Neon Lit Shanghai: Exciting Nanjing Road, How to Take Photos
Often facile nature of fashion and celebrity explored near Nanjing Road, Shanghai.
I’ve visited Shanghai on two occasions. Together with all the beautiful colonial architecture along The Bund, it’s been great to take photos that document the glitz and glamour along neon lit Nanjing Road.
Neon lit Nanjing Road is a fun place to take photos at night. The 5.5 km road runs from The Bund to People’s Square. The Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street provides easy access to shopping, restaurants and historic landmarks. And, since 2019, it's possible to walk from the pedestrian street to The Bund.
Located in Central Shanghai, you’ll find the famous Nanjing Road to be easily accessible from People's Square Station and Nanjing Road East Station.
Actually, I’ve had the good fortune to travel to China on five occasions since 1988. During that time cities like Shanghai have undergone massive and exciting changes.
My first trip to Shanghai was in 1995, as a guest speaker and trainer for Kodak Professional.
As well as providing opportunities for me to hike and take photos in Tiger Leaping Gorge, in Yunnan Province, that trip also included presentations I gave to Kodak staff in Beijing and to a large group of professional photographers in Chengdu.
The Often Facile Nature Of Fashion And Celebrity
I really enjoyed the opportunity to take photos in the small, boutique shopping arcade on the ground floor of the fabulous Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai.
I was motivated to make a compositionally interesting image that explored the exotic and changing nature of China.
To that end, I think the sickly green and blue colors, emanating from the backlit image of the two models, perfectly supported my intentions and the mood I wanted to evoke when taking this photo.
China is known for its often turbulent history and, more recently, for its meteoric economic rise and military prowess.
However, it’s important to note that, over its long and remarkable history, the flourishing of Chinese culture has progressed alongside many significant developments in spirituality, literature and medicine.
The circular shape in the foreground of this photo suggests infinity. But it also reminds me of the power of opposites that’s so eloquently depicted in the yin-yang symbol.
I wanted to explore what I believe to be the often facile nature of fashion and celebrity. But to do so, I felt I needed an interesting and alternate visual element to balance that against.
A common theme throughout my work is that of duality (i.e., two opposites existing within a single concept or situation), which is probably why I find the yin-yang symbol so compelling.
I made sure to carefully focus my camera’s lens on the foreground gate structure, and to employ a shallow depth of field to subtly blur the background fashion advertisement.
By doing so I was able to visually separate the circular pattern within the inner gate from the advertising image in the background.
This visual separation helps provide the impression that those beautiful, young women, and the opulent lifestyle they’re promoting, are beyond our reach.
That is, of course, unless you’re considered worthy or, alternatively, you purchase the same make up or perfume they’re wearing.
Therein lies the message behind lifestyle advertising.
Composition was certainly an important element in the success of this photo.
Can you see how, through careful positioning of the camera, I’ve been able to draw attention to the models eyes?
As a consequence, I’ve been able to make use of the structure in a way that creates frames within frames, an important element in composition.
Likewise, I’ve employed the structure to introduce an element of visual tension into the photo.
Can you see how it frames the mouth of one of the models and bisects the mouth of the other?
Notice also how the pink, red and purple colors present in their lips, and the above signage, are visually connected with each other.
Hopefully, you’ll also notice how these colors contrast with the cool green/blue colored light that’s illuminating the picture of the models.
Talk about sweet and sour!
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Take Photos to Encapsulate Important Memories
We all take photos as a way of preserving great experiences throughout our lives.
While it’s desirable to live in the now, it’s our experiences, and the memories we make from them, that shape our lives.
Without our memories, who are we?
I love to take photos and, together with travel, music and writing, photography has been the great joy of my life.
I felt lucky to have been able to set up my tripod and take this photo in the lobby of the Peace Hotel, on the corner of Nanjing Road and The Bund.
The photo features one of several beautiful, metal murals that depict traditional and idealized street scenes from Shanghai in the 1920s.
As you can see, the color palette of this image is warm, featuring predominantly yellow, orange and red tones.
That sumptuous, yet restrictive color palette imbues the scene with a sense of nostalgia, perfect for the hotel’s history and location.
My fondest memories of Shanghai are associated with two evenings spent in the charming Jazz Club at the famous Fairmont Peace Hotel.
