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Dao Tien Dat photographer has been rarely seen travelling here and there to shoot photographs for a long time. Many people guess that his love for photography becomes less ardent. However, 2006 turns out to be the year of his fruitful success.
The first success lies in his new initiative perception of art. “To me, photography is a means to express myself. Each time of shooting reveals peak of my emotion and conflict of my innermost feelings” once stated Dao Tien Dat. But now, he says: “Photography is art of light, is part of real life reflected photographer’s thought ata quintessence shootingmoment. He must rack his brain to shoot what he thinks, not what he sees”.
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“Journey to ashes and dust” by Dao Tien Dat
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Such view of point results from his own practical experiences as well as his approach to trend of temporary international photography. It is said that the photography is unique because it reflects the real life through the shooting moment. If objects of the shooting are arranged purposely, photographs will lose their particularly unique characteristics. Dao Tien Dat doesn’t deny the philosophy and wants to “renew” himself with deep thinking of art. Following this stereotype of creation, artists must save time for meditating upon meaningful ideas of their works of art first. Then, they will find a suitable means to express their ideas.
It is the thinking of shooting on point of art view that helps Dao Tien Dat records a lot of new achievements in 2006. Theme of his works is still about real life but fate of the human being is the most prominent subject. “Journey to ashes and dust” is the most typical work of this type by Dao Tien Dat. It reveals the photographer’s point of view about death and natural law of the human life. Dao Tien Dat has been meditated upon this subject for a long time. It occupies his mind night and day, even in his sleep. Hence, he always keeps on finding ways to express it. He had been asking his friends to help him act as photographer at many funerals but he failed many times to shoot a photograph of his desire. Then, a good fortune accidently stroke him one day. When he was on a mission trip to Phu Cat District (BinhDinhProvince) to make an album of pickled scallion harvest, he unexpectedly found very valuable idea inspired by a local funeral. Hurriedly rushing after the bereaved flock, Dao Tien Dat tried to catch the scence. “Journet to ashes and dust” describes a warm and peaceful funeral with the bereaved flock walking a sandhill and a dog following close behind of the flock. The work pervades a warm feeling because it points to love of the living and the animal towards the dead. It arouses a peaceful feeling because of the immense whirling sandhill, reminding us that “jouney to ashes and dust” is just an obvious end of the impermanent life. “Jouney to ashes and dust” won 7 top prizes of many international photography contests. Vietnamese Photographer Association has just awarded C (Third) Prize of 2006 Excellent Photographs to Dao Tien Dat for the work.
The number of Dao Tien Dat’s photography prizes and medals in 2006 reaches to 37 (35 international and 2 national prizes and medals). Let’s take some significant examples: the most excellent cup for a set of 4 coloured photographs at Hong Kong International Photography Festival, 2 PSA gold medals at the U.S and Spain, 3 gold medals in India, Austria and Brazil. In May 2006, Dao Tien Dat was ranked at the 14th out of Top 25 International Photographers in realm of black-and-white photography by the U.S Photographer Association.
“The prizes and medals remark a fruitful year of my course. However, happiness after finishing a work and looking at it is above all what I long for” said Dao Tien Dat.
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Reported by Hoai Thu
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Translated by To Uyen
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