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Jennifer Kilberg: A Photographers Journal by Liz Jonckheer Notes from China Article rating: 7.18

Jennifer Kilberg joined Universal Television’s SCI FI Channel as photo editor in 2002.  Drawing upon her extensive experience as a photographer, editor and producer, Kilberg produces and hires photographers for all of the Channel’s photo shoots, providing the marketing, advertising and publicity departments with key images for all SCI FI movies and series. In June of 2002, she completed a gallery shoot in Prague with Mary Ellen Mark for the miniseries Children of Dune. She also recently returned from China, where she was sent by the Chinese National Tourist Office to photograph various destinations for their marketing materials.  Kilberg began her career with independent photography projects that took her throughout Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, Africa and India.  She went on to work at Kodak Professional as an account executive focusing on the fashion industry, educating photographers, magazines, photo rental studios and NYC labs on product performance, from film to digital.  Kilberg also managed the postproduction department of Shoot Digital in New York. There, she educated art buyers, creative directors, and print producers about digital capture and post production. She also worked as an account manager at American Photo and Popular Photography magazines, where her accounts were the leading manufacturers within the photo industry. Kilberg has given numerous presentations and lectures on various aspects of photography to W Magazine, Parsons School of Design, ASMP and School of Visual Arts. She is currently teaching at Parsons school of design and is actively involved in the Eddie Adams workshop. She has a BFA in graphic design and anthropology, and currently resides in New York City.

On a two-week photo assignment sponsored by the Chinese Tourist Bureau in China, Jennifer Kilberg keeps us up to date with emails describing her adventures, misadventures, and the lessons she learns along the way.

After a 23-hour journey Jennifer’s first stop is Beijing, and she has no time to spare before heading to The Temple of Heaven.  In Jennifer’s words, “I woke up at 4:30 am to watch the locals practice Thai Chi, play badminton, do morning stretches, scarf dancing, and all kinds of movements to get their bodies and minds ready to start the day.  It was so beautiful to watch all of the people interacting, and made me realize how important it is to have a sense of community.”

Later that day Jennifer visits The Forbidden City, which is another major Beijing tourist attraction.  While shooting the ancient royal palace, she begins to learn the history of communism in China before dashing off to photograph the performers getting ready for the Beijing Opera. “There was no way I could take a trip to China and not see the opera,” says Jennifer.

After the first long and successful day of shooting, Jennifer tells us her plans to visit the Great Wall, “Hopefully I will find someone to help carry my equipment tomorrow, since it is an hour hike to the Great Wall.”  Jennifer’s parting thoughts on Beijing -- “Overall there is a calm vibe in Beijing.  Even though the city’s population is 14 million, it does not seem to be overwhelming.”

Jennifer understands that being on assignment means she must focus on the client’s needs and maintain her professionalism to get the job done.  “I have been shooting like crazy and have really enjoyed experiencing local life.  There are many things that I am shooting that I would normally not shoot, but I am on assignment and have to remember that the goal is to please the client.  It’s hard being a travel photographer, but I am happy to get this experience, to know first hand what it can be like.”

The next “eye-opening” experience comes when Jennifer realizes the secret of sleeping, or not sleeping, in China. “When I checked under the sheets to find out why all the beds are so hard, I found a box spring instead of a mattress. I haven’t even been sleeping that much considering I have to wake up between 3 and 5am.   I would not even call it ‘going to bed’ it's more like falling into a horizontal position and passing out.”  All in all, she assures us that she is handling the challenges of her travel assignment quite nicely, “It makes travel more fun when you never know what you are going to find yourself in… I have learned to be patient and go with the flow.  I also think I was a luggage carrier in my past life.”

As Jennifer’s travels continue she describes leaving the city and venturing into smaller villages and the countryside.  “I have seen many beautiful landscapes with layered mountains in the hillside of Guilin.  So far Yangsho has been my favorite place to photograph.  It is a small fishing village that many backpackers visit, with quaint narrow streets, cafes, shops and local markets.”

From what Jennifer shares with us, it’s safe to say that the bathrooms in China aren’t a real tourist attraction. “In China they rate the bathrooms up to six stars. Put it this way, I have been opting to go outside rather then in the bathroom. I think I have been seeing no star bathrooms.  The smell makes even the locals gag.”

The next time we hear from Jennifer, she has arrived in Yunnan Providence – “in a town called Lijiang.  The combination of three cups of coffee, (the first time I have found coffee since Beijing) fresh air, and amazing scenery, made me feel like I was jumping out of my skin.  There are photos everywhere.”

Jennifer describes her new surroundings with great affection, “There is snow on the top of the mountains and the weather is crisp like a perfect spring day.  As a matter of fact the nickname for Lijiang is the spring city.  I am surrounded by mountain ranges and rice patty fields. The town has old cobble stone streets and pagodas everywhere. The people are friendly, but a bit shy to photograph.”

Even when she claims that the Yunnan Providence is, “The first must-see place that you should experience if you ever visit China,” we can tell by her photos that the place, not the coffee buzz, is making her high.

When we last hear from Jennifer she had just completed a tough day.  “While trying to get that fab shot, I fell into a very muddy rice patty and my pants and shoes are covered with mud.”  Always the optimist, Jennifer bids us farewell to begin another assignment: locating a decent shower.

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