karmakabana

Pout

VLUU NV10, NV10

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 100 Shutter 10/4000

upload_date

Jan, 2015

Views

157

Likes

Awards

Winner in Modern day China Photo Challenge

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

The Enlightenment at the End of the Tunnel

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. I lived there as an expat and was inspired by the cultural submersion and beautiful strange activities on the streets as I would walk home.

Time

This photo was taken on my walk home one afternoon.

Lighting

n/a

Equipment

I was in central China where, when I first arrived, foreigners were few and far between. I could not go anywhere without being stared at by the locals. Most of the time I found it was just simple interest and often shock on their faces. No matter where I went someone was watching. This made photography a challenge. I wanted to share the beauty and intrigue of everyday street life in China, but magic moments were often lost once I got close enough to take a photo. I carried a little NV10 in my hand ready to go all the time. It was all I could afford, but it was handy for quick shots of quirky things like this.

Inspiration

In Zhengzhou, there are more bikes on the road than cars. They zig and zag around other bikers, scooters, pedestrians and through traffic in some sort of fantastic flow of chaos. Many people don't wear helmets. Sometimes there will be four grown men on a bike. Sometimes a child will be standing on the back as the driver darts through the swarm at speeds that make me cringe. There are three-wheeled bikes transporting larger-than-life loads and yet they zoom on by like nobody's business. A father driving his family home, wife sitting "side-saddle" and casually holding her kid with one arm and texting with her other hand. It was shocking,beautiful, terrifying... and annoying. However, I learned the pecking order quickly, and became accustom to the chaos.

Editing

I have edited most of my street photography to Black/White photos. Sometimes I felt the moment I was trying to capture was surrounded in advertisements and color "noise" that just floods the shot. By changing it to a B/W photo, my subject pops and texture is illuminated.

In my camera bag

Now days, I am carrying a Nikon D90, an extra battery and a lens cleaning cloth. I travel light.

Feedback

Travel far. Embrace the beauty of diversity. Try everything... and get it all on camera.

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Behind The Lens

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