david peart

I hate gear discussions. Awkward and petty, full of unwanted machismo and uncontrolled insecurities (and that’s just me). But I have to mention the E-M5. It’s the best camera I’ve ever used, bar none. And on one believes me. Their loss.

Shooting portraits for French technology giant Thales.

As the winter gets colder and more snow falls, I’m still covering the migrant worker area in Sihui. These folk not only don’t have the benefit of central heating, but they also have to use communal toilets.

I’m shooting some of Beijing’s lovely 3-wheelers at the moment. It is amazing what can be done with a few lumps of tin, a lawn-mower engine, three wheels and a welder.

It’s winter once again. This will be a cold winter for northern China. In Beijing, the temperature has already fallen below minus 10 degrees.

I’ve been working on a couple of projects over the last few months. One of these is a photo-reportage on Beijing’s migrant worker settlements. One of the big problems for a foreign photographer in China doing this kind of work (especially one as tall and big-nosed as me) is it is almost impossible to photograph in these kinds of places without immediately attracting large helpings of attention.

My knowledge of pop culture is poor, I admit with no shame; it’s never been good, in fact. So when I was asked to shoot the making of a movie starring one Zhang Ziyi and one Wang Leehom, I said “Who?”, much to the consternation of the people who were thinking of hiring me.

…read what happened…

The Blue Oceans Film Festival was recently on in the ‘States, which is a great thing.

But I have to say that I object (slightly) to the name “Blue Oceans”. Because it suggests that oceans only come in one colour. In fact, oceans come in many, many different colours, from blue to grey, to brown, to green, to silver, to red, and many shades in between. For me, that’s part of the beauty of oceans.

I see a danger in clinging to one colour, one vision. Just like an environmentalist who campaigns for a single species or a single family of organisms.

How many outspoken shark defenders are there, for example – lots right? OK, how many people do you see waving “Save the Plankton” banners? It’s OK, laugh – it is funny. But it’s also essentially true. Plankton are just as threatened as shark species, yet no one campaigns for them because they are not glamorous, despite the absolutely crucial role they play in maintaining our atmosphere, a stable climate, and fixing most of our energy. Just as green oceans are not as glamorous as blue ones.

We need to recognise that we hold in our hands the fate of one environment, a vast, incomprehensibly complex, yet incredibly wonderful machine in which all species, all ecosystems, and all environments work together and depend upon one another to maintain a balance, an equilibrium. Now, because of us, that balance is gone. And because we are responsible for this damage, it is our responsibility to restore it.

Oceans are not just blue. They come in a vast variety of colours. And we must maintain that variety. Or we will lose all the colours.