Click here to view the embedded video.

I was surprised to learn the other day that a friend of mine and fellow photographer, Lance Rosenfield, had made it onto CNN. I wasn’t surprised that he was in the limelight because he is an excellent photographer…see proof here and here.I was surprised  because he was on CNN since he had just been detained and harassed whilst on assignment photographing a BP oil refinery in Texas.

The above video is an interview with Lance from the Anderson Cooper show on CNN a couple of days ago. Lance outlines his experiences of being followed by the police, detained and quizzed after having taken pictures of the refinery.

It’s understandable that sights such as this will be sensitive to people randomly turning up and taking photographs. It’s equally understandable that they may stop people and ask what they are doing. What isn’t understandable is the way that those people can then be treated by the authorities as was outlined by Lance in his interview. The fact that Lance’s personal information was given to BP security by the police, despite his protests, is worrying. The fact that he was also intimidated by the threat and subsequent arrival of a Homelands Security Officer sounds excessive and uncalled for. Was this really needed when I am sure Lance outlined he was a professional photojournalist working for a reputable publication?

It’s seems this is another in a long line of conflicts between photographers and the authorities with the photographers normally ending up on the wrong side, being treated unfairly and with an excessive amount of suspicion. To be honest, I am not sure of the extent that this happens to photographers in the US on a daily basis. In the UK however it has been a contentious issue for some time now with a series of reported cases of photographers being harrassed and detained for photographing in public places mainly under the auspices of the ‘Terrorism Act’. Have a look at the video below from the Guardian News website from December last year showing the terrible treatment a student photographer received whilst out photographing in central London.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Active campaigning by large portions of the photography community in the UK against this kind of police behavior led to the excellent “I’m a Photographer Not a Terrorist” Campaign which culminated in January with a mass rally in Trafalgar Square in London. Constant pressure by photographers about the increased occurrence of this behavior towards them by the police, coupled with further campaigning, led to the determining that a certain section within the Terrorism Act that was mainly being used against photographers was deemed in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. It was an impressive victory but cases are still popping up from time to time about the excessive treatment issued against photographers by the authorities.

Wherever we are in the world, it’s an important issue to stay aware of and we must continue to defend our right to photograph in public places without the fear of harassment, detention or worse. Hats off to Lance for doing exactly that.

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim men worshiping at Niu Jie Mosque during Eid ul-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

During our workshops over the past few months, I have often been asked the question “Where is the best place in Beijing to photograph….?” Now, you can insert pretty much anything you like into the last part of that question, as queries have come in to me about a myriad of different things. So, I thought it would be interesting to start a new series of posts that answers some of these questions about where I think are the best places to photograph in Beijing.

I have chosen Beijing for this focus, purely because I have lived in this city for nearly 4 years and like to think I have a good idea where things are and where are the best places for taking pictures. I would like to expand this concept to other cities in China, but I’ll start with my ‘home’ city first.

So, for the first part of these new posts, I answer the question “Where is the best place in Beijing to photograph…religion?”

CHINA. Beijing. A woman selling Muslim clothing in the area 'Niu Jie' during Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

I decided on this question as the first for this series because it immediately struck me as the one with the most obvious answer… Niu Jie (牛街), or in its literal translation, cow street, is the center of Beijing Muslim community and is one of the most interesting and eclectic areas of the city.

I first discovered this area in the autumn of 2005, on my very first trip to Beijing. I was staying in a hostel in the central hutongs south of Tiananmen Square at the time and found out about this area through a member of staff at the hostel who I had befriended (on a completely different note, always make friends with local hotel staff as they will invariably provide you with interesting tips about places off the beaten tourist path…I digress). My new friend from the hotel told me of this very unique area within walking distance that I should try to visit, if I wanted a different Beijing experience.

With map in hand, I headed out to find this area. Located directly south of ChangChun Jie (长椿街) subway station, ‘cow street’ was very easy to find. As soon as I turned a corner into the street, I was welcomed by an array of vendors selling snacks and treats from the back of their 3-wheeled bicycles slash mobile mini-stores. What struck me first was their appearance in that they were all wearing pleated hats, typical of Muslim men.