The old world nostalgia of the place provides a gentle reprieve from all the neon lit excitement along nearby Nanjing Road.
The Peace Hotel is situated just off The Bund, where you can promenade past stately European style commercial buildings.
These grand buildings harken back to the days when Western powers used, so-called, gunboat diplomacy to gain significant concessions in China.
It’s a notorious period in Sino-Western relations, and it’s colored relationships with China ever since.
The futuristic skyline of Pudong, at sunset, from The Bund in Shanghai.
How to Take Photos of A Pudong Sunset
Actually that day’s adventure started a little earlier.
After arriving in Shanghai and checking into a beautiful, boutique hotel, I headed off to take photos at sunset along The Bund.
Sunset photography from the Bund is an opportunity well worth including in your schedule, should you ever journey to this mega city.
And views across the Huangpu River, to the Pudong commercial zone, are fabulous at this time of day.
I love the futuristic nature of this sunset photo of Pudong.
The soft, warm light has perfectly illuminated this area of the famous Pudong skyline and, in doing so, allowed me to render the scene with quite exquisite detail.
The photo at the very top of this post is my favorite from that day’s extended adventure along the Bund and Nanjing Road.
That’s no doubt due to the fact that the photo was so hard to construct, but also because it’s a conceptual photo that allowed me to illustrate how I feel about the fashion industry.
Nonetheless, I still remember how incredibly blessed I felt to have had the opportunity to make this particular photo of the Pudong skyline at sunset.
Given the opportunity, I’II always favor creating positive, life-affirming photos.
Pudong skyline in Shanghai, illuminated by the gentle light of dusk.
How to Take Photos As the Light Changes
Sadly, all sunsets fade.
Fortunately, they’re followed by the quiet light of dusk.
I took this photo of Pudong, across the Huangpu River from The Bund, with the last light of the day. The warm light from the now faded sunset lingered, but only subtly.
Actually, it was great to have made a series of photos across the Huangpu River, showcasing elements of the Pudong skyline as the light faded and the night began to descend.
Once I’d found a good spot to set up my tripod, I doubt I walked more than 100 metres to make these two, quite different photos.
That was fortunate given the long walk that awaited me, up and down neon lit Nanjing Road, once night fell.
But, before that adventure started, I followed up my sunset photo session of the Pudong skyline with a lovely meal in a Western Restaurant at the Peace Hotel.
It’s rare for me to enjoy such a treat, when I’m out and about making photos. And I scored an added bonus when I was given a table with a wonderful view across the Huangpu River.
Fortunately, I had my camera with me.
That meant I was able to take photos of Pudong and the Huangpu River, neon lit and spectacular, from a more elevated position than I’d been able to from my previous location on the Bund.
After dinner I headed downstairs to make a few photos in the hotel’s lobby, including that image showcasing one of the hotel’s beautiful, metal murals.
Pedestrians making their way along neon lit Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China.
Exploring Neon Lit Nanjing Road on Foot
After that, I was ready to head outside again and photograph the glitz and glamour along the neon lit Nanjing Road.
I definitely recommend following a sunset and early evening photo session of Pudong, from the Bund, with an hour or two walk along the crowded, hectic and exciting Nanjing Road shopping precinct.
Glitzy, neon lit streetscapes will light your way and provide you with lots of great opportunities for night photography.
By all means, include people in your Nanjing Road photos. Doing so will add perspective and scale to any architectural photos you take.
What’s more, given the high volume of people visiting this significant shopping precinct, candid street scenes are a great way to document the excitement of Nanjing Road at night.
One of the great things about Shanghai is it’s relative proximity to the sublime beauty of Huangshan (i.e., Yellow Mountain).
I spent three days, in the middle of winter, hiking and taking photos on Huangshan. It remains one of the greatest travel photography experiences of my life. And I can’t wait until my next visit.
I only mention it to make the point that, going from alpine landscape photography to architectural and street photography, in China’s most populated city, is another example of duality.
And it was that sudden change in location and circumstances that made my night time adventure, taking photos along neon lit Nanjing Road, to be such a powerful experience.
I tell you, there’s nothing quite like travel photography.
As a reward for my endeavors, I headed back to the Peace Hotel for another lovely evening in the Jazz Bar.
It was winter and it was cold, but what a perfect evening!
