Meet Creative People | 遇见创意人士 Photographer Zachary C. Bako

Craft and creativity continues to grow in China, none of which would be possible without the inspired and daring minds behind the ideas and production. We are asking the creative community in China five fun questions to learn a little bit more about the people behind this burgeoning industry. Hope you enjoy! If you think you should be profiled or you know someone creative who should be profiled send an email to info@shpplus.com.

中国的优秀作品和无限创意层出不穷，这离不开那些有思想、有灵感、有胆识的人才。为了更好地了解中国新兴创意产业，我们设计了有趣的小问题，请中国创意人才提供五道问题的答案。精彩不容错过！欢迎自荐和推荐，请发送邮件至 info@shpplus.com.

Zachary C. Bako

Photographer, filmmaker
摄影师，导演

Zachary C. Bako holds a B.S. in Business & M.A. in Art.

Photographer for 16+ years & Filmmaker for 9+ years.

Previously based out of New York City (7 years), Beijing (4 years), Los Angeles (3 years), Brooklyn (1 year) and now Shanghai for the past year and a half.

My work can be found at www.zacharybako.com. Director Reel is available on request.

Zachary C. Bako拥有商业学士和艺术硕士

16年以上摄影经验，9年以上视频制作经验。

之前在纽约(7年)，北京(4年)，洛杉矶(3年)，布鲁克林(1年)工作，最近一年半他长居上海。

查看Zachary的摄影作品，请上www.zacharybako.com。导演作品应请提供。

1. Where were you born? 你在哪里出生？

I grew up in Niles, Ohio, next to my grandparent’s vegetable farm with two older brothers, and my mother and father. My mother taught art for 48 years and is a handmade paper and collage artist.

My brothers and I spent our youth picking beans but we also found ourselves in museums and in artist studios. Farm life to studio life shaped my childhood.

我在俄亥俄州的奈尔斯市(Niles)长大，我和两个哥哥，还有我的父母在祖父母的蔬菜地旁边长大。我的母亲教了48年的艺术，她是一个手工纸和拼贴画艺术家。

我和我的兄弟们度过了我们的童年，采摘豆子，但我们也常去博物馆和艺术家工作室。农场生活和艺术家生活均塑造了我的童年。

2. Coolest place you’ve been sent for work ?工作中去过的最有意思的地方是哪里？

Angel Falls, the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall located in Venezuela.

Woke up before sunrise and took a helicopter over to where our POV needed to be. Built the camera, planted the tripod, shot a couple of tests and waited with our feet in the river until the fog burned off to capture what we needed.

Ate the saltiest most delicious jungle chicken for lunch, followed by an epic four-hour boat ride back to camp through scattered torrential rainstorms.I’ve always loved and have been grateful that the decision to pursue photography and film has been filled with inspiring moments and the ability to explore the world.

位于委内瑞拉的天使瀑布，是世界上落差最高的瀑布。我记得那天日出前醒来，座直升机去了我们要拍摄的地点。我准备好了相机，安置了三脚架，拍了几张照片，然后把脚放在河里等着，直到雾消散，才能捕捉我们需要的镜头。

午餐吃了最咸最美味的鸡肉，然后乘船经回到营地，在路上经历过4个小时暴雨。我一直热爱并感激自己做决定从事摄影和导演，这份工作让我探索世界，让我经历充满鼓舞人心的时刻。

3. Someone you would like to have dinner with? 想跟谁一起共进晚餐？

Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh, Tupac Shakur, Al Bright, Spencer Amonwatvorakul & John Shelley Jr.

列奥纳多·达·芬奇、萨尔瓦多·达利、文森特·梵高、图派克·沙库尔、Al Bright、Spencer Amonwatvorakul和John Shelley Jr.

4. How you discovered you were creative? 你是如何发现自己有创造力的?

During sophomore year of university, I went back to my hometown to visit my family and found myself in the basement going through a cardboard box full of old Polaroid’s and newspaper clippings.