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim men at Niu Jie Mosque during Eid ul Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. 2005

As I walked through the area, I peered into local shops with Arabic writing daubed above the doorways and started to tentatively take pictures. I say tentatively because photographing in areas where religion is very evident, demands a respectful and sensitive approach. You must gauge quickly whether people are happy to have their photograph taken and observe carefully when it is not welcomed. Saying this, I found most people to be more than happy to be photographed as long as I smiled, made eye-contact and approached people in an unthreatening manner.

Luckily when I was there, it was during the festival of Eid ul-Fitr, a festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. At this time, hundreds of Muslims celebrating the end of fasting for the month, throng the streets. It made for a wonderful spectacle and experience for me walking and photographing amongst the people in attendance.

CHINA. Beijing. Muslim women at Niu Jie Mosque. 2005

As an added bonus for myself, I was welcomed into Niu Jie Mosque, maybe the most famous of all mosques throughout China, to photograph on that day. How did I manage this? Just by befriending a local who saw my camera and gestured to me  to enter the mosque, an action I would not have taken had I not been invited. Once inside the mosque, I wandered amongst the worshipers as they went about their prayers and celebrations. In this situation you have to keep your presence down to a minimum, as much as possible. You make small movements, you move slowly, all in a way not to disturb at all the people and events that are taking place.

In this post you can see many of the pictures that I took at Niu Jie. It really is a fascinating area in Beijing, which isn’t visited as much as many other spots. If you have time and are looking for a somewhat different side to Beijing, Niu Jie is well worth an afternoon of exploration.

Have you visited Niu Jie? What were your experiences? Are there other areas of interest like this in Beijing?

Chinese New Year Workshop | White Cloud Temple

February welcomed a very unique time of the Chinese calendar; Chinese New Year. To mark the most important holiday of the year, we decided to run a special workshop to coincide with the celebrations in Beijing.

Claire | White Cloud Temple Fair

On 16th February we headed to the White Cloud Temple in XiCheng District. This spectacular Taoist temple is over 1000 years old and is one of the city’s hidden cultural gems. It served as the perfect backdrop for us to explore and photograph traditional celebrations in the capital.

Marina | White Cloud Temple Fair

This post features a selection of photos taken on the day. Thanks to Marina and Claire for making it a fun afternoon!

Marina (left), Sean (center) and Claire (right) | White Cloud Temple

Claire photographing a temple visitor | White Cloud Temple

From Left to Right: Jessica, Sean, Pip, Ross, Rita, Fredrik, Eva, Andrea, Alexia

Last Sunday saw the 4th in our series of Hutong Photography Workshops. We had nearly a full class with nine students attending; Jim, Pip, Ross, Andrea, Daphne, Eva, Rita, Alexia and Fredrik.

Andrea, Eva and Rita

The day started at 10 a.m. with everyone finding their way to the Far East International Youth Hostel with no problems. We got into the morning class and straight way found that everyone was at a similar level and wanted the same things out for the day together.

Daphne, Fredrik, Eva and Alexia

Our first afternoon session shooting turned out to be longer than expected as everyone became increasingly fascinated with life in the hutongs. It was a typical day in this unique area of central Beijing and students were offered photo-opportunities at every turn in the maze-like alleys. Editing sessions after the first shoot and in the later half of the afternoon offered students a chance to talk about the photos they were creating and how they could improve.

Ross and Pip

As the afternoon went on, the temperature dipped quickly but everyone was still enthusiastic about trying to get that ‘one last shot’. As the snow fell and the fireworks went off at the end of the day, another successful Hutong Photography workshop came to and end.

Fredrik, Sean and Andrea

Jessica and I want to express a big thanks to Jim, Pip, Ross, Andrea, Daphne, Eva, Rita, Alexia and Fredrik for making it a very interesting and special workshop!

Ross, Pip and Jim making notes in class.

Andrea and Alexia

Class editing session

Jim and Sean

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Cadres | Beijing | China | 2007

This week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ was a shot taken as part of the ‘One Night in Beijing’ shoot for the Immersion Guides to Beijing in 2007. Exactly one year before the beginning of the Olympic Games in Beijing, photographers all across the capital were commissioned to head out onto the streets to capture images that represented the city at night.

