Forbidden City Beijing: How to Take Great Red Flag Photos
Red flags on the ramparts of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
I’ve visited and photographed the Forbidden City on two occasions. It’s a wonderful site that provides a great introduction to the power of former imperial China and to the pampered and cloistered life of Emperors from days past.
The Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, welcomes 15 to 19 million visitors per year, with a daily capacity capped at 80,000. From 1420 to 1924 CE the Forbidden City was the centre of political power in China, functioning as the divine residence for 24 Ming and Qing emperors.
With more than 980 buildings, containing over 8,800 rooms, the Forbidden City encompasses an area of 720,000 sqm.
The palatial complex, one of the largest in the world, is separated from the rest of Beijing by a 52-metre wide moat and 10-metre high walls extending for a distance of 3.4 km.
Located in central Beijing at 4 Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng, the Forbidden City can be easily reached by taxi, bus and train.
While it’s possible to wander through the Forbidden City in a few hours, my experience is that at least half a day is required to walk through the palace and take in all the sights.
Indeed, keen photographers would benefit by taking their time and setting aside a full day to explore and photograph the Forbidden City.
There’s a mandatory south to north pedestrian flow required to pass through the Forbidden City.
That being said, interesting options to photograph local people and wonderful architecture exist not far away from the exit at the north of the complex.
That’s just another reason to ensure your visit isn’t rushed. With luck, you’ll have time up your sleeve for more exploration as soon as you leave the site.
Red Flags Flying Above the Forbidden City
I made the quite graphic photo of red flags, at the top of this post, during the middle of winter in the Forbidden City.
It was a bitterly cold day in Beijing, around -10C, as I passed through the various security screens and checks to gain access into the Forbidden City.
Rather than continue to move with the crowd, I followed a sign up some steps to a balcony just inside the front entrance to the complex.
This elevated position is the place from which paramount Chinese leaders, emperors and communists alike, have appeared to the masses over the centuries.
The view overlooked Tiananmen Square, a public space with enormous cultural and historical significance.
Unfortunately, I was looking directly into the sun. I squinted to take in the view, but there just didn’t seem to be a way to make a decent photo.
It would have been good to have returned to this spot, much later in the day, with the sun behind me.
Alas, the opportunity to do so just didn’t arise, due to the mandatory south to north pedestrian flow at the Forbidden City .
Reg flags are symbolically significant in China.
The color red is considered to be highly auspicious and culturally significant to the Han Chinese people.
Traditionally the color red symbolizes prosperity and life-generating energy. A popular color at celebrations, a bride dressed in a red bridal gown is a wonderful sight to behold.
Incidentally, white is traditionally worn at funerals.
Over recent times it’s become popular for Chinese brides to wear a traditional red gown, during the morning tea ceremony, as a way to honor elders and as a symbol of joy and fertility.
In response to Western influences, a white wedding dress, representing purity, is worn during the main wedding ceremony.
In some cases a third change of clothes, in the form of an evening gown, is worn at the bridal reception.
In 1949, the color red was adopted by the Chinese Communist Party to represent the Chinese Communist Revolution.
Red was also incorporated as the dominant color in China’s national flag, symbolizing the following:
The Communist revolution
The blood of martyrs
The unity of the Chinese people comprising workers, farmers, soldiers and intellectuals
While, I’m interested in flags, I don’t have many flag photos in my photo archive, and certainly none that I’d consider portfolio quality.
That’s a shame, given the symbolic significance and compelling designs showcased by many different flags around our world.
That’s reason enough to ensure I set myself the goal of documenting more flag photos on future trips, both locally and abroad.
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Red Flags and Making Photos Of Backlit Subjects
As I made my way up the stairs at the Forbidden City I sighted those vibrant red flags, flapping in the wind.
They were backlit by very bright sunlight and would have been silhouetted, except for the fact that they were somewhat transparent.
I composed my image around the flags and the shape of the sun, waiting until the wind was strong enough to unfurl the flags to such a degree that they looked interesting.
The composition would have been cleaner with no people present. I waited for sometime but, unfortunately, there was always someone walking in or out of the frame.
