Empty Station

Chinese train stations can be a tad busy at times. People had said they would like to see more shots of China, so here you go.

I am still in my steep learning curve of digital photography. These were shot handheld and frightened I may be robbed at any moment.

Please give some feedback. I know they are not 'top notch', but any comments are welcome.

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Nice shots Six. And thanks for posting more China shots!( I was one of those who requested more China shots ) I really have to make a mental note to check out all of your postings, I'm really intrigued by China and wish I can go there some day.
Is crime really that bad there? were you really worried about being robbed?
I hope you keep trying to get better just for my selfish reasons of wanting to see your shots!
Ok, alittle C/C... I believe the second one could use a hike in contrast and Highlight/shadow boost. And while your there boost the saturation a bit.
I don't want to critique too much as you may stop posting these. LOL Just kidding. Keep up the great work.

Hey Keiffer, thanks for your comments. I remember you requested more China shots and I will continue to do so. Hopefully you'll be able to see an improvement as time goes by! I am picking up a PS book in Hong Kong next month (I had to order it) so I should be able to learn some skills from that.

With the number of people at the train station - literally tens of thousands, these shots don't show half of it - I was a little worried about safety and kept both hands tightly holding the camera. In China, and notably in Guangzhou, crime is high. Most of the crime is pickpocketing or grabbing your bags/phones/cameras and doing a runner, on foot or on a moto. I have seen it happen many times. I often try and stop it or warn people but the locals usually don't as they are worried about being attacked.

The day I took these one guy got his hand onto my bag - empty on my back - before I turned to face him. People watch you closely and gangs work together. The stations are renowned for being the crime hot spots for two reasons, the sheer number of people and the fact that half of the people are peasants heading away from the coastal cities. Being vigilant comes very naturally these days.

China can have its problems, but at the same time it is a wonderful place to live and work, or to visit. You asked about the cime and I kind of went off on one!!

Here are a couple of close ups at the station. And do comment, I will never stop posting but need my shots to have brutal comments otherwise how am I meant to learn!

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Whoa, GREAT! What a place! Sorry I didn't get here sooner ... sometimes you must be patient or do what you did and send me a message ... never a problem. Is this a big city? Is the whole city generally dangerous? Are there affluent sections? Is this area very class stratified? Are there "street people"? Beggars on the street? I am not very traveled and have a zillion questions so just comment on what is comfortable. But LOTS of commentary with your pictures would be most appreciated.

As for criticism, sometimes this is not what sharing images is about. Like these and your other set ... we are so hungry to see and learn and understand a little better that there is nothing to say for technical or artistic improvement. I would say "Get closer to your subjects" but I really, really don't want you to antagonize anyone and get mugged!

Oh, and if you start a new thread, put a post in one of your old threads with the link ... then those of use who are subscribed to the old thread will get the message about the new thread automatically. I am subscribed to A LOT of threads.

Thank you again.

I just noticed that the police car says "Police" in English ... is this a very cosmopolitan city? I cannot imagine seeing "Police" in Chinese or Russian or even Spanish in an American city. Are English signs common and if so why? In 1000 words or more, please compare and contrast the Eastern and Western cultures in the 21st century with emphasis on social classes, Communisim and social mores. Extra credit if accompanied by additional fascinating photographs! Geez, I am just happy that you can show us China! Hope I don't sound too nutzo!

Very cool pics Six! I really appreciate you remembering me asking for more shots and hope you continue to post em And without a doubt I'm sure with every outing your shots will improve to wherever you want them to be. I will in the future try to Critique them for you also, after I gawk and examine every detail just to really try to feel the pulse of the shot. I do really dig them alot because I have always been intrigued with Asia and China in general. Keep up the good work and for god sakes hold on to your camera! LOL

Well haven't looked on POTN for a while, been trying to take more shots.

In answer to the questions - it is a biggish city for China, I would guess at over 10 million people. They have apartment block after apartment block full of people. Different areas attract different kinds of people, but there are beggars, some real and others working in gangs kind of being pimped out. I live in one of the more up-market parts of town, but you would not guess it if you came here. It is hard to imagine and hard to describe.

