Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Street Photography in China  (Read 3356 times)

darrenr

  • Guest
Street Photography in China
« on: November 26, 2005, 11:41:26 am »

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 1
Beijing - Page 2
Beijing - Page 3
Logged

Avotius

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9
Street Photography in China
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2005, 12:10:26 pm »

Nice looking set of photos, that advice about taking a sensor cleaning kit, I couldnt agree more, its an absolute must for any serious dslr user in China to have their own sensor brush and kit for taking care of the heavy air. I have been living in Chongqing for the last two years and its been murder on my equiptment, the air in Beijing is absolutle pristine compared to here, afterall I see some blue sky in your photos, here you can barely see a few kilometers, and what you do see if very unclear, this is the city of grey.

I have never been to Beijing but im surpised to see that such a "modern" chinese city is so similar to this one here, horses and bikes overloaded with styrofoam all over the roads, just like here, the only difference is that there are few bikes here since Chongqing is a mountinous city.

I liked what I saw in your photos, looks like you get out and have a look around, its a great way to see the world.

PS. http://avotius.deviantart.com/gallery/ Some of mine from around this side of China.
Logged

pobrien3

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 320
Street Photography in China
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2005, 02:48:24 am »

I travel to China a great deal, but unfortunately get little time to take pictures.  Here are several I took when the pollution was low enough to get half-decent visibility. First is late afternoon in Beijing, the second two are early morning in Shenyang.  Apologies for the cheesy frames!





« Last Edit: November 27, 2005, 07:34:36 am by pobrien3 »
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up