By: Qiyue Zhang

“Every day that you don’t dance is a day that you betray life.” – Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.

In the corner of New York, there is a place full of stories and dreams – Qiyue Zhang’s Pytol Imaging studio. It stands quietly yet seems to contain endless power, attracting us to explore its mysteries.

Entering the studio, the simple layout gives a sense of tranquility. Qiyue Zhang, a seemingly calm yet passionate photography artist, greets us with a smile and begins to tell the story of her and the studio.

Building a Supply-Demand Integrated Community: Connection and Symbiosis in the Ordinary

When Qiyue Zhang talks about the original intention of the studio, her eyes reveal firmness and perseverance. She hopes to create a supply-demand integrated community, and behind this seemingly ordinary goal lies profound thinking.

“In daily life, the connection between images and people is becoming closer. However, artists often face the situation that their works are difficult to find a suitable audience for, and oftentimes, the dissemination range of their works is even limited to the art circle. On the other hand, although the current network is full of a large amount of information, the presentation of photographic works often lacks effective integration and guidance; in terms of exhibitions, due to insufficient publicity or limited understanding of them by the audience, it is difficult for enthusiasts to access their favorite works.” Qiyue Zhang said slowly, “We want to build a bridge where the supply and demand of photographic works can naturally converge.”

To achieve this goal, the Pytol Imaging Photography studio starts from the details. They regularly hold small photography exchange activities and invite local residents to participate. These activities do not have a gorgeous stage or a grand scene but are full of sincere exchanges and sharing. 

Artists display their works, tell the stories and creative inspirations behind the works, and residents share their feelings and understandings of photography. In one exchange activity, a resident was deeply touched by a photo recording of the daily life of the elderly in the community. He talked about his resonance with the lonely figure of the elderly in the photo, which made the artists deeply realize the importance of the emotional connection between the work and life. This kind of interaction makes the artists understand the market demand better and also enables the residents to have a deeper understanding of the art of photography. An invisible supply-demand connection is quietly established.

The studio also uses online platforms to display the works of community photographers. These works cover all aspects of life, from the ordinary moments in the streets and alleys to the intersection of light and shade in natural scenery. Each photo exudes the flavor of life. In this way, it not only provides an opportunity for artists to display their works but also enables more people to discover the beauty around them, thus stimulating their interest and demand for the art of photography. 

To make the online platform more attractive and influential, the studio has specially set up a small team responsible for classifying and sorting the works and writing detailed introduction texts to help the audience better understand the meaning behind the works. In the hope of attracting more attention and participation, they also use social media for promotion and regularly hold online interactive activities, such as photography work selection.

In addition, Pytol Imaging is actively cooperating with the merchants in the community. While providing photography services for them, they also integrate the works of artists into the business environment. For example, they hope to cooperate with the local dance studio to make the photos echo the dance performance. This can not only show the agile postures of the dancers and the stories behind the dance but also enable the customers to feel the common beauty of the fusion of multiple arts while watching the dance.

Caring about the Survival State of Artists: Huddling Together for Warmth and Searching for the Light of Hope

On the road of art, the survival state of artists is a realistic and unavoidable issue. Qiyue Zhang is well aware of this and hopes to create a mutually supportive and jointly growing environment for artists through the studio.

“Artistic creation doesn’t have to be lonely. We can accompany each other in ordinary life and search for hope together.” Qiyue Zhang said with emotion, “Here, we hope that artists can establish social connections, share their creative experiences, encourage each other, and jointly face the difficulties in life.”

The studio has organized various forms of creative groups, and artists freely combine according to their interests and styles. They go out for field trips together, learn from each other’s skills, and look for unique perspectives and inspirations in ordinary scenery. Once, a creative group came to an old factory in New York. The building here was old, but it was full of historical charm. Artists found different shooting angles and expression techniques in the process of mutual communication. 

Some artists focused on capturing the details of the building to show the traces of the passage of time; some told the stories here in the past through the interaction between people and the building. This way of creating in groups not only improves the artists’ creative skills but also gives them a sense of emotional belonging.

