Photos of China

Landscapes	People of China
Landscape photography	Portrait photography

Tips for taking photos around China

The following are tips on sites, places, areas of interest that make great opportunities for photography around China (in order of the towns I visited). Remember China is vast and I only touched this huge country there are many more places that are supposed to be fantastic photography hotspots such as Shanghai and Yangzi river.

Quick links:

Beijing
Hong Kong
Hainan

Beijing (inc Great Wall)

Thankfully I stayed with a couple of friends who lived in Beijing. This was extremely useful as they were able to take me around the various sights and show me hidden Beijing gems.

On first arrival I found Beijing to be another sprawling Asian city. However the more I explored the more my opinion changed. For sure there were areas with dazzling new buildings that took your breath away such as the CCTT building and the birds nest but there were also historic areas and places that were a lot more humble in their ways.

During my first two days in Beijing I followed the tourist trail taking in the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Although it holds historic importance I found that the palaces and royal buildings were not as impressive as other locations round Asia and due to the over-crowding it was just too full on. Two highlights though were the various eloquent gates and the gardens (with trees hundreds of years old). You'll get a few interesing shots walking round the Forbidden City but to get a quality panoramic I suggest going up the hill opposite which (although tiring) is well worth the trip.

The Olympic site was great fun to walk around and photograph. I suggest you go at night when the Birds Nest and Swimming Stadium are lighted up. The Birds Nest in particular was an incredible building to behold and its orange glow contrasted well with the midnight blue sky. There was certainly a buzz and energy around the location and although busy at 20.00 was not too intense. I took some fun slow shutter shots around the various squares which came out well. If you are going at night I would highly recommend you bring a tripod and cable release to achieve photos without camera shake.

To experience a more authentic take on Beijing I recommend hiring a motorised rikshaw so you can really take in all the sights around the various hutons and poorer areas of Beijing.

Of course no trip to Beijing would be complete without a trek to the Great Wall of China. If you are going to remember one piece of advice from this page then take in this - spend some time travelling out to a quieter part of the wall rather than the touristy areas ... and go on a weekday. By following this advice you'll not be hasseled by touts or tourists and get some clear and memorable shots of the wall. I went to the Mutianyu part of the wall which although in areas had been rebuilt still had a lot of its old character about it. Winding through mountains with a great lake in the background this was one experience I won't forget. It took around 2 hours to get out there but was well worth the ride.

Hong Kong

From Beijing I flew to the energetic and exciting city of Hong Kong. Hong Kong really was spectacular; brazen neon signs flood busy steaming side roads and the jungle from the peaks flow into the hundreds of high rise apartments that surround Hong Kong. I would recommend a number of photography highlights that you shouldn't miss.

1/ Harbour laser show. Once a night the Hong Kong tourist board puts on a light show where lasers from skyscrapers shoot off into the nights sky accompanied by bellowing music. Although slightly cheesy the effect is impressive. Make sure you bring your tripod as you'll need shutter speeds of up to 10 seconds.

2/ The peak. Make your way up to Victoria Peak using the peak tram and get ready for a visual feast. During the day the sight is fantastic with the busy port full of junks and ships dwarfed by the mountainous skyscrapers. However at night the scene looks spectacular with thousands of twinkling lights and lasers. Again a tripod is a must and well worth the trips.

3/ I can recommend taking an open-top bus round the various provinces of Hong Kong including Kowloon, Hong Kong island, Causeway bay etc. By sitting at the top of the bus you can get some great perspective shots looking up towards all the fantastic buildings in Hong Kong. The buses also allow you to get off at various stops. I recommend getting off at Ladies Market which is a hustling and bustling market selling all sorts of items. Markets make for great people shots so its worth a venture there.

Hainan

Although not the most popular destination in China I went to Hainan (China's largest island) for some sun and to get away from the smoggy cities. I actually stayed at Sanya, Southern Hainan, and spent a week walking the beaches and heading into the mountains for some panoramic shots of paddy fields and agricultural activities. If you happen to find yourself in Hainan see if you get hook a ride with Mr Berlin the only English speaking taxi driver/guide in that area. He took me to see markets and villages and experience the real side of China. I also took a tour to the Nanshan cultural tourist park which had the worlds largest statue which is located at the end of a long pier. There are a few decent photographic opportunities in the park.

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Useful resource links on China

Lonely Planet - learn all about China. The site is full of great images.
Wikipedia - a great resource for information on China.
China tourist info
Frommers guide to China

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