At times like this, you just have to remind yourself that you’re in China. That means adapting to the crowds and doing your best to incorporate them into the photos you make.
The trick is to be able to do so in a way that makes sense and, ultimately, contributes to the success of the image.
A favourite technique of mine is to include three people in a composition in such a way that they form a triangular shape.
The triangle is a great way to bring a sense of harmony and cohesion into an otherwise chaotic image.
What’s more this principal works just as well when photographing flowers, cupcakes and kitty cats.
Just remember that, whenever you’re photographing a bunch of similar objects, you’ll be able to make sense of the composition by arranging those objects into a triangle.
What’s more, by adding people into the composition, I knew I’d be able to add a sense of narrative into the photo.
It’s not a big deal but, without those people wearing their heavy, winter coats, they’d be no way of knowing it was winter.
It was then just a matter of waiting for the right moment when the placement of the people, who form a triangle around the dominant flag, together with the movement of the red flags, produced the kind of decisive moment I was trying to achieve.
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The Forbidden City: How to Take Successful Flag Photos
Needless to say, there’s more to great flag photos than stellar technique.
From a technical point of view the burnt out sun is a problem in this picture. However, after careful processing, I was able to tone down its brightness and enhance the shape of the sun.
The result is a little surreal. I imagine some people will find it interesting, while others will consider it to be a tad fake.
Others may not be able to get past the technical issues I’ve already discussed.
I’m the type of photographer who works really, really hard to produce photos of the highest standard, both technically and aesthetically.
Having said that, I recognize the beauty and communicative power in images that, while not technically perfect, possess a unique and evocative character that connect, emotively, with an audience.
These kinds of photos, many of which come about through happenstance and intuition are, by their very nature, unrepeatable.
That imbues them with a genuine and indisputable authenticity, which we should all hope to achieve in the photos we create.
At the end of the day, I've done my best to produce a photo of red flags above the Forbidden Palace that’s both technically acceptable and visually interesting.
It’s not a favourite image, nor would I consider it to be portfolio standard. But that’s not to say it isn’t successful.
Of course, you first have to please yourself and, at the very least, make photos that meet your own expectations for technical quality and aesthetic appeal.
How important is it that a lot of other people also like your photos?
If you want your images to be considered successful, by a wider audience, then it’s critically important to understand the needs and preferences of that audience and produce images accordingly.
It might be that, like me, you have a relatively diverse range of photos from which to choose.
Great!
Just try to showcase the images that are best suited to the specific audience with which you’re dealing.
As far as the hero image in this post is concerned, the dynamic range (i.e., contrast) under which the red flags photo was taken was beyond that which could be recorded in a single exposure.
But should that be the end of the matter?
Most of the world is not engaged in professional photography. Likewise, most folks don’t belong to professional photography associations or camera clubs.
What matters, to most people, is the visual and emotive aspects associated with your photos.
Beyond a certain standard, the degree of technical competency may not matter all that much.
Embracing this key understanding is essential to any aspiring photographer. You could call it, Photography 102.
Red walls, orange tiled roofs and blue sky at the Forbidden City.
the Forbidden City: Use Contrasting Colors to Make Better Photos
Notice how the rich color of the red flags, in our hero image at the top of this post, is enhanced by the cool cyan/blue sky.
There’s a very similar relationship between the red colored buildings and their orange roofs, set against the deep blue sky, in this architectural image from within the grounds of the Forbidden City.
While not an easy image to make, the photo of the red flags came into being by thinking out of the square.
The technical difficulties associated with the scene caused me to come up with a solution that produced an interesting result. One that was worth publishing here.
I feel the result presents a somewhat unique view of the location. In fact the photo is really more about moment and symbolism, than it is about a particular place or event.
Contrast that with this architectural image of colorful buildings and roofs within the grounds of the Forbidden City.
It might look like a straightforward image, but it also wasn’t easy to make.
The scene is packed with detail which can make it difficult for the viewer to navigate their way around the frame.
I remember working quite hard to find the best spot from which to make this picture.