To help artists deal with the pressure of life more effectively, Pytol Imaging is currently actively expanding business channels. It hopes to cooperate with some local enterprises or communities to undertake a part of small photography projects for a long time, and then artists can participate according to their own fields of expertise. Although these projects may not be as profitable as large commercial shootings if they can provide a stable source of income for the artists, they can maintain their basic living needs while adhering to artistic creation.

At the same time, the studio also focuses on cultivating the market awareness and marketing ability of artists. It regularly holds relevant training courses and invites professionals to share their experiences to help artists better promote their works.

The Support Plan for Young Artists: Igniting the Spark of New Life

Young artists are the new force in the field of art. They are full of passion and creativity but often lack social resources and business experience. The Pytol Imaging photography studio pays special attention to the growth of young artists and has launched a warm and hopeful support plan.

“We provide free darkroom use for young artists.” Qiyue Zhang introduced, “The darkroom is a very important part of photography creation, but for many young artists, due to cost and other reasons, it is difficult for them to have the opportunity to access and use it. We hope that through this small measure, we can provide some convenience for their creation.”

With the help of Qiyue Zhang and through many experiments in the darkroom, a young photographer, xxx, mastered a unique, developing technique, which made his works show a different texture and tone. Every time they develop photos in the darkroom, they have a deep dialogue with the art of photography and a journey to find unique expressions in the ordinary.

Moreover, Qiyue Zhang hopes that this support plan is not only to provide material support but also to become a spiritual inheritance and emotional exchange. When young artists use the darkroom, they need to leave some of their works and some words. These works and words are like seeds, sown in the soil of the studio, conveying their love for photography and their vision for the future.

“We hope that these seeds can take root and germinate and inspire more latecomers.” Qiyue Zhang said excitedly, “Every young artist comes here with a new perspective and idea. Their works and words inject fresh blood into the studio and let us feel the power of new life.” A young photographer wrote in a poem: “Walking with time, the brushstrokes of the winding years, embellishing the screen with patterns, moistening the wasteland with dew, revealing the lost notes, and hearing the whispers: not acceptance or integration, but following the track of the past, where there are similar landscapes and my tears; not abandonment or loneliness, but going against the ruggedness of the future, where there are common echoes and your smile.”

Looking Forward to the Future: Persisting in the Ordinary and Welcoming the Blooming of Hope

When talking about the future development of the studio, Qiyue Zhang’s eyes are full of expectation, but her tone is still calm and firm.

“We will continue to walk on this ordinary road and constantly improve our community construction to provide better services and support for artists and local residents.” Qiyue Zhang said, “We believe that as long as we persevere in our efforts, great art can also be nurtured in the ordinary daily life.”

In the future, the Pytol Imaging Photography Studio will further strengthen cooperation with the community and carry out more colorful art activities to truly integrate the art of photography into people’s lives. They plan to hold photography competitions to encourage more people to participate in photography creation and discover the beautiful moments in life. At the same time, the studio will also strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other art institutions, introduce more excellent art resources, and inject new vitality into the art development of the community.

Regarding the support plan for young artists, Qiyue Zhang said that it will be continuously optimized and expanded. They will invite more well-known artists to provide guidance and lectures for young artists and provide more learning and exchange opportunities. At the same time, the studio will also actively explore cooperation with educational institutions such as colleges and universities to contribute to the cultivation of more outstanding photography talents.

In this fast-paced era, Qiyue Zhang and the Pytol Imaging photography studio choose to persevere in the ordinary. They interpret their love for art and their pursuit of dreams with their actions. They believe that every ordinary day is the soil that nurtures hope, and every effort is the accumulation of new power. Just as Nietzsche said, every day that you don’t dance is a day that you betray life. In this hopeful art community, the members of the studio let art “dance” in ordinary life through continuous efforts and innovation. They record the beauty of life with cameras and convey the power of art with practical actions, making people feel the colorfulness and preciousness of life. We seem to hear the sound of dreams sprouting and see the brilliance of art blooming in the ordinary.

Let us look forward to the Pytol Imaging Photography Studio continuing to write their story in the future and bringing more surprises and touches to the development of the art of photography. May the echo of hope and the power of new life surge and grow on this ordinary land.

Published by Anne C.