109-year-old photographer Van Quang Duc

Passionate about the profession

On February 28 and 29, delegates attending the 10th Congress of the Hai Duong Provincial Literature and Arts Association for the 2024-2028 term were all impressed by the image of senior member Van Quang Duc. Despite his old age and poor health, he still fully participated in the congress' activities.

He said: “Right now, sitting continuously for several hours is a bit too much for me, but I still try. While the congress is taking place, the Presidium is in charge, and there are also central and provincial leaders attending the congress. I cannot move around or suggest taking a break. That would be disrespectful to the congress and to myself.”

Being serious in his profession, in his work and in his life is the motto of the old artist Van Quang Duc. Therefore, he only stopped composing two years ago after a fall and his health declined. Before that, he still roamed many roads and localities of Kinh Mon town to compose and "hunt for photos". Currently, although he cannot hold a camera, he does not hide his profession but always actively shares his experiences and inspires those who are passionate about photography.

“My experience after many years of working in this profession is that when wanting to go somewhere or take a photo, the photographer must have a program and plan in advance. You must clearly define what you intend to take so that you can prepare thoroughly. When taking photos with a group, you must have your own intentions and creative ideas and should not follow the pattern of others,” said Mr. Duc.

Mr. Duc also shared that a photographer must combine many factors. They must be observant to choose the right shooting angles, be able to capture the moment, and at the same time have the patience to "capture" the right event, emotion, light... because there are images that only appear for a few seconds and cannot be retrieved. Therefore, the ability to be sensitive and know how to choose the moment will decide to create the soul of an excellent photo. Besides, naming the photos is also very important so that viewers can understand part of the idea that the photographer wants to convey.

Mr. Duc continued: “There was a photo that I had to go back to that location several times, for more than 2 years, before I could take a satisfactory photo. Another time I went back to my friend's hometown in Thanh Ha, while waiting for my family to cook, I took my camera and wandered around and met a young man herding ducks. Seeing that the image was quite beautiful, I asked to take a photo. After that, I rushed back to my friend's house to borrow a few kilos of rice to spread in the ditch for the ducks to eat. When the flock of ducks lowered their heads to look for the rice, I pressed the camera. When I looked back at those images, I was very satisfied but also had a headache about naming it. After thinking carefully, I decided to name the photo "Hiding the head, revealing the tail". This photo has allegorical elements, condemning the corrupt who live on the sweat and tears of workers". At the fourth Red River Region Art Photography Awards, this photo by the old artist Van Quang Duc attracted viewers.

Telling history with pictures

Artist Van Quang Duc is very passionate about Uncle Ho's teaching: "The camera is a sharp weapon of class struggle". Therefore, throughout his life holding the camera, he has always been energetic and proactive like a soldier on the front of labor and production, actively taking creative and documentary photos.

During the resistance wars against France and the US, photographer Van Quang Duc always stayed close to his hometown, closely followed events and battlefields and took valuable photos of the war such as: The enemy dropped B52 bombs on Lai Vu bridge; The Hanoi - Hai Phong train was hit by American bombs; Hiep An guerrillas captured American pilots, the plane crashed on the land of An Phu commune; Images of 3 battalions marching to Kiep Bac... "To be able to take photos of the heroic fighting of the army and people of Hai Duong in the resistance war against the US imperialists' destructive war in the North, I was present many times at the Lai Vu bridge and Phu Luong bridge battlefields. When enemy planes came in, I did not rush to take pictures but kept moving to find beautiful and impressive angles. After many failed shots, I realized that I should not get too close to the soldiers because at that time, the gunfire from the battlefields affected the water of the photos, not beautiful", Mr. Duc recalled.

Artist Van Quang Duc has also been successful with many artistic photographic works reflecting the life and farming work of the hard-working and labor-loving Kinh Mon people, such as: images of bamboo boats carrying rice during the harvest season, young men breaking rocks to open roads, brown sails in the morning mist on Kinh Thay River... In particular, the photo series of 102 photos recording the construction process of Hoang Thach Cement Factory has realistically reflected the difficulties and hardships on the path to building the homeland and the country.

However, it is regrettable that many of the war photos of artist Van Quang Duc have been lost. Mr. Duc sadly said: “After each photo shoot, I put the developed photos in separate envelopes, clearly stating the time of shooting and the event, but after several evacuations and several floods, they are no longer available. Losing those photos is more regrettable than losing property.”

Photographer Van Ca Quyet, Duc's son, is planning to create a photo book containing Duc's remaining works and organize an exhibition in his hometown of Kinh Mon to help people gain more understanding of the heroic fighting, sacrifice and hard-working spirit of the Kinh Mon people.

A shining example

Artist Van Quang Duc was born in 1915 in Vinh Tru town (Ly Nhan, Ha Nam). In August 1945, he participated in the seizure of power in Ly Nhan district, and was later appointed Vice Chairman of the Ly Nhan District Administrative Committee. In December 1946, the nationwide resistance war broke out, and he went to the war zone to work as a photographer.

When he was young, the old artist Van Quang Duc was luckier than his peers when his family sent him to Hanoi to study. Here, he studied, worked, and actively participated in revolutionary activities. He was fortunate to be guided and taught by the late photographer Vo An Ninh - one of Vietnam's most veteran photographers.

In 1951, the old artist Van Quang Duc moved to An Luu town to live and start a family. From then on, he switched to photography, making photography his profession, both providing services and creating artistic photos.

Artist Van Quang Duc's love for photography and his homeland has been passed on to his sons. Three of his four sons were war photographers. The second son heroically sacrificed his life in the war against America, and the eldest son has now retired. The third son, photographer Van Ca Quyet (73 years old), is still attached to his career as a photographer. He has many works of art photography that have won high awards in the province, the Red River Delta region, and nationwide.

Artist Van Ca Quyet said that his father was always a shining example for his siblings to follow, especially in spirit and responsibility at work. He always taught his children not to be satisfied with what they had achieved but to always strive to improve.

“From the perspective of a photographer, my father gave me a lot of advice on my compositions. After taking many photos, I asked my father to comment on the composition and lighting, and he gave me valuable advice to help me improve my technique,” ​​said artist Van Ca Quyet.

The small house of artist Van Quang Duc and artist Van Ca Quyet is also a gathering place for photography enthusiasts not only in Kinh Mon but also in Hai Duong and some neighboring provinces and cities. At these meetings, Mr. Duc is always willing to share his professional experience because he believes that experience that is widely shared is more valuable.