It was an interesting shoot and the result was a very nice book which showed off many of the eclectic pictures captured from that night. The above picture from a club in the city didn’t actually make the final edit but I always liked it due to the intense colours and the contrast between the Long March Cadres on the wall and the revellers dancing.

The Guardian Newspaper | UK

With today’s post, I wanted to give readers an insight into the day-today shooting of a pro-photographer. I’ll be talking about something that is a key skill for working photographers, especially those who work on-assignment usually to tight or restrictive deadlines. When you are working as a photographer, it is of paramount importance that when you are assigned to a job, you ‘get the shot’ that your client wants.

Most editors/clients have little patience for excuses such as ‘the light wasn’t good’, ‘i didn’t have the right lense’, ‘the atmosphere wasn’t right for a picture’ etc. These are poor excuses and a client hires you because they expect you to overcome these obstacles and get the picture, because it’s your job to deliver.

About 18 months ago, I got a call from the Guardian Newspaper from the UK for a 1-day assignment. At that time, the country was panicking about a recent health scare involving a potentially harmful substance in milk products, called melamine, which was especially harmful to children. My brief was to get a portrait of a child (and parent preferably) who was suffering from melamine poisoning.

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I went to the Beijing’s Children Hospital, early in the afternoon. Although I was unsure of the specific lighting situation in our ultimate destination I tried to guess what it would be like i.e. indoors, fluorescent lighting maybe, natural lighting from a window possibly etc. This enabled me to set-up so that I wouldn’t have to change too many settings once we arrived.

Eventually I arrived in one room with about four or five children and their parents. There was one lady who was there with her grandson who was suffering kidney problems, as a result of melamine poisoning. The lady was happy to talk and gave me permission to photograph her grandson. I knew I had to work fast. For one, I was a non-Chinese with a professional looking camera in my hand, secondly there was a large window on one side of the room which went directly into the nurse’s station.

In this post, I have posted the 17 frames that I managed to shoot before we were (politely but sternly) told to leave. The first 7 frames were shot as soon as I got into the room in the space of about 30 seconds. In the 8th frame (IMG_5027) you can see that my angle changes. This is because I was forced to stand from a crouching position as a nurse walked into the room and questioned us. It was quite clear that we were going to be asked to leave. So, as I stood and listened to nurse talk (on my right), I folded my arms and positioned my camera to aim at the grandmother and child (on my left) and shot 10 more frames without drawing the nurse’s attention. This period lasted no longer than a minute and then we were asked to leave.

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I was quite nervous after we left as I was unsure if I had ‘got the shot’. This was a new client and I had not time to check my pictures as I went, as I would normally do. Some portrait shoots are short, but a minute and a half? With over half of the pictures taken without looking? It was going to be a close call.

I sent all the pictures to the client and they chose the very last picture (IMG_5036) of the 17 picture sequence to run with their article. This was the picture taken a fraction of a second before we had to leave from my hip without looking. Luck? Well, I like to think that experience meant that I was prepared (technically) before I got in the room to act quick. Also, when positioning the camera under my arm and not looking, I knew my camera and lense well enough that I could position the subject within the frame without looking. The autofocus was on because as I was working quickly and the autofocus ‘beep’ was switched off, as it normally is, so no attention was drawn when shooting the extra shots. All of these combined to get the shot.

I hope the above information helps, in terms of trying to get a shot under pressure. The main points I want to highlight are (i) to know your equipment to the point where you can use it blinfolded (ii) try to anticipate the shot and shot location before you get there and set yourself up accordingly  (iii) act quickly, in preparation and when the subject appears (iv) try to squeeze out that one last shot if you aren’t convinced you got it, or you need to ‘cover your bases’.

Interestingly, as a side note, I was contacted a day later my another newspaper, this time in Australia. They wanted to use the image seen in the Guardian. I sent through the picture, plus a  few other images from the sequence. They decided to go with a different picture (IMG_5032). Lesson? Different editors may go for different pictures. Always give them a choice. Even if you only have 17 frames to work with!