I would never say I was scared in this city or any other I have been to in China, however locals often feel very differently. The only thing I would be cautious about is carrying expensive looking stuff about as there are plenty of people watching to grab your stuff. It often has to do with the sheer numbers crammed together.

As for the police sign, that is usual and all road signs are in English in the cities and usually in the countryside too. They use Pinyin, which is there way of writing the characters out in English. Often shops are forced into using English signs too, but many make lots of mistakes in the process. Why is a good question. Just for the foreigners I suppose - there is a fair few thousand dotted about the place.

OK, more to come soon!

Thank you again ... if you post a new thread please come back here and link it.

sixshot I beg to differ about crime in China. I've been living here for a little over 6 months and for the most part I've found it to be extremely safe. Pickpockets are everywhere, and from my understanding pickpocketing etc is far worse in big cities in Europe, USA, and Aus.

I agree that in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Beijing and Shenzhen pickpocketing etc is more common than other parts of China as there are more tourists. The punishment, however, for robbing someone (in particular a foreigner) will be extremely severe. As I'm sure most would know, plenty of people have been executed for less.

You are right though that it's important to be careful in crowded places. Keep in mind that although the punishment is severe the type of person that will rob you might be working for 20rmb per day (2 euros or about $2.50US), and as such the risk is worth it.

I recall being at the train station in Xi'an (a big tourist spot as it's where the teracotta warriors are) and seeing several undercover cops bust a 'gang' of pickpockets. Fairly violent but not even close to some of the violence I've seen. The violence, however was never directed at me and I've never felt scared living here.

There is a HUGE police/security presence in China because the government is so worried about any unrest. I went to the Chinese Super League soccer on the weekend and there were more military, police and security than there were spectators!! I'm not kidding! Therefore if you were to ever encounter any trouble it's probable that some sort of police or security would not be far away.

I too have plenty of photos from China but at present am using a pentax as I just got rid of my rebel.. does this mean I can't post?

I did point out that I never felt frightened, but crime is everywhere and often not much done about it - and foreigners get robbed just like anyone else. Half of the security force, deployed by the police, have none of the powers the usual police do. If caught, the police often slap the wrists of petty criminals (including pick pockets) as they have no time for the paperwork or enough space in the prisons. They are currently contemplating cutting the little finger off of these people - as some other countries do - good in some ways, but errrr, lets not forget human rights.

Flex, I am not aware that there are any restrictions on the equipment you can use to take photographs to post here. I doubt there will be Nikon or Pentax forums or even threads, but I think you can talk about and show images from anything. It is also nice to get additional perspectives on China. My mother-in-law sees (minority) criminals/theives everywhere ... when she visits me she locks everything even when I ask her not to. We lock the house when we go to work in the morning, but other than that we don't ... whole weekends with nothing locked. My (current) town is very safe and only has 1000 people, but there are quite a few migrant worker types who seem perfectly safe to me, but they drive the MIL up a tree! We all have different upbringings and life experiences.

absolutely love your shots Ben ,
especially the men playing cards.
not really especially but I love how it is showing them relaxing in the atmosphere all around
and so smart looking too,
one even took off his shoes not to dirty the 'carpet' ,
maybe to be able to relax that bit more with his legs in that position or maybe just to be able to wriggle his toes
great to see the pictures
I only saw them for the first time tonight
(they have been here a while)
I loved seeing the last shot you posted , hope I didn't miss any in between, will check

thank you very much

Thanks Marie. He will probably be waiting half the day or more so better kick off your shoes and relax. People tend to arrive early for trains/busses/planes here, some because they need to book the tickets on arrival and there may be a high demand for that trip, others for no real reason at all. I had booked tickets before and my Chinese friends say to get there a good few hours early just to be safe!!

This station is Canton's old railway station, now is mainly for cargo. They have a new station for passengers.

You should wait till the Chinese New Year, you will see sea of people (labours from other province) waiting to buy ticket to go back to their home town for hoilday.

I mean OCEAN of people.

Great captures. I too really like the shot of the men playing cards. It's always interesting to see how people live in different parts of the world.

I've only visited Honk Kong in china, and was fascinated by the street life. Off course I had lost my camera in the Thai Jungle and kept buying disposal cameras.

Keep the pictures coming.