和时间赛跑的摄影师：6年为1000多位老人免费拍照 | A time to remember

Liu Guozhuang works in the Shenyang Thermal Power Plant. In his spare time, he often visits nursing homes to take photos for seniors.刘国壮是沈阳热电厂的一个普通工人。业余时间，他老拿着相机往敬老院跑，给那里的老人们拍照。

He is nicknamed the "photographer who races against time."

为此，人们送他一个绰号：和时间赛跑的摄影师。

Photographer Liu Guozhuang (left) talking with an elderly

This all began five years ago when he volunteered in a nursing home. An old man told him that one of his friends here passed away, having no photos taken in his last days. He hoped there could be a photo for others to remember him.

一切都源于五年前的一次公益活动。当时，他去一家敬老院和那里的孤寡老人聊天。有个老人告诉刘国壮，自己有一个朋友走了，走的时候连张照片都没留下。他希望自己至少能有张照片。

Liu agreed and took a photo for him. "He got emotional and said a million thank-yous when I gave it to him," Liu said. "The other seniors were also interested in it. An old lady shed tears and said it was her first photo in over two decades, which was overwhelming. I was deeply moved and decided to carry on."

刘国壮一口答应，给老人拍了照。“当时我给他送照片的时候他特别激动，连声说谢谢”，他说，“其他老人看了之后也想要张照片。有位大娘说，我有二十多年没照过相了，你给我照张照片我太感动了，一边说眼泪就流下来了。我当时非常感动，所以我要把这个事情继续做下去。”

At first, Liu thought it was just fulfilling someone's wishes, having no idea that it'd turn out to be an urgent job.

一开始，刘国壮只是想满足老人的愿望，怎料，为老人拍照这件事，比他想象的更为迫切

"There's an auntie who was in good health last year," Liu said. "She always chatted with me, asking me to take more photos so she could send some to her child in another city. She's been bedridden when I was there a while ago. I feel bad for her. The director of the nursing house told me that six people have passed away since I left there last year, whose last portraits were all my works."

“有一个阿姨，去年的时候身体还非常健康，一直在我旁边，让我陪他唠嗑，让我给她多照相，多洗几张给她在外地的孩子。但前段时间我去的时候，她就已经瘫痪在床了，我心里非常难受，”刘国壮说，“院长也说，去年拍完片到现在，已经有六个老人去世了，但是呢，他们用的遗像都是我给拍的。”

Photos courtesy of Liu Guozhuang

Once, he was only late for one hour and lost the chance to deliver the photos in person.

甚至有一次，仅仅晚了一个小时，刘国壮没能把照片亲手送到老人手上。

Afterward, he decided not to waste a minute. "We develop the pictures as soon as possible and make sure they get them in three days. We don't want them, or us, to leave any regret. You never know what comes first."

所以，他想，不管做什么事情，一定要趁早。“我们照完之后尽快把照片给洗出来，基本上三天之内送到老人手里头。这样我们照完没有遗憾，毕竟有的老人今天瞅着很健康，不知道什么时候就突然走了。”

The nursing homes that Liu visits more often are in the suburbs, where most seniors have no family anymore to rely on. "Although fewer old people worry about their material life, some of them may feel empty inside. I don't take photos for money, but make them feel being cared about. That's why they value the photos so much."

刘国壮常去拍摄的敬老院，更多地处在郊区等比较偏僻的地方，因为那里孤寡老人更多，需要的关怀更多。“很多老人现在不愁吃不愁穿，但内心是空虚的。我给他们拍照，这个意义不是拿多少钱买的。一张小小的照片，能让他们感受到他人的关怀，所以他们非常珍惜。”

Nonetheless, it's not an easy job. Some of the old people may feel reluctant. Some couldn't stop shaking long enough to make a pose. Liu would stand on the chair for the best angles of bedridden seniors. For everyone of them, Liu captures their brightest smiles.

给老人们拍照还有一定难度。有的老人可能会抵触；有的老人因为身体原因，摆不出相应的姿势，或者身体一直抖动；有的老人瘫痪在床，需要刘国壮站在椅子上寻找合适的角度。但无一例外地，刘国壮都会定格他们最灿烂的笑容。

An elderly woman receiving her photo

The seniors in the nursing homes treat Liu as a family member. "An auntie there, who used to be a teacher, has cerebellar atrophy," Liu said, "She basically can't remember anything in a blink. When I gave her the photos and asked if she remembered me, she smiled, saying 'Of course, you were the one who took photos for me.' I didn't expect that. Neither did the director, who was speechless. She looked at the photos carefully, before she put them on the bed, her eyes fixed on them. She seemed to really love them."

敬老院的老人们把刘国壮当亲人一样对待。“有个大姨，原先是一个老师，她患的是小脑萎缩，转身之间就能把人忘了，不记事儿。我给她送照片的时候，问她还认识我吗，她瞅着我笑了笑说，我认识你，你是给我照相那个。说完这句话，旁边的院长都愣了。”这情形让刘国壮没有想到，“当时我把照片给她之后，她左看看右看看，放在自己床上最佳位置在那看，特别喜欢。”

"Taking photos is as easy as pie for young people, but it may be the last memories of the elderly in the world," Liu said. So far, he has taken photos for over 1,000 old people. He believes that what he does is nothing special. Even though he may occasionally fail in the race against time, the smiles of these old people continue to be the best reward for him.

“对年轻人来说，拍照是一件非常简单的事情；但对老人来讲，拍照也许是他们最后的一点印记。” 到现在，刘国栋已经为1000多位老人拍过照片。他认为这只是一件普通而平凡的事情，只要坚持下去就有意义。哪怕这场和时间的赛跑也许并不顺利，但能跑赢一次，看到一位老人的笑容，就是值得的。

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