travel starts with photography

Having spent too much time on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Chen Xing rushed to the last intersection.

It was already dark at this time, but the lights along the road made the area as bright as day. Pedestrians were shoulder to shoulder, and there were many people waiting for the green light on both sides.

Chen Xing came over with his camera hanging, and when he looked up he could see the Bund four-piece set.

The four-piece set refers to the four iconic buildings: the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and the Shanghai Center. Due to their height, they can be seen from a long distance.

After passing the intersection and going up a flight of stairs, the space becomes wider.

The Bund Observation Deck.

The Bund, a name that has appeared in countless film and television works and photographs, is now within reach... No, he is already in this place.

Having seen so many low houses on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, when I suddenly came here and saw the buildings opposite, it was like seeing a group of giants standing proudly opposite the Huangpu River.

Most of the buildings on the other side had their lights on, and it looked no different from the Bund seen in various movies and TV dramas. The only exception was the Oriental Pearl Tower, which was still pitch dark.

But even so, the photos taken are still beautiful.

There is a sturdy guardrail along one side of the Bund Observation Deck along the Huangpu River. Countless tourists lean on it. If it were not sturdy, it would have collapsed long ago, but this guardrail did not shake at all.

On the other side there were flower beds, only a few meters apart. There were so many of them, but even so it was difficult to find a place to sit down as the seats were full of people taking a rest.

The same goes for the road in the middle, people walk back and forth.

There were even people doing live broadcasts, singing at the top of their lungs, singing and dancing, while assistants were using a stabilizer to hold a mobile phone to move the camera and broadcast the live, running from left to right and back again, and were extremely busy.

I don’t know what it would be like to hear him singing in the live broadcast room, but in reality it sounded like a cappella without accompaniment... It sounded particularly bad, like a hoarse duck voice.

Chen Xing walked away from them and found a spot in front of the guardrail, then quickly went up and stood there.

Then take out the portable tripod and attach the camera.

The other three items can be photographed now, but no one knows when the Oriental Pearl Tower will light up, so many people who want to take pictures of the Bund are waiting here.

When deciding to come to Shanghai, Chen Xing looked at the recent weather in Shanghai.

It does look similar to Chengdu, around 6-8 degrees, but when you really get there, you'll find that Shanghai is much warmer than Chengdu.

But it’s different here on the Bund.

The wind on the Bund is particularly strong.

Maybe it was due to the influence of the Huangpu River. The breeze was strong and cold. If you stood here without gloves, your hands would become cold in less than ten minutes.

You can put your hands in your pockets, but the wind will blow on your face all the time.

Chen Xing felt cold after waiting for a while and regretted not wearing a scarf when going out.

Just when he was wondering whether he should go have a meal and come back later, the Oriental Pearl Tower finally lit up, and the picture that Chen Xing had composed early on finally came in handy.

Take a picture first, then wait for a boat.

The same goes for cruise ships, yachts, and cargo ships. As they blew their horns and crossed the Huangpu River, which was reflecting the colorful lights, Chen Xing took the second photo.

However, this ship didn’t look very good, so Chen Xing continued to wait for the ship behind.

He put his hands in his pockets, turned up his collar, and looked at the skyscrapers on the other side of the river, towering into the sky like sharp swords piercing the sky. Looking back, he saw the buildings of various countries standing quietly like frozen history books, carrying the heavy memories of the past years.

The gap between the two sides is so obvious, silently telling the story of the changes in Shanghai over the past century.

At this time, the ferry on the river came. If you want to cross the river or take a boat to experience the scenery of the Huangpu River when you travel to the Bund, you must take this two-yuan ferry, which is economical and can be photographed by countless photographers on the Bund.

The ferry passed slowly, emitting a low whistle.

The lights on the boat illuminated a small area of ​​the river. As the boat moved, the light drew a long track on the river, which was then smoothed out by the water.

The river breeze blew gently, bringing with it a hint of moisture, ruffling Chen Xing's hair.

The shutter sounds.

While Chen Xing was concentrating on shooting, there was a man in his fifties or sixties, dressed very fashionably, staring at him. However, he did not speak until Chen Xing finished shooting and was about to pack up his equipment.

"Boy, you took a great photo."

He saw Chen Xing adjusting the parameters. Since he had a tripod and a shutter release cable, he followed the young man to adjust the parameters. Sure enough, the results were completely different from the previous ones.

The shutter speed and aperture are not fixed in reality.

After all, real light is constantly changing, and it’s useless to just listen to online tutorials. You must understand why the photographer makes adjustments so that you can adjust good photography parameters yourself.

Chen Xing nodded to him: "Thank you."

"Hey, don't leave yet. Do you have time tomorrow? An old friend of mine in Shanghai invited me to visit the Hualong Building. The 27th floor of this building has the best view in the whole of Shanghai. Are you interested in going with me and giving me some guidance?"

Photos of Shanghai from any angle can be found on the Internet, but after all, they are taken by other people.

The old man had never been exposed to photography before, but after retirement he became fascinated with it. He spent a lot of money buying cameras and lenses, and went to the park every day to photograph flowers and birds. This time when he came to Shanghai, he also wanted to take some beautiful photos back.

He still had little knowledge of photography, but he could see that Chen Xing had real talent.

“Best viewing point?”

"Yes, let's add each other on WeChat and meet at the bottom of Hualong Building tomorrow."

Chen Xing didn't know much about Shanghai, so he didn't know if there were any viewing points there.

Anyway, I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I'll go take a look.

Chen Xing also wanted to go to the Peace Hotel, but he couldn't get a reservation and didn't know what to eat, so he went out to have a meal at Uncle Mai next door... He relied on him for food and clothing at the airport, and he didn't expect to have a meal at the Bund too.

The next day, Chen Xing got up when it was almost time for the appointment and took a taxi to the place where he had agreed to meet the old man.

He had searched and found that the 27th floor of Hualong Building was indeed the best location to take photos of the Pudong Four-Piece Set, the only one, but not everyone could go there.

He wanted to go, and of course he could find someone to reveal his identity, but it was too troublesome.

I still like to mix it up.

The old man I met yesterday was already sitting on a bench under the Hualong Building, chatting with a man who looked like a modern luxuriant man. Both of them were holding cameras and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Before Chen Xing came close, the old man saw him and stood up and shouted, "Xiao Chen! Come quickly."

"Uncle Zhou."

The old man who added me on WeChat yesterday is named Zhou Tong. He came from Hangzhou to visit an old friend. He is indeed very interested in photography and wants to join the local photography association in his hometown.

At present, he still doesn't know that he has added a lecturer who just taught a class for the China Photographers Association. (End of this chapter)