One particular newspaper article stood out. This was the moment that I decided to pursue photography as a career. It reminded me that art was the only thing I ever felt passionate about.

During this unearthing of old memories, I began to think about our time in Youngstown, Ohio, at abstract expressionist painter Al Bright’s studio. Al Bright was my mother’s mentor and he was a major influence in my life, exposing my brother’s and I to Jazz and African art. In his studio, the aroma of oil paint, turpentine, wood and sand mixed with Al’s energy and left a profound impact inside of me.

After arriving back to campus at Case Western Reserve University, I signed up to take photography courses through neighboring Cleveland Institute of Art.

The first day I walked into The Factory at CIA, the smell of oil paint just washed over me. I stopped, smiled and knew I was in the right place.

大二时，我回家乡探亲，在地下室发现一个纸箱，里面装满旧宝丽来照片和剪报。一篇文章引我注目，这是我决定把摄影作为职业的时刻。这让我想起，艺术是我唯一热爱的东西。

那一天在发掘出旧记忆的过程中，我开始回想我们在俄亥俄州扬斯敦市的时光，在抽象表现主义画家Al Bright的工作室里。他是我母亲的导师，他对我的生活影响很大，使我和哥哥接触到了爵士乐和非洲艺术。在他的工作室里，油画、松节油、木材和沙子的香气与这位艺术家的能量混合在一起，在我的内心留下了深刻的影响。

回到凯斯西储大学后，我立马在附近的克利夫兰艺术学院报名参加了摄影课程。我走进艺术学院的第一天，油彩的味道就浸透了我的全身。我停下来，微笑着，知道我来对地方了。

5. Your favorite creative project you’ve ever worked on, and why you like it so much? 你曾经参与过的创意项目其中，那个是你最喜欢的项目；为什么你这么喜欢它?

3AM on Frenchmen is a music documentary that recently got picked up for worldwide distribution through Qwest.TV by Quincy Jones. The film is now on cable in the States, playing during Qwest.TV’s Black Music Appreciation Month.

Jazz and hip-hop have been ingrained inside my DNA since adolescence. We would listen to the most non-commercial, underground rap coming out of Detroit, New York, Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago, the Bay Area, etc. The narratives that had our attention in our youth are the exact opposite of Ray Wimley’s.

Ray is the leading musician in 3AM and his lyrical narratives never use profanity and are about everyday struggles, chasing dreams, unconditional love and awakening to spirituality.

Christina Lee (Co-Producer and Additional Editor) and I just wanted to give the musicians in the film a little jump-start to carry their message onto the world. Through the project, we all were able to share a wonderfully effortless collaboration with one another, elevating each other’s creative process.

3AM exists because of who Ray Wimley is as a human being. He once said, “People don’t even know that this type of music exists…yet.”

3AM on Frenchmen – Trailer

3AM on Frenchmen是一部独立音乐纪录片，最近由昆西·琼斯(Quincy Jones)被Qwest.TV选为全球发行频道。这部电影现在在美国有线电视上播放，在Quest.TV庆祝黑人音乐月期间播放。

从青春期开始，爵士乐和嘻哈音乐就深深扎根于我的DNA中。我们会听来自底特律、纽约、孟菲斯、新奥尔良、芝加哥、旧金山湾区等地的最非商业、地下说唱。我们年轻时关注的歌与Ray Wimley的歌完全相反。

Ray是3AM的主要音乐家，他的歌词从不使用脏话，讲述的是每天的挣扎、追逐梦想、无条件的爱和对灵性的觉醒。

Christina Lee(联合制片兼编辑)和我只是想给电影中的音乐家们一个小小的启动，让他们向世界传递他们的信息。

3AM的存在是因为Ray Wimley多么与众不同的人。他曾经说过，“人们甚至不知道这种类型的音乐存在……还不知道。”

Thank you for your time today. Thank you SHP Plus and Georg Warga from Goodstein for the opportunity to share some of my story.

谢谢你今天抽出时间阅读这篇文章。感谢shpplus和Georg Warga推荐我，给我这个机会来分享一部分我的故事。