Second day in China. I had no idea where I was, woke up, looked at the view from my apartment which is just buildings stacked on buildings going down forever, and decided to book a DiDi to a fish market I'd found while scrolling around the night before. The ride took half an hour and cost me 11 yuan. That's 1 euro 30. Insane.
I had the Viltrox 28mm on, which is basically a pancake lens. So small you forget it's even on the camera. Perfect for a day of just wandering and seeing what happens.
The market that kept giving
The fish market itself was already a goldmine. Animal carcasses, fish everywhere, vendors setting up stands, that nice diffused light coming through the plastic sheeting. Something I love about street photography is finding those textured plastic surfaces where the light just reflects in a really nice way. Adds so much vibe to a frame.
One thing I noticed straight away in Chengdu, there are barely any Western tourists. You feel like everyone's looking at you, but at the same time no one really cares. People are just working, doing their thing. That makes it way easier to shoot honestly, because nobody's posing for you.
Then I climbed up to the upper levels and found this rooftop bit where you could see the market below and skyscrapers in every direction. Felt like some dystopian cyberpunk city. I framed up a shot with a blue roof in the corner and waited for someone to walk through. That's the whole game with a 28mm, you've got to get close and you've got to be patient.
Letting go of the photo you came for
After the market I walked over to People's Park. The whole reason I went was because I'd seen photos of old men playing the Chinese version of chess and I really wanted that shot. Walked around for ages. Didn't find a single game.
Honestly this is the biggest thing I've had to learn with photography over the years. If you get too attached to one specific photo, you'll walk right past everything else. I got a great shot of a guy with his little metal balls he was rolling around. I got a bird being a surprisingly good model. I got a frame through a window with a subject walking in at the right second. None of that happens if I'm tunnel-visioned on chess players.
Ending the day on a rooftop I wasn't supposed to be on
Later I wandered into some random building near a Buddhist tourist spot and just kept going up levels. Found cool window frames to shoot through on the way. Got to the top and it turned out to be a restaurant with an open rooftop. Exactly the view I was hoping for. Compressed buildings stacked on buildings, a crosswalk way down below that I tried a long exposure on by resting the camera on a railing.
By the end of the day I was wrecked, but I always feel like when I'm on a photography trip I just want to send it. Don't go back to the apartment because you're tired. Stay out, keep shooting.
So if you take anything from this, it's the chess players thing. Go to your location with an idea, sure, but the second you realise it's not happening, look around. The shot you actually came for is usually not the one you go home with.
Watch the full video on YouTube.