The Age | Australia

White Cloud Temple | Baiyun Guan

On Saturday night, the skies lit up with fireworks above most Chinese cities, signifying the start of China’s most special holiday of the year: Chinese New Year.

For the next week Chinese families will spent most of the time eating, drinking, visiting family members, catching up with old friends and heading to many of the temple fairs that are taking place. This week’s ‘Photo(s) of the Week’ come from the White Cloud Temple in Beijing. This Taoist temple is over a thousand years old and is one of the locations for Beijing’s most interesting celebrations during this special week.

The photo at the top is of people rubbing chinese characters, in order to gain luck, fortune, prosperity etc. from the character of corresponding meaning.

White Cloud Temple | Baiyun Guan

The second image is taken within the grounds of the temple and is of two young girls, dressed up in their finest new year clothes.

We’re very excited to be returning to this temple tomorrow for our special Chinese New Year Photography Workshop where students will have the chance to capture the unique celebrations at this special temple. I wish all readers of my blog a happy and prosperous new year of the Tiger! 虎年快乐！

St Mark's Square | Venice | Italy

This week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ is one that I have dug out of my archive from possibly the most photographed city of all time…Venice, Italy.

I made the obligatory photographers/travellers pilgrimage to this city for a short weekend break and was overcome, mostly by the hordes of visitors there at the same time as me. Luckily, I had a good friend who was a local, who was able to steer me away from some of the more heavily visited areas.

When you visit a place like Venice, which is photographed constantly, it is sometimes hard to create something that is perceived as unique or different. You try to avoid visual cliches that have been reproduced by hundreds of other photographers before you.

Whilst I was happy with a lot of my photos, my favourite photo actually came from the most visited part of the city, St Mark’s Square. As anyone who has visited the square will know, it is normally inhabited by large numbers of pigeons all vying for the food which tourists happily feed them. This one girl donned in a cat’s mask, patiently waited in what almost seemed like a trap for the unsuspecting avian residents. Did she catch any? I can’t remember but it was fun to watch as she created this visual idiom before me.

Chinese New Year Special Workshop: White Cloud Temple Fair

February welcomes a very unique time of the Chinese calendar; Chinese New Year! To mark the most important holiday of the year, we are running a special workshop to coincide with the celebrations here in the nation’s capital. We continue in the vein of trying to introduce our workshop participants to less-visited and authentic locations, therefore will be holding this workshop at the White Cloud Temple, in XiCheng District on Tuesday 16th February from 11:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. This spectacular Taoist temple is over 1000 years old and is one of the city’s hidden cultural gems. It will be the perfect place for photographing the true, authentic and traditional new year celebrations. To find out more details about how to join us on this special workshop, please head to our workshop page here.

For those of you leaving Beijing for the holidays and won’t have a chance to attend the Chinese New Year workshop, do not worry! The increasingly popular Hutong Photography Workshop is back again on Sunday 28th February from 10:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. and will again offer participating students the chance to explore the maze-like hutongs whilst improving their photography. We were delighted to learn that this month a former student from this workshop was featured in Beijing City Weekend Magazine talking about her experiences taking this class. Read a snippet of her interview here and then find out how to book your place here through our workshop page.

We look forward to seeing you!

IKEA Beijing

This week I posted a new gallery on my main portfolio site titled “A Modern Life”, which I’d like to invite you to view in the China gallery.

It’s a small set of photos which I did for a magazine earlier last year, which I have only just got around to featuring now. The feature is on the subject of IKEA, the Swedish furniture superstore, in Beijing. This is possibly an odd topic of choice for a feature you may think however IKEA has become a symbol for modern living in Beijing with hundreds of Chinese people streaming through its doors every day since it opened 10 years ago.

IKEA Beijing

Many visitors aren’t there just for the furniture. IKEA Beijing has become a day-trip destination for some people as they use the beds and couches to lounge around, sit and talk to friends and generally relax and take it easy. For a photographer, it’s a perfect location as people treat showrooms almost as their homes therefore giving you a strange perspective into the daily lives of people.

To view the gallery, please head to my portfolio site here and follow Index>China>A Modern Life