Guangzhou

Guangzhou Editorial Photography - China Electric Car Battery Switching at Better Place in Tianhe

Guangzhou, China Better Place demonstration center by Mayslits Kassif Architects

A few photos from a New York Times assignment at the recently-completed Better Place Switchable Electric Car Experience Center in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.

Tianhe Villages

People walk through a crowded alleyway in Yuancun village, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, ChinaPeople wait to cross a slick street in Cencun, Tianhe District, GuangzhouPeople use wired telephones at a shop in Yuancun village, Tianhe District, GuangzhouA man carts garbage in Cencun village in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.People walk along narrow streets in Cencun village in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.A pool enthusiast poses in Cencun village in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.Cencun village is illuminated at night in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.People eat in a restaurant in Cencun village, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.A remnant portion of old Liedecun village is illuminated at dusk in Guangzhou.A recently-demolished portion of old Liedecun village is illuminated at dusk in Guangzhou.

Like most cities in China, Guangzhou is in a constant state of flux. New projects, new ideas and new forms of cultural identity are constantly displacing what came before. The pace of development is often dizzying; old buildings are torn down to be replaced by new structures in a matter of months or short years.

I'm interested in recording parts of the transformations that occur here on a daily basis; the tension and collision of old and new.

Foshan Product Photography - Furniture Catalog Photos Fresh from the Factory

Lamp detail photographed for a catalog in Foshan, China

Foshan furniture photography is rather popular for me at the moment; the city is essentially a suburb of Guangzhou, where I'm based, and it's status as a world manufacturing hub for sofas, chairs, and other furnishings draws a global audience of buyers keen to make their fortunes exporting from China.

Large furniture are a bit tricky to transport off-site for photography so I end up traveling to Foshan with a van full of photo equipment to set up a portable studio in factory showrooms. Moving bulky arm chairs on and off a white background all day is definitely hard work but is much easier than moving a container load of furnishings to an off-site studio.

Photo Equipment Resources for Photographers in South China - from Guangzhou and Shenzhen to Hong Kong and Macau

Update: I've also published a Hong Kong-specific listing of camera shops and other professional photography resources.

For photographers new to south China, sourcing professional equipment can be difficult. There are small camera shops sprinkled about most large cities (particularly Macau and Hong Kong) but finding suppliers for items more exotic than consumer DSLRs and lenses can be tricky. Many higher-end photo equipment retailers and wholesalers in the area have minimal web resources rendering them nearly impossible to find except through word-of-mouth recommendation.

To aid photographers in Macau, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and neighboring cities, I will do my best to list my favorite photography equipment shops on this page; I don't aim to make this a complete, exhaustive listing but rather a mix of invaluable and interesting area merchants. Should you know of other area photo equipment merchants worth a visit, please do write.

Guangzhou Product Photography - Furniture Catalog Photos in Foshan

Wicker recliner made in Guangzhou, China.

A few photos from a lengthy product photo shoot earlier this year. The day spanned two different furniture factories; one in Foshan and the other in Guangzhou or Foshan, I'm not entirely sure (the two cities merge together somewhat).

Three Chinese Restaurants in Guangzhou

Wall Street Journal China food story and photography screenshot

I had a fun assignment last summer photographing restaurants for the Wall Street Journal. After almost a year, this isn't exactly news, but since I've regularly revisited one of restaurants since then, I thought I might mention it anyway.

Mixing Matcha in Guangzhou

Mixing matcha with a chasen, a bamboo tea whisk.

Photos of the popular green tea powder at a tea shop in Guangzhou.

Tianhe After Dark

Phone booths in an old neighborhood in east Tianhe district, Guangzhou.

A few images from some areas with older dwellings in Tianhe district, Guangzhou, China.

Racing Dragons in Guangzhou

Three men pull a sunken dragon boat out of the pearl river in Guangzhou, China

I enjoyed photographing the dragon boat races in Macau a couple years ago so decided to check out the Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Tournament this year.

I haven't checked the race results, but am guessing that the team in the no. 3 boat didn't do so very well...

Pages