对美好的热爱、追求与塑造，是人类的本性所致和共同愿望，而摄影艺术则是对自然界和人类社会一切美好事物乃至美好瞬间的积极发现者、忠实记录者和热情宣传者。一幅好的摄影作品(包括对丑恶的揭露)反映了人们对美好的向往和寄托，会给人以享受和启迪，使人赏心悦目或者促人深刻思考。我想，之所以有那么多的人喜爱摄影艺术和摄影作品，之所以那些大师们的令人震撼的摄影佳作能够有强大的生命力和影响力，这可能是一个根本性的原因。

　　我自己就是一个摄影爱好者，拍摄大自然的美好风光和人文景观是我业余生活的一个重要组成部分。实事求是地讲，由于自己对摄影仅是业余爱好，主观上对摄影专业知识和有关技巧学习钻研得不够，客观上因为本职工作较忙也没有更多的时间去专心地寻求摄影的最佳时光，基本上是 “跟着感觉走”，“赶上什么是什么”。当然，如此比喻并不是贬低自己的努力与追求。凡是有出差、出国的机会，自己是愿意背着相机去寻找和记录美好景色的，节假日也和影友一起去锻炼身手。尽管专业性不强、“发烧度”不高，但是能用心去追寻和感悟美好，自以为形成了随意、自然的风格。

　　所谓随意、自然，即不是刻意地去追求某种理想的条件和效果，而是看到了就拍或赶上了就拍。不管是上午还是下午，不论是晴天还是阴天，绝不放弃拍摄的机会，并力求在当时的条件下拍出让自己比较满意的习作。长时间以来，自己还有一个“坏毛病”，就是图省事不喜欢带架子和用架子，经过专家批评和实践检验，自己在近两年有了明显改进。我回顾了一下，自己所走过的多数景点，都属于“到此一游”，走马观花，能够住上一天拍个一早一晚的很少，在一个地方住上两天记忆中也就一两次而已，并且多数都是手托相机而拍。应当说，我的很多“还能看得过去”的“作品”，多是在这样比较随意的状态下“诞生”的。实践使自己认识到，摄影是一门神奇的艺术，只要用心取景，拍出的片子往往比肉眼看到的实物还要漂亮。即便是客观条件不理想，但拍出来的效果不一定很差，虽说很难出精品，可“意外收获”总是会有的。随意、自然，再加上用心，让我在摄影实践中感受了乐趣，增添了信心，也有了一定的收获。

　　我在拍嘉峪关时是上午，拍敦煌魔鬼城地貌时是中午，都不是理想的光线条件，但样片洗出后效果都还不错：嘉峪关在半逆光的情况下，墙楼侧面和两匹骆驼被斜光所勾画，展现出大漠边关的雄伟风采;拍魔鬼城时正值中午，阳光刺眼，戈壁烫脚，但拍出来的照片上，天是蓝的，云是白的，沙石丘是红的，让人感受到大自然的鬼斧神工。

　　甘南的“湖光山色”更属偶然所得。一次，我在下午三四点钟的时光路过当地，发现景色很美，即停车顺手而拍，竟然成了很多人喜欢的一张照片。

　　拍三清山的枯树也是如此。上山之后已是傍晚时分，一场小雨刚过，阴云未散，光线较暗。信步攀登，路经枯树。当时虽感那枯树造型别致，但拍摄条件实在太差。一位当地陪游影友见我观望，随口说了一句：“可以拍个背景造型吧?”此话触发了我的灵感，随即驻足调整好位置拍了两张。没有想到的是，洗出的样片还有可圈可点之处：背景阴云中透出一抹微弱的红光，枯树恰似重墨染成，画面简洁，形似龙腾;树虽枯干，却不失挺拔。我将这幅照片命名为《生命的延续》。

　　拍摄云南元阳梯田和元谋土林时，客观条件都不是很好，但既然慕名而至就不能空手而归。在红塔集团一位摄影技术很高并且熟悉云南山水的郭姓朋友的指导帮助下，我在中午的阳光下拍了梯田，在雨停间歇时间拍了土林。虽然拍摄条件不甚理想，但仍有所收获。尽管中午阳光强烈，缺云少雾，但由于神奇的元阳梯田地形起伏，曲线优美，加上不同角度的受光，使拍出的片子呈现出多姿多彩的油画效果;在元谋土林，既拍了大片，也照了小景，应当说大片不失壮观，小景别有情趣，在一定程度上反映了这一奇特地貌的神韵。

　　我写这些粗浅的体会和具体的拍摄经历，主要是想向读者作一真实简要的汇报，并与同属业余爱好者的朋友们进行交流和共勉。

　　我对摄影是爱好的，对美好是追求的。但实实在在地说，水平是不高的，尚属自娱自乐、自我欣赏或偶有所得、送送朋友的阶段。承蒙很多领导、同事和朋友的抬爱，一再鼓励我要把近十年来的摄影习作整理成集。于是，我怀着“丑媳妇不怕见公婆”的心情，在中国和平出版社的关心支持下出版了这本摄影集。诚盼所有见到这些不成熟之作的专家和读者朋友给予指点和帮助!

