Jan 24 2012 5:44 pm
Notes from LMS team: Finding a place to exhibit your work is one of the most challenging aspects of fine art photography. Here at LMS we would like to start exhibiting the work of our members in a form of a Photo Essays. Today we start with Jimmy Phua's " Traveling China". If you have a complete body of work that you would like to showcase on LMS, put it together in pdf file and send it to us for consideration. Once every month we will select and publish the most interesting one. Submit your photo assay to info@learnmyshot.com
Traveling China By Jimmy Phua:
In the year 2011, I took a trip to China. It was my first trip to that fascinating country. Before I embarked on my journey I did a little research about the history of places I was going to visit and made a good plan. Having a plan and knowing some background about a place will greatly enhance your photography experience.
Being able to tell a story through my photographs has always been the aim of my travel. It is important to observe and learn about your subject and it's environment before taking a photograph.
Temple of Heaven kept clean.
One of my favorite architectural structures in Beijing is The Temple of Heaven. It’s a place wherethe Emperor offered his sacrifice to the heaven for good harvest. The most fascinating thing about this temple is that it was made entirely of wood.
Lama Temple
Frame within a frame is simple technique used to isolate your subject. In the above photo Itried to frame it with the surrounding trees.
Confucius temple.
Elderly playing cards during their pastime along the walkway to the Temple of heaven
Forbidden city walkway, 2011 Jimmy Phua
The Forbidden City has been a subject for many photographers. In my photo I wanted do something different and highlight the line of perspective along the Forbidden walkway. I felt the crack on the floor made an interesting foreground .
Outside the Forbidden City, street vendors selling Chinese sausage
Tianjin is a small city about a 30 minute train ride southeast from Beijing. I love this city, it has a mix of European and Asian architecture. A great place to visit if you are visiting Beijing. If time is a factor for you, a day trip to Tianjin will be a bit easier to do.
Tianjin 2011
The Summer Palace was the biggest highlight of the entire trip. It was so peaceful and calm. I could understand why the Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to stay there.The palace offered numerous opportunities for photography. In truth, it’s a photographer’s haven.
Garden in the Summer Palace
I often like to include people in the photo to give a sense of the scale of the building.
This is one of the many Bridges in the Summer Palace.
A visit to China can never be completed without visiting one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. There are many sections of the Great Wall. The most visited section is the Badaling Great Wall. There is even a cable car ride to get you to the top. I wasn’t entirely impressed with such novelty. However, when the cart brought me up and I was able to face the Great Wall, I had forgotten all about the cheesy ride and was overwhelmed by the magnificence of the place.
Badaling Great Wall of China,
Tip for a pleasant photography trip:
Travel light and bring the gear that suits your shooting style. if you are a landscape photographer you might want to bring your wide-angle lens. However there are times where you want to photograph local people, then a portrait lens might come in handy.
Always bring extra memory cards and batteries. You will run out of juice faster than you can imagine. Travel is highly rewarding and enlightening. It helped me learn about places, get to know other cultures and improve my photography. Sharing images of my travels is the biggest reward. I want to thank Sasha and the rest of LMS team for allowing me to share my travel experience and images with LMS community.
Have you traveled recently? Please post your travel shot and share one of your tips.
This photo essay was shot by Jimmy Phua. Jimmy is an elementary school teacher from Singapore. Connect with Jimmy via Facebook
Learn My Shot is welcoming Photo Essays from members. To submit yours reach out via Contact Form
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