BPR:MOST OF YOUR PHOTOS ARE IN BLACK AND WHITE. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WHAVE ALWAYS PREFERRED? WHY?

JB: I'm not a black and white warrior, I also shoot in color, but black and white highlights the subject.  For some photographers, especially here in Asia, the color is the subject, but for me it often distracts from the story.  What got me hooked on the whole image capturing process was living in a darkroom in Missoula Montana for a whole summer in 2000. I was entranced by the seeming magic of taking that photo paper from the enlarger, placing it in the developer tray, watching as the black and white image gradually appeared, and then continuing to work on that one image for 12 hours.  I never tired of taking large format images and  manipulating the tones in relation to Ansel Adams' zone system. I miss that. The darkroom feels like manning the sonar scanner in a submarine, as if you are on a mission to get that perfect print, like your very life depends on it.   

BPR: SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING DURING THIS WHOLE COVID - 19 LOCKDOWN?

JB: It may sound tedious, but organizing/backing up hard drives has provided me a zen-like escape from the news.  I have also found myself delightfully distracted by mining for new images within the folders where I have saved RAW files from past rambles. Often that is the height of enjoyment for me- just searching for that shot and seeing in a new light. It reminds me of what another photographer said when I first started out, you should always hold on to your negatives so you can one day go back over and see how you have changed as a photographer. The RAW Files Diary! (chuckles) I have actually found a few images that have inspired me and confirmed that there is some hidden gold,  helps with moral as well. 

BRR: WHAT IS THE STORY OF "GRANDMA PIGGYBACK" THE FEATURED PHOTOGRAPH?

JB:  That is a long story, a whole feature in itself, but here is the nutshell version.  In a minority village about an hour or two outside of Guilin, China, every eligible couple gets married on the exact same day.  With the whole family, in fact the whole village busy with preparations the very young are taken care of by the very old.  In fact this is the story of modern China, with so many over the past few decades across China migrating from the countryside to the cities to work, leaving all dependents to rely on each other.  So this image is multi-layered, telling both the story of the wedding day, and of the country.  I was attracted by the baby's puckered face, obviously mirroring the grandmother as a testament to their bond. 

    See more from Jeremiah's Gallery