周瑞增

2008年11月

(根据本人发表于2007年《中国摄影家》第11期的文章改写)

　　It is part of human nature to love，pursue and create beauty. Indeed，photography is a fantastic way to capture beautiful and memorable moments within nature and human society. Quality photographs (including those displaying unsightliness) bear one’s hope for good and inspire us to enjoy and/or reflect. This could explain why photography is so universally admired and why many master pieces are able to deeply touch our hearts.

　　I am an amateur photographer but capturing beautiful scenes and cultural hotspots is an integral part of my life. To be honest，as an amateur and part-time photographer，I don’s really spend much time studying photographic techniques and I am often unable to wait for the best time to capture certain scenic spots. However，I tend to follow my instincts and take photographs at whatever I encounter. This does not mean that I am unwilling to make effort to improve myself. Whenever I have the opportunity to go on business trips or travel abroad，I always seek beautiful scenery. I am often accompanied by friends who share my passion for photography and help me to hone my skills. While I am not professional，I seek and feel beauty in my heart and my work is reflective of a casual and natural style. This does not mean that I don’t search for ideal conditions for capturing a moment or scenic shot. I try my best under any circumstances and take photographs of beautiful things as and when I see them. This could be in the morning or the afternoon，the sun could be shining or it could be cloudy.

　　For a long time，I had a“bad habit”- I didn’t like to use a camera mount as I thought it too troublesome to carry with me wherever I went. After receiving advice from professional photographers and comparing photographs taken with and without a camera mount I have started to use a camera mount and have subsequently made considerable improvement in the last two years. I recall that，for the majority of places I visited，I was only able to stay for a very short time-it is rare that I can stay in the same place for one day to shoot pictures both at sunrise and sunset. A large number of my photos were taken by holding the camera in my hands but not using a camera mount. Actually，I have taken some great photographs in this way. I believe that as long as photography is done with the heart，the pictures captured can be even more beautiful than the actual scene seen with the eyes. I have often been surprised at how good a photograph as come out under imperfect conditions.

　　I took the picture of Jiayuguan at the Great Wall in the morning-with the sidelight outlining the wall and two camels a magnificent border town over the desert is depicted. I took the photo of the Ghost Town in Dunhuang in the mid-day sun-the sun was shining and the sand was burning my feet but in the picture one can only see the blue sky，white cloud and red sand stones and feel the magnificence of nature.

　　The “landscape of lakes and mountains in south Gansu”was taken rather by chance. I passed by there at around three o，clock one afternoon and stopped to take a photograph of the breath-taking scenery. It is amazing that such a casual photograph has become one of the most popular amongst admirers of my work.

　　The story of the photograph of the dead tree on the Sanqing Mountain was similar. It was evening when I arrived at the top of the mountain. It was raining，cloudy and already dark. As I continued my walk I spotted the dead tree. Though the shape of tree was unique，the light was too dim to capture it. A local friend who was accompanying me noticed that I was watching the tree and suggested that I try and take a shot. I took two pictures. Surprisingly，the photographs looked extremely good once developed-dim red light from the cloud in the background，and the dead tree looked like a flying dragon in a Chinese painting. Despite being a dead tree，it still stood tall and I named the photograph “ontinuance of life”

　　Conditions were also imperfect when I captured the terrace field in Yuanyang and the clay forest in Yuanmou. With the guidance of a professional photographer friend，I took the picture of the terrace field in the strong mid-day sun and the clay forest after the rain had stopped. Though the sun was very strong and it was not ideal for taking photographs，the picture of the undulated terrace field looked like a piece of canvas，while of the many clay forest pictures I took，some are splendid and some are extremely unique. I feel that the charm of these special landscapes was captured brilliantly in the pictures.

　　I wanted to note these experiences in order that I could share them with the readers and other amateur photographer friends. I love photography and pursue the capture of beauty despite not having professional techniques. I take pictures for personal enjoyment and to share with my friends. I wish to thank many of my colleagues and friends who have encouraged me to publish the best photographs I have taken throughout the past ten years. With the support of the China Peace Publishing House，this book of photographs has now been published. I look forward to comments and advice from professionals and other readers.

Zhou Ruizeng

November，2008