Rickshaw drivers in the Fuzimiao Scenic Area

The rickshaw driver’s dress and the tricycle are so prominent and unique in this picture. The main reason I didn’t make them a close-up is to convey more background information and show more of the background story. But nevertheless, I let them occupy the position of the main visual center.

Rickshaw drivers in the Fuzimiao Scenic Area

I am not a pandering person, nor am I very good at catering to the tastes of others. It was in the spirit of being true to my heart that I picked up my camera and went on my photographic journey. But this also means that my photography may be full of more uncertainty. In fact, an adult should be good at making trade-offs between reality and ideals, and must know how to make them. Admittedly, they do make it difficult!

Everyone has a different perspective and aesthetic orientation towards the same picture, which causes different people to interpret the same picture differently. From this picture, you may get what you want. Just as an optimistic person will be glad to see half a glass of milk on the table, a pessimistic person will complain about the reason why there is only half a glass of milk. Of course my analogy is not too exact. Interpreting this example through the lens of pessimism and optimism inherently contains preconceptions about personal values. But what I am saying is that the perspective people use to see things is the main difference in perception.

In fact, you can also see in this picture how difficult it is to make a living. The pedestrians and the rickshaw driver are dressed for a cold winter day. The pale white light reflected on the ground also seems to deepen this visual experience (the sunlight is miserable and weak and does not give warmth). The use of the wide angle of the lens creates a sense of isolation and visual tension between the subject and the surroundings, expressing the isolation and helplessness of the rickshaw driver. And indeed it does. In this dripping cold weather, there is naturally not a single customer, nor any person who comes to talk to him. They had to stay here for an hour, two hours, or even more, compared to those who worked in the warmth of the office.

Cruise on the Qinhuai River

Although this is a close up photo of a cruise ship without much background information, we can still capture some additional information from it to satisfy our visual interest. The ripples on the lake and the water splashes at the stern of the boat indicate that the boat is in motion. The words “Parked in Qinhuai 15” on the hull of the boat indicate that this is a cruise boat of the Qinhuai River scenic area. The overall light and dark shadows in the picture show that the sunlight is shining from the right side at a low angle. In addition, the remaining snow on the top of the boat indicates that it is winter.

Cruise boats running on the Qinhuai River

Indeed it is! At the end of the year 2020 in the solar calendar, a rare heavy snow fell in Nanjing. The Fuzimiao scenic area was covered in silver, and heaven and earth looked so pure and solemn. It was not uncommon for people to come here for sightseeing and photography in the morning after the snow had cleared.

Because the cruise ship is in motion, so I can not think too much must seize the moment in time to shoot. The shooting process went pretty well. What I wanted to convey in this picture – my motive – was mainly from a modern person’s interest in history and retrospection. Of course, the light and dark tones and color contrast in the picture also satisfy my visual interest to a certain extent.

Qinhuai river scenery snow

I know that a good photo is often the result of various coincidences, which of course does not exclude the role of the photographer’s personal qualities. But it is an indisputable fact that a good scene is half the success. Of course, I am not saying that my work is good or successful. Rather, from my personal experience, the importance of the subject matter and the shooting environment for a photo is indeed indispensable.

The Qinhuai River after the snow, the water and the sky are one color

The air in the Fuzimiao Scenic Area after the snow was unusually clear, which is undoubtedly an excellent weather for photographers. Because this can reduce the pollution of the picture due to dust, better restore the original appearance of the subject, so that the picture is more pure and transparent.

And it lived up to the expectations! I tried to take a few photos, they are indeed very different from the usual effect of shooting, the picture is more clean. In order to better express the three-dimensional effect of the Qinhuai River, I removed the telephoto lens and replaced it with a 16mm wide-angle lens to increase the depth of field effect. In addition, I adjusted the camera’s visual mode to “Clear”. In this way, the blue sky and the river surface will show a consistent tone. In order to prevent the tone from being too monochromatic, I also let the nearby boats and the buildings along the river into the picture to make it match the warm and cold.

Please remember that good weather is the only way to get good shots.