Portraits

There's nothing more beautiful in photography than a B&W portrait of a meaningful face. I was lucky enough to find many of these characters when I went walking in the Hongkou neighbourhood.

My favorite is the grandma in the first shot. She is 91. She was thrilled to have her picture taken, and thanked me the old way: by bringing her hands together in the Thai "sawadee-ka" style, or as if she was praying. She was adorable.

91 and going strong

This man was Mr. Cool. He did not change his facial expression when I approached him and his friend, when I took both portraits, when I showed them on the screen, or when I thanked them and walked away. I wonder if he plays poker?

Mr. Poker-face

This little girl posed patiently until I got the right shot. She inspected each one of them with me, and we kept trying until we both smiled when we got the winning shot, and she said "hao" (good). Then she ran back excitedely to her mom and I bet she told her all about the photo shoot.

Little Empress

This man caught me trying to take a candid shot from a few meters away. He then stood up with a big grin, came over still holding his bowl, and sucked the noodles in a big noisy slurp. He then waited to see the shot before resuming his eating.

Sluuuuuurp!

Wet tiles

While the most beautiful architecture in Shanghai continues to disappear at a heartbreaking pace, there are still a few gems to be found (and photographed). For example, this tiled roof that caught the light beautifully under the rain. Amazingly, shot with my iPhone!

Shanghai ren

"Ren" in Chinese means "people" (that's why the currency is called renminbi - the people's money). Money aside, I walked through a local neighbourhood yesterday and got some shots of Shanghai ren right after lunchtime, when the shoppers rush subsides and vendors take a break to eat, nap or play mahjong.

Xiangyang Nan Lu

Chickens' necks spared for a few more hours

Mahjong

Chairs

How many chairs can you fit into one little cart?

Chairs vendor on Shaoxing Lu

Wet and steamy

The rainy season continues, and I keep finding opportunities for moody B&W shots. Let's see how long I last before I switch to still life images indoors.

A lane off Ruijin Lu

Steamy eatery

Early afternoon at the groceries store

Rabbit Buddha

This is the Year of the Rabbit in China. I guess that's why this particular one came to exist? I resisted the urge to buy it, but I may just go back and get it... How many people do you know who have a rabbit Buddha?

Rabbit Buddha

Rainy season

I hate rain. In this part of the world, about 10% of your life is sentenced to non-stop gray rainy days. I've moaned about the rainy season for the six years I've lived in Asia. But even I have had enough of my own gray mood. This year, I've made the resolution to find the positive side of it. For example, this shot.

Rainy season has arrived

Old Shanghai from above

Ever wondered what Shanghai looked like from the sky before skyscrapers arrived? I was lucky enough to get this picture before this neighbourhood disappears in a few weeks.

Vanishing old Shanghai

Maternity

This morning I went to a local neighbourhood that is just about to get torn down to make room for a new high-rise building. In a dark alley deep into the maze I ran into a young mother and her baby. No matter where you live and what language you speak, the look of infinite love in a mom's face is always the same.

Maternity

I've started a new photo project

In addition to this photoblog, I've just started a year-long project where I'll be posting the photo of the day. Every picture has to be taken on the day it is posted... So I'll be living with my camera hanging from my neck!

Wish me strength and inspiration... and visit often! And don't forget to leave comments, so I'll know that someone's looking!

Check it out here: http://365project.org/silvina/365

A breath of fresh air

Fresh air is a luxury in Shanghai - even more so if you work in a restaurant kitchen. That's why this picture is so precious to me... It's the small luxuries in life that make it worthwhile.

A well-deserved break

Pigeonholes

I usually scan the world looking for beauty. When I find something disgusting, I rarely point my camera at it. Certain things make me uncomfortable - but not enough to put the camera down. This is one of those cases... Interesting composition from cramped living spaces: I feel claustrophobic just looking at it, yet the geometry draws me in.

Newer building deep into a French Concession lane

A shopper's paradise (or pack rat syndrome threat)

If you are a pack rat, Shanghai presents the danger of worsening your condition... I'm really not into fakes. But, even if you keep away from them, the range of unimaginable "I-must-have-it"s is overwhelming. Since I arrived in Shanghai, for example, I have developed an addiction to calligraphy brushes. (I don't do calligraphy, I just like the brushes).

All these temptations appeared within a 100-meter stroll.

Artwork to satisfy every taste

A window into Chinese pottery

Brush heaven

Made in China

The expression "Made in China" has all sorts of connotations - not all of them positive - on the lips of westerners. I had the opportunity to visit a clothing factory in the outskirts of Shanghai a few weeks ago - one that supplies global retailers that are household names in the US and Europe. This version of "Made in China" is one to be proud of: spacious work stations, well lit and ventilated floors, modern machinery and an air of camaraderie among workers.

Cutting before assembly

Sock weaving

Sock trimming

Finished socks

The fiddler's nap

Pollution levels this morning were ridiculously high, and visibility miserable. With no sun outside to cheer me up, I had the hardest time getting myself out of the house and into the gym. I was walking back from the gym, still stinky and without a camera, when I was rewarded with a scene of urban beauty. A fiddler had decided to take a nap on a tiny grass patch at a very busy intersection. I only had my phone to capture the moment, but I was thankful for it.

Those musically inclined may want to look up the erhu, or Chinese two-stringed fiddle.

The fiddler's nap