Dao Tien Dat at Lao Bao border gate when going to take shots. Photo T.L

* The life chose him…

Those days were boring and tiring, even dangerous because of attempts to better oneself by doing business. Some success couldn’t compensate for one failure or misfortune when the market economy had been developing at a rapid pace. Dao Tien Dat wanted to choose the art as a psychological therapy to have the peace of mind. It will be very ridiculous to know that 9 years ago he asked me whether he should work as a writer or a photographer. Because I haven’t known if he has any ability in writing, I advised him to choose the photography in which he only needs to take a shot.

Dao Tien Dat has taken the camera.

First shots he took were those of bulldozers bulldozing land for the Quynhon-Song Cau road. He then asked all his friends to give comments, and silently agreed with them. Noone knew if he had believed them or not. When his photos had appeared on newspapers, he swept for joy.

Over one year later, his photos have regularly appeared in two important newspapers: Nhiep anh (The Photography) and Anh sang dep (The beautiful light) and he started reaping the rewards. When his photos were selected for the final round at international contests, he overflowed with joy even though the first international prize he got was the Honorary Degree. He sometimes felt exhausted and discouraged, so such a small prize became a panacea.

So far, Dao Tien Dat has had 32 national prizes and 94 international ones with all kinds of medals  from FIAP (International Federation of Photographic Art) and PSA (Photographic Society of America). He also has titles such as member of Vietnam Photographers Association (he has been the first person in Binh Dinh having this title since senior photographers like Vu Doanh Du and Phan Tu Thi moved to live in other places), member of PSA. He won the Best Gold Medal in Italy 2006, ranked 14^th in two successive years 2004 and 2005, and was in top ten at the world contest on black and white photos in 2006. Representatives of Vietnam Photographers Associations have recently offered him the FIAP’s title of “FIAP’s Photographer”. The ranking may be changed annually, but these titles are everlasting. I believe in life, so I know that Dao Tien Dat is a strange choice of life to annotate categories of immutability and variability, possibility and impossibility.

His sincerity, inquiring mind and, determination in learning persuaded senior photographers and his friends to help him whole-heartedly. He learned from not only such primary steps as the installation of the film, basic parameters of speed, aperture, brightness, the layout, layers of brightness, and ideas but also senior photographers like Pham Van Chai, Hua Thien or Le Hong Linh. Alongside this, he also studied from photographic catalogues, books and magazines relating to the photography; he nurtured his emotion by reading books on culture, literature, and history.

Fortunately, the initial success helped him and he understood the moment of taking shots is a process of learning, pondering and thinking. Learning, Pondering, Thinking and finally Creating. Many times he had to take photos again and again. Then, they were scrutinized and when feeling uncertain he invited friends to give comments. This is the most important characteristic of a talented artist. Nowadays, when becoming famous, Dao Tien Dat hasn’t neglected to follow that process simply because he hasn’t wanted to stop on the way of creation.

Tro ve cat bui (Return to the ashes and dust). Photo D.T.D

* …He has chosen the human fate

Dao Tien Dat had had to earn his living by doing much work in which the so-called work of ve chai (purchase of waste) had a long-term effect and partly affect his artwork. This so-called work made him frequently contact with miserable people. And that’s the reason why most of the themes in his artwork are about the human fate.

In the photo Buoc ngoat (the turning point), little people silently walk on hot sand dunes, and roads are always changed due to the wind. The contrast between the beautiful scenery and the hardness in the photo Di lam (Go to work) in which women hastily shoulder things and walk on the natural surface of paving stone in the beauty site named Ghenh Da Dia is a praise for life. The photo Khat song (Thirsting for living) in which there is an old weak woman completely lying on the stick with two eyes opening wide as saying that I still exist in this world has resulted in different feelings. Some with old way of thinking said that there was no such a miserable life in our society; if there had been, it would haven’t been a typical one. It’s ridiculous to understand an artwork as propaganda like that. Fortunately, a large majority of people understood the humanistic principles of the photo and it was honored both domestically and internationally.

Tro ve cat bui (Return to the ashes and dust) is an irreducible picture of a funeral on the sand dune. In the sky rises the incense-smoke, several people carrying the coffin, some relatives, and a very impressive image: a dog. On the immense background of the nature which symbolizes the endless succession of time and existence, the human fate will quickly disappear. And this is also the value of the artwork. Many such examples have created the closeness to human life.

The themes of tradition and origin also brought much success to Dao Tien Dat, such as Non Go Gang (Go Gang conical hat), Ong do (the scholar), or Trong ngoi nha co (In an old house), but it’s human beings with different fates that are his strongpoint and favourite.

Me vang nha (When mother is absent from home). Photo D.T.D

* And accept…

Dao Tien Dat is very brave in creating the artwork but shy in the real life. He, therefore, often has to bears disadvantages. His wife is the only person who suffers material losses to be the moral support for him when he is bored, misunderstood in the art activities. When the life had chosen him, perhaps it realized that he has the necessary condition: a brave and fine wife. She is happy when he is successful and only shares the happiness with some friends. That’s enough for her and for him. The road ahead of the artist is still long, and he is chosen.

• Written by Le Hoai Luong
• Translated by Hong Quang