The title for The Middle Kingdom was coined late one foggy winter afternoon north of Woodlake. My wife and I were discussing how each small town in California’s Central Valley differed - in both appearance and personality. She remarked that since childhood the Valley always reminded her of The Middle Kingdom - earthy yet ethereal. Knowing a good thing when I hear it, I immediately stole the idea and applied it to a project I had been thinking about the last couple of years.
This was the beginning of The Middle Kingdom project. Little did I know how much work lay ahead or the many rewards and interesting places I would visit or people I would meet. I didn’t begin with the intent of photographing people. Originally, the goal was to take places and buildings located in the Central Valley. Reality struck when I looked at a map with a seemingly endless number of small towns sprinkled across the Valley. Focusing on its people was a natural progression.
At first trips were totally impromptu, with absolutely no destination; like following a stream just to see where it leads - a bear went over the mountain type thing. For instance, a direction sign along Golden State Highway south of Fresno for Bowles yielded some good images and a nice afternoon in a small town. Most other photos came about the same way - just follow a sign.
This method does have its drawbacks. Sometimes there are just too many signs to follow! On countless occasions we and the dogs (our official Middle Kingdom Corps of Discovery) have watched the sun set and moon rise, hours from home, faced with a long drive and work the next morning.
That forced me to plan a bit, at least try to make it home at a midnight. Surprisingly, places and pictures quickly multiplied. In a couple of years I had photographed 20 or 25 towns, all within a relatively short distance from Fresno. That number could easily have been greater but, as is the case in photography, sun and weather conditions made repeat visits necessary.
In the past I primarily photographed in larger cities, concentrating on the urban landscape and the portraits within that environment. Coincidentally, I’ve found myself doing the same in the communities of the Valley - whether large or very small.
Pictures featured in this exhibit have had very little, if any, planning and rely mainly on who or what was happening at the time. Exceptions are The Cardroom which is a composite and The Ghosts of Old US 99 - my commentary on the passing of an old byway through the Central Valley.
The images in People of the Middle Kingdom represent an important aspect of our culture - the diversity of our lives and activities. While the world has come to the Central Valley each of us contributes in our own unique way.
If you would like to view the entire project the images may be seen on the filckr site below. Just copy and drop the url into your browser.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgeorge/
If you like to visit professional photographer sites follow this link: FreePhotoGallery - searchable directory of photography and professional photographers.