I wanted to ensure that everything that’s important in the scene remained clearly visible in the photo.
Likewise, I wanted to ensure that the stone structures in the foreground were balanced with the, otherwise, dominant and highly saturated buildings across the middle of the image.
You might notice that the image is divided, roughly, into three sections.
The highly detailed stone foreground structures
The colorful and highly detailed buildings across the middle of the frame
The smooth and deep blue sky in the background
The sky is an important element in this image. Devoid of detail, but rich in color, it provides the mind with a measure of relief from an otherwise information rich image.
It’s natural for the eye to seek out sharp and highly detailed areas within an image.
In the case of this architectural photo, made in the grounds of the Forbidden Palace, that desire for sharpness and detail will draw the eye to the bottom and middle sections of the image.
From there the eye will move up into the sky.
After resting there for a moment, the dark and cloudless sky should encourage the eye back down into the light to further explore the detail, shape and color in the lower two thirds of the image.
In case you’re wondering, I did use a polarizing filter when taking this particular photo.
The light was so bright that many of the finer details, present within the lighter foreground structures, were being reflected away from the lens.
This phenomena results in the affected subjects being rendered with less color and detail than expected.
In this case those light grey barriers, across the front third of the image, would have appeared white in the photo.
To resolve the problem I applied a significant amount of polarization to the image, in camera.
But there was a cost, with the resulting photo being, to my mind, compromised by a blue sky that’s just too dark for my liking.
This is the kind of thing that can often be fixed in post processing. But I wanted to demonstrate the problem here.
A blue sky that’s that deep in color is really not to my liking.
However, it does introduce a subtle element of surrealism into an otherwise straightforward documentary photo. And, while I may not like it, I know others will.
“The photo was made at 1/400 second exposure and contains a life-time of experience.”
What Makes A Good Photo Even Better
I think it’s fair to say that I’ve created a number of fairly unique images while taking photos in China. Here’s some of the reasons why I believe that statement to be true.
I've travelled to China on five occasions since 1988
I’m empathetic by nature and have a basic understanding of China’s history
I’ve easy going, interested in others, and have made life-long friends with local Chinese people
Understanding how to use my camera helps, but art goes way beyond the tools we employ to make photos.
The more interesting your own life’s experiences, and the more interested you are in others, the more interesting the photos you make are going to be.
The Forbidden City: Your Camera Looks Both Ways
Your camera looks both ways. And that’s true whether you’re taking photos at the Forbidden City or somewhere nearer to home.
You see your camera is both a window onto the world and a mirror reflecting your viewpoint of that world.
Our life is a repository of memories, and a very special kind of collage comprising all manner of things, including the following:
The books we read
The movies we watch
The music we listen to
Our background including our ethnicity, parents, education, and where and how we’ve lived
Our religious and/or spiritual belief system
Our politics
Our travels, both near and far, and what we’ve made of the events we’ve experienced along the way
It seems to me that the best travellers and the best photographers share common traits that include the following:
An ability to interact with others, particularly those who are unlike ourselves
An connection to the Human Condition and our ability to empathize with the plight of others
An ability to make the most of the situation we're in and to enjoy the journey, despite the obstacles that appear along the way
Taking photos is a very special endeavour, and it’s no surprise that literally millions of people are so passionate about exploring their own creativity through the art of photography.
We learn a lot about ourselves and the world around us through the photos we made.
The key to becoming a better photographer is not to view your camera as a physical barrier that separates you from a world of experience.
Your camera, once you know how to use it, is actually a passport into worlds and lives beyond your normal, everyday experience.
Through my own photography adventures, I aim to share the beauty of our world and its people with an ever wider audience.
When I’m not travelling, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to help other folks explore their own creativity through this site and through the classes and photography tours I run.
I hope one day you’ll find your way to China to photograph the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and, if you’re up for a multi-day hike across magnificent mountain scenery, to Mount Huangshan.
In the meantime, please enjoy your own creative journey through the joy of photography. And, if I could ask a favor, do feel free to share this post widely and wildly.
