shanghai

Qibao Food Stall

Qibao Food Stall
Fuji TX2 (XPAN), 45mm, f/4, 1/60s, ISO 50
Film: Ilford Pan F

I used a roll of Pan F recently in Shanghai. I love that film, but at 50 ISO it’s bloody hard to use, especially on the TX2 which at best will open to f/4. I do plan to do a project on people and motion using Pan F with a tripod but this wasn’t it. I had a few shots left on the roll, so one sunny lunchtime I headed out to Qibao, a water town really close form the center of Shanghai. Probably two close and consequently overcrowded, but I got this shot of the (numerous) food stalls which I quite like.

Important Call

Important Call
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/8, 1/60s, ISO 3200

If there’s one minor quibble I have with the Fuji x100s it’s that the in-built ND filter stays on after you shut the camera off. So when you finish a shoot with the ND on and forget to switch if off then, you start the next shoot with the ND filter on. And since the auto-ISO pumps up the ISO when you have insufficient light, you end up shooting at 3200 ISO in daylight. But the power of the x100s engine is such that even then you get a workable photo, as demonstrated here. There’s many countries in the world now where you could shoot people speaking on mobile phones all day long. It’s certainly the case here, and this one is tame compared to some of the guys driving scooters with cumbersome lateral cargo and still talking on their mobile phone. That’ll be for next time.

Cycling the Streets

Cycling the Streets
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/5.6, 1/450s, ISO 200

Many people have a fantasy view of Shanghai (or China in general for that matter) with bicycles everywhere. Sadly, while this may have been a real sight at the time The Blue Lotus was drawn, and still true when I first came to China in 1995, it no longer is. Electric scooters have replaced bicycles. Still, occasionally you see old people going down the streets on bikes, so it’s not all lost to modernity.

Ancient and Modern

Ancient and Modern
Fuji x100s, 35mm

The clash of ancient and modern is constant in Shanghai, in the people you meet, the trades and daily life in general. In architecture though, there is so little that’s historical that you don’t see it as often. But in Yu Garden of course, you have opportunities to capture that clash, like this one. The skyscraper here is the Maxdo Center, not one of the tallest in Shanghai, but still a massive beast.

Jutting Roofs

Jutting Roofs
Fuji x100s, 35mm

I rarely go abstract on my photography, but I love repetition, and I felt this repetition of roofs was better served by a horizontal line going through them. What do you think ?

The Window in the Trees

The Window in the Trees
Fuji x100s, 35mm

 One of the things that amazes me in Shanghai is how such beautiful and lush trees and grow and thrive despite the city itself and the unbearable pollution. And yet they thrive. Of course, this was in the middle of a garden, but believe me when I say that just on the otherside of a wall not 10 meters away from there is a bustling city full of concrete, cars and street vendors.

The Lion and the Round Door

The Lion and the Round Door
Fuji x100s, 35mm

A scene typical of what you will find in Yu Garden, walking around a corner into a little square. The labyrinth like gardens hide many surprises.

White Toothed Dragon

White Toothed Dragon
Fuji x100s, 35mm

 Yu Garden (aka Yuyuan Garden) is a fantastic place in Shanghai, one of those places that feels completely disconnected from the city, at least when you visit it early in the morning as I did, before the hordes of tourists invade it. One of its amazing features is that it has a series of dragons adorning the top of the walls with the snake-like body and scales running all the way through the whole complex. This is one of the heads of the dragon. This one has recently been to the dentist.

Boxer Short Sunday

Boxer Short Sunday
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/5.6, 1/220s, ISO 200

 Gongqi road is a fantastic place for street shots, and on a sunday morning, in addition to the food stalls and street artisans (cobblers, fixers…) there’s a bonus attendance of old men in boxer shorts. If you’re ever in Shanghai, you’re likely to visit Yu Garden, don’t miss Gongqi road, it’s just a few minutes away.

Former French Concession

Former French Concession
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/4, 1/60s, ISO 1250

 The former French concession is a unique place in Shanghai, but one that I haven’t spent quite enough time in yet. One of its characteristics is that the streets are lined with leafy plane trees which creates a pleasant shade in the sun. Notice the guy driving his scooter with no helmet and texting at the same time…