About Shenzhen

There is a saying in China: do things at Shenzhen speed. It means to complete tasks very quickly and refers to the fact that many products can be developed from the initial idea to the final packaged form entirely in Shenzhen in a remarkably short time, thanks to the availability of the entire manufacturing process and equipment within the city.

In the 1980s, Shenzhen was a small farming town. It is now estimated to have a population of over 15 million and ranks second only to Hong Kong in the number of skyscrapers. Its rapid growth is due to its status as a special economic zone in China. This designation allows many novel ideas—such as engaging in free-market capitalism with the West and experimenting with new technologies—to be first tested in Shenzhen before being rolled out to the rest of China. This attracts investment, wealth, and people.

Best Districts for Street Photography in Shenzhen, and my experience . . .

Having lived in Shenzhen for over seven years, I have mixed feelings about the place. I have met many close friends and girlfriends there. There are interesting areas such as Baisizhou, where many migrants live, and the Dafen Oil Painting Artistic District, known as the home of replicas. These are, in my opinion, the best two districts for street photography in Shenzhen, with both of these areas featuring in the pictures below. Additionally, the commercial district of Hohai can offer some interesting compositions with its tall glass high-rise buildings. However, because everything is brand new, the city can sometimes feel soulless and there is a noticeable lack of culture and community. Furthermore, a place primarily known for financial and business opportunities tends to attract a specific type of people.

Gear

For the pictures in this set I used a combination of a Fujifilm X100Vi, and a Canon EOS R6 Mark II with a Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L is USM Lens, Mirrorless Telephoto Zoom Lens.I typically shoot with a minimum shutter speed of 1/500, although I often use higher speeds to capture sharp images. My aperture settings usually range between f/5.6 and f/8. I generally set the camera to continuous focus mode, as I frequently photograph people moving across the frame. I used Adobe Lightroom to edit these shots.