影评 “ Rainbow Watcher” ‍-谭琳 ‍

📷锐影工作室📷

前言

锐影工作室的摄影展《光与远方 II》于2025年7月初至8月底在马里兰州美京华人活动中心艺术画廊成功举办。展览期间，谭琳教授——自由撰稿的摄影、音乐与艺术评论人，现居于费城大都会地区——专程来到现场，为观众逐一讲解和解析展出的佳作，令大家受益匪浅。更为难得的是，他在百忙之中特地撰写了一篇影评，聚焦于锐影工作室的创始人范朝亮老师的一幅作品。

我们有幸在此与大家分享这篇文章，相信读者不仅能够更深入地体会作品的意境与艺术张力，也能从谭教授独到的见解中获得新的启发。

Figure 1 John Fan, Rainbow Watcher, 2024

Figure 1 is a photograph by Dr. John Fan, founder of the Raying Photography Studio, co-founder of the acclaimed 4Aperture Fine Art Photography Group and a curator of the online photo gallery 1X.com.

I saw it at the Light & Beyond II, a photography exhibition by the Raying at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CACCC) Art Gallery in Rockville, Maryland last month.

Fan’s photo is an image of the Castle Valley in Utah taken in 2024. Of course, we were first attracted by the rainbow in the middle of the picture. The clouds above the rainbow provide necessary environment for the rainbow. Furthermore, the clouds suggest the feature of the wings of an angel of cosmic scale; the rainbow sounds as if being installed there by the cloud angel.

Equally interesting, of not more, is the gigantic vertical rock, also in the middle of the photo, opposite of the rainbow. Fan’s novel observation and thoughtful composition added dramatic effect to the image. That big rock, as well as a group of rocks to its left, becomes seer, as if watching the rainbow freshly formed under the wings of the clouds. (Figure 2)

Figure 2​ Detail of Rainbow Watcher

The big rock, to me, turns out to be the real protagonist while the castle-like rocks act like the chorus in a Greek drama, and the clouds serve as the canopy of the theatre stage — they are doing their dual duty here: to some they are wings, to others canopy or valance.

Figure 3a Wagner’s Das Rheingold（1）

Viewing John Fan’s photo (Figure 1) reminds us not only of the Greek drama, but of Wagner’s Ring, in particular the final scene in Das Rheingold. (Figures 3a and 3b)



In these rocks, John Fan found his surrogate actors and actresses, with light — or is it lighting? — striking down resplendently. He demonstrated his ability to see the scene with clarity and to see afresh. Suddenly, we realize that we are not watching a photograph of landscape, but watching a drama unfold right in front of our eyes. These watchers, in no time, have been converted to the watched, thus a beautiful scene evolved into a significant vision, the photographer’s vision, for us all to see. What is conceived here appears neither as quotation nor as parody of an ordinary experience. Quite the opposite, it stands quite far from such past experience.

Figure 3b Wagner’s Das Rheingold DVD cover（2）

　　John Fan’s Rainbow Watcher is more than the description of the reality, and more than the transcription of a concept. It is an evocative piece of art work. We the spectator just witnessed the magic act of Fan’s sharing his vision with whoever happened in front of his photo, like us. His mission accomplished. And appreciated, by us the audience. We are actually part of this mission.



Here Fan went beyond the traditional paraphernalia of observing Nature to endow the landscape he saw with profundity and loftiness of sentiment. Lofty sentiment, but not sentimental.

The rainbow and the rocks in the center of the picture are surrounded and reinforced by the glorious landform in the Southwest United States. Fan avoided the usual ostertatious bareness of the topography we are accostomed to seeing in this type of landscape photographs. All the previous pictures we have seen of the Southwest contribute to our appreciation of a new vision, the central scene in Figure 1.

The rocks appear to be meditating upon the subject — the rainbow. By extension, the meditations are ours. How long has the rainbow been here, and on the earth? How long have these rocks been here watching the rainbow? Are they still fascinated by the rainbow? How much longer will they be here, keeping watching, keeping meditating, keep wondering?

John Fan’s recent photographic style seems, to us, to favor the awe-struck experiences he encounters, resulting in awe-struck pictures. His Rainbow Watcher certainly falls into this awe-struck categoty. We understand that this photo helps the photographer to remember such experience of his. However, to us spectators, what is more awe-struck is Fan’s capability to transform this feeling so that we feel not only the awe-struck of the scene, but the awe-struck of being able to re-experience and relive the photographer’s vision. The photograph seems to acknowledge and confirm our presence. A new version of Cogito ergo sum (3). So amazing!

Figure 4 The Author Viewing John Fan’s Rainbow Watcher at the CCACC Art Gallery

Now, back to the rainbow and rocks. They were first made to conjure up something imaginary and absent. After our intensive viewing and quiet and long contemplation, what has been imagined could outlast what is represented. The image changed through our way of seeing, following and extending the photographer’s way of seeing.

We applaud John Fan for this latest achievement. We feel fortunate to have the chance to share his experience and vision. It is his vision and his susceptibility that made this photo (Figure 1) significant and moved us quite deeply.

September 30, 2025

M. Nilsson, Lin Tan

Lin Tan is a free-lance critic in photography, music and art. He resides in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Acknowledgement: We are grateful to Ruiqing Pamboukian for the invitation to visiting the Raying Light & Beyond II exhibition and for allowing her photo (Figure 4) to be included in this essay.

Note

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccyvqR5hE
2. https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Rheingold-Levine-Jerusalem-Metropolitan/dp/B00006L9ZU
3. “I think, therefore I am.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum

锐影工作室网站：https://www.rayingphotography.com/