A Mixed Bag

I spent a month in Hangzhou after I came out to China. It's a nice place. Quite famous for its lake and tea, and some other things. Anyway. The lake is a big tourist pleaser. And there are thousands of people there. So in an effort to take better pictures of people, it was a good place to start. First couple of sets are in black and white...

I got some good photos of some of the kids by the lake. There were people handing out all sorts of balloons and blowing soap bubbles and what not. It had a good atmosphere

There is a fair amount of pollution in Hangzhou. So you can't really see across the lake, but I have a couple of better pictures where you can get the idea. They're also in colour...

There are a few of these. They're flimsy as hell. I took a ride in one and it was quite a laugh. Business was apparently slow.

I couldn't resist... There is a bike loan scheme in Hangzhou. And there are loads of them.

I was using a fairly decent lense so I got some good shots. I like how this guy is sitting right on the edge of the bench.

Something I Missed

Oh, look. Another bicycle.

This is my last bike shot from Shanghai that I missed. I have no idea what the writing on the wall says. But I like the look of it.

Bicycles

I was in Shanghai for a couple of weeks in October. Some say it's a slightly sanitised version of China, what with all the foreigners. Maybe. Or it's a place doing foreign things the Chinese way. Possibly. I think it's the latter. Anyway. I love it.

I also like taking photos of bicycles. There isn't much that one would say was particularly interesting about them. But something about a bike propped up against a wall is kind of interesting. I was going to put up some pictures that I just thought came out well, but I had a few just of bikes, and I thought well, there were enough for a post on their own.

These are quite a common sight. It's actually an electric bike, but never mind.

I was looking for something completely different. I ended up walking through what seemed like some old school abandoned houses and there was this bike. It's a little too dark, but I didn't have a flash. I like it a fair bit though.

I was actually focusing on the bike in the background and got too much of the foreground. Results may vary.

I should crop this. Just have the bike against the wall. But there is the bike a little further down the street and it's a nice compliment.

Trike in a market. You can't really tell, but it's old. Really old.

Technical difficulties

Some recent photos are apparently not loading properly. But if you click on them, they open up, and you can see the whole thing. Not sure why. These things happen sometimes.

Here's a bicycle for your troubles.

A Bicycle And Bit More (Or The Other Way Around)

I spent some time in Shanghai, China a few months ago. It's actually where I picked up my OM-1. I spent a day out in the markets, and taking in the first sunny day of my time there. These were all taken with a digital camera.


Believe it or not, this is a boulevard in Shanghai. It's in the old French Concession.


China is pretty famous for it's bicycles. This row of scooters and bikes is pretty common all over the place.

I saw this guy sitting on the step of this shop just minding his own business. Asia has an abundance of 'plastic bucket shops'. They are like mini DIY stores. There always stacks of buckets. These ones are full of something I think.

Shanghai has changed a lot over the years. I haven't had the privilege of witnessing it first hand, but it is evident in parts of the city that have yet to give way to high rises. This is down an alley of a market. It's a much more bourgeois market than those of 10 odd years ago. You can sit down and get an Italian coffee here and there. But the buildings give the whole thing a bit of character. Modernity is ever present.

I was lucky (an ongoing theme) to get this shot. I was actually sitting in a taxi and happened to have a camera in my hands. I can't explain why I like this photo. But I just think of China when I see it. Though it could be anywhere, I suppose