THOMAS CHU PHOTO

Photography Tutorial · 2020-01-05

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful!

Thomas Chu Photo

Good photography doesn't come easily.

To capture a great set of photos, photographers often need keen observation, outstanding aesthetic sense, detailed planning, meticulous post-processing and editing — and, of course, long-term persistence.

Today, focusing on the theme of the Forbidden City, Thomas has selected and recommended the work of 4 photographers he admires.

The Forbidden City — probably everyone who has visited Beijing has toured it. So what makes these photographers' work different from the tourist snapshots in our phones?

Photographer: Ms. Guoguo (蝈蝈小姐)

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 1

Photographer Ms. Guoguo (蝈蝈小姐) is an antique-style portrait photographer I've followed for a long time. Her several series on the Forbidden City are all impressive.

Composition with rich storytelling, delicate textures reminiscent of gongbi painting, soft colors as if drawn from pigments, and models with exquisite styling — all these fill her images with artistic atmosphere.

The red-and-green palette cleverly blends the models with the architecture, while the yellow-toned backdrop makes everything feel as if it were painted on paper.

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 2 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 3 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 4 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 5 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 6 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 7 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 8 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 9 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 10 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 11 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 12

Finally, Ms. Guoguo (蝈蝈小姐) is also a generous photographer who shares many shooting and post-processing tips on Zcool and Weibo — such as how to photograph the Forbidden City without people in the frame.

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 13

Thomas has summarized these tips simply:

Book tickets online in advance and prepare well

Make use of early morning and late evening times, avoiding the popular routes

Make good use of low angles and telephoto lenses for framing

Patiently wait for gaps between walking tourists

Post-processing

Those who are interested can visit the original article links below to learn about the photographer's detailed experience:

https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404251984403243747

Liu Shun'er Niu (刘顺儿妞)

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 14

Photographer Liu Shun'er Niu's (刘顺儿妞) photos reflect her girlish heart everywhere.

Through telephoto close-ups and lively elements arranged in the frame, Liu Shun'er Niu's (刘顺儿妞) Forbidden City is no longer an imposing royal palace — she shows us the clean, lively, and lovely side of the palace.

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 15 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 16 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 17 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 18 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 19 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 20 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 21 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 22 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 23 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 24 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 25

Su Tangshi (苏唐诗)

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 26

There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes — and there should be a thousand Forbidden Cities in a thousand photographers' lenses.

After viewing the work of the two female photographers, let's see what the Forbidden City looks like through a male photographer's eyes.

Photographer Su Tangshi (苏唐诗) is a police officer by day, but also a photographer obsessed with ancient architecture. Over 6 years, he made more than 40 trips to Beijing and took over 30,000 photos of the Forbidden City.

Composition techniques such as layering, occlusion, reflection, framing, and perspective are mastered by him to perfection. The Forbidden City under his lens is majestic, dignified, and grand, while the storm clouds and golden light that often appear in his frames add a sense of mystery to the palace.

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 27 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 28 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 29 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 30 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 31 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 32 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 33 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 34 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 35

Driven by love and passion, Teacher Su has photographed persistently over the years, and this year he gathered his work into a book: "Seeing a Different Forbidden City" (《看见，不一样的故宫》).

Ziyeniao PHOTO (子夜鸟PHOTO)

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 36

As someone who bought his first camera only at the end of 2016, Ziyeniao's (子夜鸟) photos are astonishing.

Besides color palettes and framing full of Eastern aesthetics, Ziyeniao (子夜鸟) also puts great effort into editing, layout, and sequencing of his photos.

For photos to leave a deep impression, in addition to shooting and post-processing, the final presentation is also very important.

Offline presentation must consider paper, lighting, print size, and so on.

For online presentation, the pairing, ordering, and display of different photos also matter, reflecting the photographer's aesthetic pursuit.

The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 37 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 38 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 39 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 40 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 41 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 42 The Forbidden City Through These Photographers' Lenses Is Unbelievably Beautiful! · Fig. 43

That's all for today's 4 photographer recommendations from Thomas. Everyone is welcome to follow their work on Weibo.

In the future, Thomas will continue to recommend outstanding photographers and work from home and abroad. You're also welcome to recommend photographers you like in the comments.

Other Photography Recommendations:

"Why Did These Photos Win National Geographic Photography Awards?" (《这些照片为什么能拿到国家地理摄影大奖？》)

"5 Landscape Photographers Most Worth Following on 500px" (《500px上最值得关注的5位风光摄影师》)

"The Stunning Photos You See Every Day Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg of Landscape Photography" (《你天天看的大片，其实只是风光摄影的冰山一角》)

"A Visual Feast: The 101 Most Beautiful Nature and Landscape Photos of 2018" (《视觉盛宴，2018年最好看的101张自然风光照片》)

"Don't Know How to Shoot Without Red Clouds? Check Out These 3 Landscape Photographers~" (《没有红云就不知道怎么拍？不妨关注一下这3位风光摄影师~》)

"The Best Style Is Perfection: 4 Niche Landscape Photographers Worth Following" (《最好的风格就是极致，4位值得关注的小众风光摄影师》)

"Tired of Tourist Snapshots on Your Travels? 4 Creative Photographers Recommended" (《旅行只会拍打卡照？推荐4位脑洞大开的摄影师》)

"Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot!" (《手机也能出大片？看看这些万里挑一的照片都是怎么拍的吧！》)

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(The images in this article are referenced from photographers' social platforms or public reports, and permission has been obtained for their use.)

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