Page 130 - MAjestic v7
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F E AT U R E
A PROFESSIONAL AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER at Kalamaili in the heart of the cold Gobi desert; tying
The billionaire entrepreneur is also an immensely talented himself to a rope and hoisting himself up several meters
photographer and is a major force in Xinjiang’s art scene. high in an equestrian field to capture the horses in motion,
He was the first-place winner of the Digital Camera 2009 to name a few.
Global Photography Competition.
Chen is known for his captivating shots of horses, whose
“I’m constantly in the company of horses due to my fondness strength, grace and elegance are perfectly captured in his
of them, so I understand their habits and temperaments. I’m photographs. While his approach to photography may
in tune with how they feel and their changes in behaviour.” be unconventional at times, it is what makes his work so
There had been many instances when Chen disregarded distinctive.
his personal safety in order to capture the best shot:
shooting horses breaking from the starting gate from the In 2009, the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising
middle of the racing track coming straight at him; an Committee appointed Chen the cultural ambassador to
aerial shooting of the Altai Mountains which went awry the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and was, in turn,
when his paraglider encountered mechanical issues and presented with a giant portrait of 8,700 horses. Chen had
caused him to crash from a high altitude, which resulted in organised this giant photo shoot by gathering the horses
a bloody face and over 30 stitches around his right eye; the in one location in the Ili Valley near China’s border with
thrilling moment when a wild horse thundered past him Kazakhstan and, while paragliding, he was able to capture
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