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Look up to see the bustling world, look down to see the everyday life! The atmosphere is amazing

To capture the "looking down is everyday life, looking up is bustling city" scenes of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, you can start with location selection, composition, and timing: • Choosing shooting locations: ◦ Beijing: Find CBD areas (such as the Guomao district) paired with old hutongs and newsstands, like around Chaoyangmen SOHO, where modern bustling buildings and lively old architecture can appear in the same frame; or go to the sales office of Fanyue 108 or the 63rd floor of Park Hyatt to shoot the skyline including China Zun, then head downstairs to nearby old streets to capture everyday life scenes. ◦ Shanghai: Along the Bund, on one side are the vintage buildings of the Bund facing the Lujiazui "three giants" (Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Jin Mao Tower), showcasing prosperity; on the other side, go deep into the alleys, such as Tianzifang, where the aroma of alleyway coffee and old residences respond to each other. You can also find angles around Nanjing East Road stations on Metro Lines 2 and 10 to blend the Bund clock tower with street life. ◦ Guangzhou: Use Canton Tower (Little Waist) as the symbol of prosperity, paired with the old city, like Enning Road Yongqingfang, where the arcade old street’s everyday life (old shops, Cantonese atmosphere) and the distant Canton Tower appear in the same frame; or shoot Zhujiang New Town CBD from Liede Bridge, while visiting Dongshankou to use trendy shops and old buildings’ everyday life to echo the prosperous skyline. ◦ Shenzhen: Nanshan District financial center (near Houhai Station on Metro Lines 2 and 11) shows prosperity, paired with urban villages (such as Baishizhou), where the dense workers’ housing and small vendors contrast with distant skyscrapers, highlighting everyday life and prosperity; you can also go to old street commercial areas to capture scenes where modern malls coexist with street food stalls. • Composition and shooting techniques: ◦ Composition: Use the rule of thirds, placing bustling buildings in the upper half of the frame and everyday life scenes (such as street stalls, old streets) in the lower half; or use framing composition, framing the distant prosperous buildings with old building doors, windows, or alley entrances to strengthen the contrast. ◦ Lens use: Use wide-angle lenses for large scenes that include both the bustling skyline and lively streets; use telephoto lenses to compress space, bringing the distant prosperity and everyday life closer together to emphasize the contrast, for example, using telephoto to make Canton Tower and Yongqingfang arcade appear side by side. • Control shooting timing: ◦ Daytime: Choose sunny days with good light to clearly show architectural details; reflections on glass curtain walls of prosperous buildings and the vivid colors of everyday life scenes can be presented, such as shooting building lines at the Bund during the day and capturing drying clothes and open shops in alleys. ◦ Blue hour (20-30 minutes after sunset): The sky turns blue-purple, city lights gradually brighten; at this time, shoot the initial lights of prosperous buildings and the warm yellow lights of everyday life scenes, for example, Canton Tower lights up during blue hour, paired with night market life by the Pearl River, creating a full atmosphere. ◦ Night: Prosperous buildings shine brightly with lights, everyday life scenes (such as night markets, old streets under street lamps) are decorated with warm lights, like Beijing CBD night scenes paired with elderly people playing chess under dim street lamps in hutongs, creating a sharp contrast. • Capturing everyday life elements: ◦ Cultural activities: Shoot street food stalls, old shops trading, residents chatting in hutongs, people playing chess in alleys, reflecting the life atmosphere, such as grandmothers hanging clothes in Shanghai alleys or herbal tea shops doing business in Guangzhou arcades. ◦ Market scenes: Old residential buildings, street shoe repair stalls, newsstands, breakfast shops, etc. These places carry city memories and, when placed alongside new buildings, highlight everyday life, such as grocery stores in Shenzhen urban villages or old newsstands in Beijing. Taking Guangzhou as an example, use a wide-angle lens on Enning Road Yongqingfang to place the arcade old street (everyday life) in the lower part and the distant Canton Tower (prosperity) in the upper part, shooting during blue hour to capture the "looking down is everyday life, looking up is prosperity" scene; in Beijing, near the CBD in old hutongs, use a telephoto lens at night to shoot the lights of tall buildings and residents relaxing and chatting in the hutongs, creating atmosphere. By trying different locations and techniques, you can capture the unique "fusion of everyday life and prosperity" scenes of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
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*Created by local travelers and translated by AI.
Posted: Jun 9, 2025
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