Last month I took a little weekend trip to Qingdao, a coastal city in China’s Shandong province. I used the high-speed train to get there, which shortened my trip from about nine hours to five.
The name Qingdao (pinyin: “Qīngdǎo”, characters: 青岛) translates to “lush” or “green” island. “Lush Island” is a fitting name in more ways than one — the city also happens to be home of Tsingtao, China’s biggest brand-name beer. (Har har, get it?!)
Dongmen shopping center (Shenzhen), March 2010
Wangfujing Shopping Center (Beijing), July 2010
Ditan Park Temple Fair (Beijing), February 2011
Beijing Metro, June 2011
Shenzhen Bus, March 2010
That same bus, from the outside
Xi'an Train Station, October 2010
Taken on my way to Shanghai, September 4, 2010.
PS: More about the aforementioned trip to Shanghai coming soon!
Remember a while back when I said I was taking on the 365 project? Well, I’ve been kind of slow getting around to setting up a section of my site devoted to it. Having your website blocked by the Ate-Gray Irewall-Fay of Ina-Chay while living in China certainly doesn’t help website management.
But today, that changes. Check out 365.bridgetodonnell.com for all my images starting from July 5, 2010. Or alternatively, check out the set on Flickr, which, in recent weeks, has also gotten the #GFW treatment (albiet, lighter, as the site still loads):
The images might be a little behind because of aforementioned uploading issues, but I have at least one photo from every day since I started this project. And that’s a guarantee.
Now that I’m pretty much in love with my new Nikon D90, I’ve decided to take on a little project. The 365 project, that is.
The goal of the 365 project is simple: to take at least one photo every day for the next year. In documenting everything, no matter how simple or mundane, I hope to improve my shooting abilities and provide a glimpse into my life here in China.
You can find the photos here on Flickr. Eventually I’ll set up a separate section on this website for my 365 photos.
Oh, hey.
Say hello to my new Nikon D90—my first DSLR. I ventured over to the Beijing Wukesong Camera Market earlier today to buy it, and believe me when I say I was as giddy as a five-year-old on Christmas morning upon arrival.
Ever since I dabbled with photography at my Poynter fellowship last year, I’ve been wanting to explore advanced digital photography. I’ve taken a lot of photos during my travels around Asia but have become increasingly frustrated by the limitations of my little Kodak point-and-shoot. I suppose anyone who was given Canon Mark III to play around with for two weeks would feel that way too. (Point-and-shoot, it’s not you. It’s me. But we can still be friends!)
I’ve still got a lot to learn with this baby, but I’m already getting the hang of—and enjoying—it.
If only I had the D90 when I went to go see the temples of Angkor Wat …
Bridget O'Donnell is a designer for Ataway in Shanghai, China. She previously worked for the China Daily and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009. More »