Worldwide Photo-walk in Shanghai, China

Those of you following me on Twitter and Facebook probably know that last Saturday, I attended Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk in Shanghai, China. Scott is the president of the Kelby Media group and has published an amazing number of books on photography and Adobe software like Photoshop and Lightroom. Three years ago he started a Worldwide Photowalk to promote one of his new books. The yearly event quickly grew to the largest photo-walk in the world, with walks organized all over the globe in 1111 places and attracting a total of more than 33000 attendees! Needless to say, Scott only attends one walk and unfortunately it was not the one in Shanghai!

Sorry, yes I can hear you ask, "what exactly is a photowalk"? It is a walk by a group of photographers (30 to 50) along a pre-planned track where all participants are asked to shoot images of things they encounter along the track. People normally split up in smaller groups or might even walk individually. Photographers of all caliber can attend. Including people shooting with compact cameras. After the walk, a social event like lunch or dinner is organized where people can check-out each-others photographs and talk photography! At a later stage images are put up on a Flickr site to be shared with the community. Because of work commitments I could not attend the Dubai one but I happened to be in Shanghai where I was able to participate with 35 other photographers. US citizen, John Luker, living in Shanghai did a great job organizing the event. Thanks John!


Old and new 1 Shanghai, China
We started at the Jian-An temple. An excellent architectural mix of old and new.


Security at work, Shanghai, China


It was noticeable that the Chinese people were not very willing to be photographed. This is in sharp contrast with the people from the Subcontinent (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan) who would do everything to jump in front of the camera. Nevertheless this security guy did give me a quick smile!


Watching the world go by!  Shanghai, China
Right after I made this picture the women closed the door. Surely would have liked to shoot some more.


Waiting for the start, Shanghai, China
These guys waiting for the traffic lights were a perfect subject. Even though I did shoot several frames, I did not manage to have all 3 guys looking towards the camera.


Dumpling shop, Shanghai, China
Throughout the walk I really wanted to give a China feel to each and every image I shot. I hope that this women preparing dumplings full-fills my vision.


ready for a sprint? Shanghai, China
Cars are now much more common in China than a few decennia ago, but bi and tri-cycles are still very much present wherever one looks. 


Free wireless? Shanghai, China
Every time I go back to China, I realize how much the country has changed. An excellent example is this child surfing the net on a modern notebook. Looks like he knows where to get the free wifi...


The images of all participants of the Shanghai 2010 Photo-Walk can be found in this Flickr group or for a better viewing experience through Flickriver.


For my own Shanghai gallery click here.


Remember, "wherever you go, there you are!"


Click that shutter,
BJORN






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