Appreciation of Excellent Photographic Works “Sixteen Forts of Weizhou” by Fan Zhixue

There are many ancient castles in Yuxian County, known as the “eight hundred ancient castles”. With the change of history, the ancient castles have been eroded by the years, gone through vicissitudes, and gradually disappeared from people’s sight. So far, the ancient castles in Yuxian County have been relatively well preserved. There are more than 300 of them, and the others have been ruined, and will soon turn into dust forever and disappear from people’s sight.

Weizhou Sixteen Castles, this ancient and magnificent castle group, is one of the precious heritages of Yu County. In order to better present its grand narrative and unique atmosphere, I chose to use 617-frame film photography for this group of works.

The 617 format is a wide-format film format, and its aspect ratio is closer to the long scroll painting form in traditional Chinese painting, which can better capture the grandeur and momentum of the magnificent landscape of Weizhou Sixteen Forts. This format allows me to capture more detail and a wider field of view in one frame.

Film photography offers me a different way of expressing than digital photography. It is able to capture richer color gradations and delicate textures, giving photos a unique artistic feel. Through film photography, I can use texture and color to express the historical accumulation and cultural heritage of Weizhou Sixteen Forts, so that viewers feel as if they have traveled through time and space and feel the stories carried by the ancient castle.

Film photography also reminds me to cherish every opportunity to shoot. Compared with digital photography, film photography requires more consideration and preparation, and each negative is a precious resource. This relatively limited number of shots made me focus more on composition, light and details, and strive to capture the unique charm and emotion of Weizhou Sixteen Forts in each photo.

The film photography of Sixteen Forts in Weizhou aims to express the story of the ancient castle with a grand narrative in the form of Chinese scroll painting, presenting the magnificence and solemnity of this ancient castle group. Through the unique charm and limitations of film photography, I hope to lead the viewers to step into the historical corridor of the Sixteen Forts of Weizhou, and feel the cultural blood and traces of time flowing in it.