Monthly:February 2012
Last week I had the opportunity to photograph the Hong Kong author, Chan Koonchung, who has recently sprung to the attention of the international community as a result of the publication of his book, The Fat Years. The Fat Years paints a dystopian picture of China, dissecting the political workings of the country and its implications on the pysche of modern Chinese. I’ve included a couple of images from the shoot, one of which was used online to accompany the […]
Travelling around Beijing today, I spotted these two young students sat on the floor of the subway. Crouched next to one another I couldn’t help but notice that they were doing what seemed to be their English homework, with the student in the background scribbling notes and the other in the foreground looking up words on his cellphone. It’s Sunday afternoon but it was clear that these young students were either coming from, or going to school. This isn’t rare […]
A must watch video about the continued distressing events taking place in Syria at the moment. Released by the UK’s Channel 4 television station and shot by a French photojournalist, going by the name of Mani.
If you happen to look at the Wall Street Journal today, keep an eye out for a few images of mine that are online and in print. I recently had the opportunity to spend the day with Chinese author, Shi Kang, on a shoot for the Wall Street Journal. The story has been published today. Read it here. Shi Kang is a fascinating character. He writes mostly about the disillusioned lives of young Chinese and is now a household name, […]
“I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unkown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner.” – Alex Webb, Magnum Photos *Update – 24th February* – Came across this video today released by Magnum and Leica about Alex Webb’s work in Chicago…
There’s been a fair amount of talk recently about China’s clampdown on ‘western influences’. From the new censorship measures imposed on the number of foreign shows on television, to president Hu Jintao’s recent comments, “we must clearly see that international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of westernising and dividing China.” Strong talk. Living in Beijing, it is pretty clear that western influences are well and truly ‘infiltrating’, in the cities at least. Western movie stars in billboard advertisements […]
Time to edit…yesterday I posted an update en route to a shoot here in Beijing. It was a glorious afternoon in the capital and there was perfect light for the portraits. Now, it’s the morning after the shoot and I find myself in the less glamorous side of photography which takes place mostly in front of the computer…editing. I actually quite enjoy the editing process. The days of waiting for film to be processed are few and far between now, […]
Just to quickly prove that the skies in Beijing are not always grey and awful, this picture was taken a few minutes ago in the city’s downtown CBD. A ‘blue sky day’, for sure. I’m heading to an afternoon portrait shoot. Got to run….
As regular readers of this blog will of noticed, I was in Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, shooting around the city and speaking to students at Hong Kong university. I was just going through some images from the trip and came across this image of Victoria harbor, taken from the 100th(!) floor of the International Commerce Center, the world’s 4th tallest building. If you are in Hong Kong, this is by far the best place to get what […]
“There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and the revelations of great art are equally difficult to define; we can grasp them only in the depths of our perceptive spirit.” – Ansel Adams Learn more about the life and works of Ansel Adams in this excellent PBS documentary…