering on the wall was cracked and rolled up. The wall covering on the right side looked like a bat waiting to fly. It was all green and looked permeable.

Even the slightly intact walls are divided into blocks of different sizes, and those rolled edges are densely packed, which can frighten patients with trypophobia at just one glance.

Not to mention the dark green color, as if this photo is reminding everyone through color that nuclear radiation has not disappeared and everything is not over yet.

After seeing this photo, everyone present immediately noticed Chen Pingsheng's intention.

This is in the same vein as the works he shot this year, but even more alarming.

Whether it is the use of light, composition or creativity, it is unique.

Now it remains to be seen whether the judges will choose it.

After all the photos were played on the big screen, Thomas lowered his head and said: "They are all wonderful photos, and I am honored to award awards to everyone, so let's see who the winner is for the best single of the year!" "

His wife opened the card in her hand and then covered her mouth with her hands.

She smiled and then said to the audience: "This is really exciting. The winner of the best single of the year is...Chen Pingsheng!"

"Wow!" The applause sounded warmly.

Chen Pingsheng also raised his eyebrows and stood up to thank the others.

"Come on, Chen, let's take a group photo. I'm your fan." Thomas's wife grabbed Chen Pingsheng directly after he came on stage. After the two took a photo, Thomas handed the trophy to Chen Pingsheng.

"Thank you, thank you to all the judges for their recognition, and thank you to my friends who helped me realize this idea." Chen Pingsheng smiled and raised the trophy: "I hope my photos can make everyone think. This is what I did when I took the photos. idea.”

"Nuclear weapons, nuclear threats, nuclear pollution. These are not far away from us. We cannot forget the pain of the past, nor can we allow it to continue to spread because of political issues. You know what I mean..."

The audience in the audience nodded immediately.

"So I felt that there needed to be a photo or a photo album to remind everyone. This is the only thing I can do."

After finishing his speech, Chen Pingsheng walked off the stage and sat back down to the sound of applause and whistles.

"Chen, you said it very well." Shah turned his head and talked to him in a low voice.

"It took me a long time to prepare." Chen Pingsheng joked: "I'm afraid of being nervous when I go up."

"Haha, Chen, this is not like you. I have never seen you nervous before." Shah laughed.

"Okay, I'm pretending."

"This is just like you."

Chen Pingsheng loosened his clenched fists. Who said he wasn't nervous? He was already nervous to the extreme.

Because this is just the beginning, the next awards are the highlight!
After a brief singing performance, Cornell once again announced the winners in the portrait category.

This time, it was the group of fairy tale-style photos of children that won the gold medal. The winner was a female photographer from Slovakia.

She is currently still in graduate school, which shows that she has excellent talent.

Watching the photographer stumbling over his acceptance speech, Chen Pingsheng found that he seemed to have never had such a moment.

Even when he went on stage to receive the award for the first time, he spoke at length and seemed to have no stage fright.

"There is no sense of growth." He muttered to himself.

Just after this award was awarded, the second annual award was also announced by Cornell.

"The most creative photo of the year! This is my favorite award every year. Why? Because creativity is the driving force of art! I like to see things that I have never seen before. When you appreciate them, it feels like you are communicating with the creator. !”

After speaking, Cornell announced the award recipients.

"Let's ask Mr. Koichi Iwama to present the award to us!"

Iwama Koichi is already a veteran in the photography industry. Although he won the best photo album of the year last time, it was a pity that at that time everyone was discussing "The Decisive Moment" and fighting for Chen Pingsheng.

Therefore, he did not gain much popularity. It is better to say that he would rather not win the award.

This year, he doesn’t have any works, so he can naturally serve as a judge and guest.

"The nominees for this award are..." Iwama Koichi said directly without saying much.

"France, Frost Valdez, "City"."

"Cuba, Ivano French, "Primitive Creatures."

"India, Giannis Fischer, "Image."

"Hua Xia, Chen Pingsheng, "Blue's Long Vacation"."

"Wow!" Everyone was excited again. Unexpectedly, Chen Pingsheng was nominated twice in a row. More importantly, everyone felt that he had a high chance of winning.

Is he going to repeat last year's double award?Directly becoming a double winner two years in a row?

That was incredible.

While everyone was guessing, Iwama Koichi had already opened the card about the winner.

His eyes widened in an instant, and he raised his head again. He couldn't help but tighten his mouth, as if he was afraid of blurting out the name.

Seeing him like this, everyone was anxious.

After waiting for more than ten seconds, Iwama Koichi said: "I can only say that the winner of the most creative photo of the year, as everyone expected, is Chen Pingsheng!"

"Wow!"

Chen Pingsheng stood up from his seat again.

He became the focus of photography enthusiasts around the world.

He also became one of the biggest winners in tonight's qualifying match, at least that's what the viewers think so far.

He walked onto the stage, took the microphone, and said with a smile: "We meet again."

"Hahahaha!" The audience burst into laughter.

"I am very happy to be able to stand here again. The person I am most grateful to for this album is Mr. Blue. I believe he is watching the live broadcast at this time. Without this protagonist, there is no way to start this album. I hope to use this Photo albums come to reminisce about good or bad childhoods, which are the memories of each of us.

“It may be cruel, it may be sad, it may be happy, it may be angry. But that’s it, even before we die, we will still recall our childhood.

"Then I think about what my whole life has been like."

Chen Pingsheng paused for a moment: "I once thought about being a scientist, but unfortunately my brain was not enough. Later I met a camera and got to know photography. I spent my childhood in photography. This is my luck and what I deserve most. Memories of the past.

"Thank you all the judges for your love, and thank you for your applause. I know that it is not for me, but for this work and the common childhood of everyone."

(End of this chapter)