Latest Publication – National Geographic – Shanghai

I’m pleased to share with you my latest editorial tear sheet, an image from Shanghai published with National Geographic online for their January 2019 article on Top 10 travel destinations for 2019.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Shanghai on many occasions and I never tire of the distinctive skyline in the Pudong area. For those not familiar with Shanghai, the Pudong area is the main central business district of the city and his home to the now ionic skyline that appears in television advertisements, movies and photographer’s pictures(!).

On this occasion that I was in Shanghai I made the point of getting to the Bund area (which sits opposite Pudong) before sunrise. I knew that the sun was going to rise behind the iconic towers, so I wanted to make sure I was there for the spectacular light that I knew would come, as long as there was no smog that day. I was lucky. The light was fantastic and there was only a little smog in the air.

As it normal for me, I picked a spot I liked with the backdrop and all I had to do was wait for something interesting to happen. I had been photographing some men flying kites on the early morning winds. I had taken a number if images of them flying their kites but one man decided to finish for the morning, or perhaps he was just going to find a better place to fly the kite, so he wandered off along the boardwalk. The backlight from the sun was perfect to catch the colours of the kite and make and interesting and dynamic image, contrasting local life with that iconic skyline.

Want to make a similar image? Make sure you get to the Bund early just before sunrise. Find people doing something interesting such as tai-chi, flying kites, or doing sports. Pick your spot with an interesting composition and wait for the light.