Hi, I'm just your everyday ordinary citizen who likes taking pictures but has never taken any classes in photography, nor been on any workshops. I've been reading this web site for a while and thought maybe a few people might be interested in my experiences of Beijing, China.
I spent 6 months working in the North West corner of Beijing, an area bounded by where the Olympic park is being built, the 4th and 5th ring roads and Tsinghua University. The Wudaokou train station would be close to the centre of where I started most of my journeys on foot with my camera.
During that time I had some time to get out and about on foot to explore the city. Given that the average visibility level there was 2-3 miles, there weren't so many chances to take advantage of clear sky days.
The pages below were primarily put together for family and friends, hence the text to actually describe what
I see and what's going on there. I'm not quite sure how to classify this style of photography.
If anyone is thinking of going to Beijing, I've got a few thoughts to share.
1) Take a sensor cleaning kit. It is a dusty and dirty city, changing lenses will result in a dirty sensor, especially in the field.
2) To get a good feel for some locations to shoot, take the line 13 train from end to end - it's an above ground railway that does a horse shoe and works its way through some very different areas of the city.
3) Go before 2008, the year of the Olympics. I've been told that there must be no construction work visible that year and I can't help but imagine this "clean city image" will stop there. There is also a bundle of restoration work going on because of the Olympics.
4) If you're staying there for a while, getting a bike with a basket on the front can be a great way to get around the city and carry your camera without the need for a back pack.
5) Get out and around on foot. Get away from the tourist areas.
6) You don't need to speak a lot of Chinese to function there, but don't expect them to speak a lot of English beyond "Hello."
Beijing - Page 1Beijing - Page 2Beijing - Page 3