Behind the Camera: 唐颖 Tang Ying on street photography

唐颖 (Tang Ying) is a Shanghai native and has studied in Japan and the US. Ying honed her street photography while working in San Francisco as a freelance cameraperson and video editor. She later studied photography at the New York Institute of Photography and the School of Photography of C.C.S.F. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine and she has worked for The New York Times, IHT and Shanghai TV Magazine. Her street photography is filled with stories that sparkle with action and wit, a reflection of a unique perspective and style.

Website: http://www.yingphotography.com/

SA: Tell us more about yourself and your work. How and when did you pick up the camera?

唐颖: 我是在四年前开始街道摄影的，那时我住在旧金山，没有很多的钱投资在摄影器材上，也没有能力到处去旅游，所以我的摄影对象是旧金山的街道，那里的人。我纪录我有兴趣的人和事。不同与其他的摄影，街道摄影不需要有很昂贵的器材，我现在还用同样的器材。用最基本的镜头。我认为照片一定要有故事性才会吸引人，所以我到现在没有更换我的装备还是用同样的镜头和照相机。 我认为街道摄影之所以让我如此着迷也是因为其故事性，人文性，还有无法揣摩的突发性。所以几乎所有的街道摄影者都必须花很多时间和耐心去挖掘所谓的”decisive moment”。

I started street photography four years ago when I was living in San Francisco. I did not have much money to invest in photography equipment, or do much travelling, so my subjects were San Francisco’s streets and its people. I documented people and things that interested me.

Unlike other forms of photography, you don’t need expensive equipment for street photography – I still use the same equipment and basic lenses. I believe that photos must have a narrative element to draw people so I have yet to change my set up. What fascinate me about street photography are the narrative and humanistic elements, and its sudden and unexpected nature. This is why street photographs have to spend a lot of time and have patience to capture that “decisive moment”.

SA: What is it like to shoot in the streets in Shanghai?

唐颖: 我比较喜欢记录一些老式弄堂和街道，因为在那里上海人还是保持几十年前的生活状态，人与人之间的关系和接触是很近距离的，邻居之间的关系也是很亲密的。所以可以拍到很多自然状态的东西，但是同时因为我必须经常性的出入同一个场所，所以很多人会和我搭讪，问我为何拍这个，不是拍高楼大厦。我觉的在上海的街道让我有近距离的看这些人，但是在美国或是在欧洲人与人在街道上是比较分散的，而且那里的人比较敏感与陌生人拍照，所以比较有难度性拍摄到近距离的作品，当然NY是比较例外，在那里人们比较忙赶时间，可以捕捉到近距离的瞬间。上海目前正处于一个变化阶段，有很多独特的人文和故事，街道没有国外的街道干净但是可以捕捉到淳朴的原始状态的瞬间。

I prefer documenting old longtangs and streets because the Shanghainese living there still maintain a decades-old lifestyle, the personal relationships and interaction in a dense space, and hence the neighbors are very close.  This helps me to photograph many things in their natural setting. But at the same time, because I have to repeatedly pass through the same location, many people tend to accost me and ask me why I’m shooting this (old neighborhood) and not the tall buildings.

I feel that I have the ability to come closer to these people in Shanghai’s streets whereas in the US and Europe, people’s proximity in the streets is a bit more scattered. Also, people there are in more of a hurry and very sensitive to strangers photographing them. So it’s a bit more challenging to achieve works of close proximity. Of course, New York is an exception. There, people are in a greater hurry but you can capture the moments in close range. At the moment, Shanghai is undergoing a period of change so there are many unique stories of people (to tell). The streets here may not be as clean as abroad but you can capture those individual moments in their most natural setting.

SA: What is it you watch for when photographing and what strikes you the most?

唐颖: 我喜欢狗，所以狗是我的拍摄的一个中心，除此之外我比较注意观察细节，人在一个特定环境里做什么，如何去做的，我觉得摄影的基本是观察和耐心的等待，有时我先注意到大环境，然后我就等有意思的人出现，还有的时候我会反复的去同一个地点发现新的有意思的瞬间。

I like dogs so photographing dogs is a focus of mine. Otherwise, I pay particular attention to the environment, and what people do in specific environments, and how they go about it. I think the fundamentals of photography are observation and patience. Sometimes, I would first notice the wider environ then I wait patiently for interesting individuals to appear. I also revisit the same place to look for new and meaningful moments.

SA: Do you have a favorite time and/or place in Shanghai to shoot?

唐颖: 我一般下午会去拍，到不是我喜欢，在上海的时候，我平时替杂志拍摄，一旦有时间我会出去拍一些我个人喜欢的街道人文作品，现在我在德国，我也是如此。我比较少晚上出去拍，因为我的照相机的低光能见度不是很好，我去的比较多的是在城隍庙附近还有苏州河沿岸，虹口区那里我也是经常去，因为那里的老房子还没有完全拆除。

I normally shoot in the afternoon, not because of any preference. When I am on magazine assignments shoots in Shanghai and have a spare moment, I like to do some personal street work. Now that I am in Germany, I do the same thing. I rarely shoot at night because my camera’s ISO is not very good. (In Shanghai), I prefer shooting near Chenghuang Temple (城隍庙) (which is in Old Town (老城厢)) and along Suzhou River (苏州河). I’ve also been to the Hongkou (虹口) area because many old houses there have yet to be demolished.

SA: Can you share with us a favorite photo and talk about it?

唐颖: 每一张照片对于我而言是一个瞬间，有时是一个相遇。到现在每一张照片都是我的美好回忆。我就挑一张。这四个小孩住在老城厢附近，每次我经过那里，他们一直玩好人和坏人的游戏或是玩打仗。他们住在老式的住宅里，所以一旦玩起来总是一群小孩一起玩，如同我自己小时候一样。这一天他们没有一起玩，可能是周围的邻居觉得他们太闹了，他们几个站在一辆三轮车上自己玩自己的游戏，我见他么很多次了，所以问他们今天不完打仗的游戏了，他们说不完了，随后就各自玩各自的，这是我拍到的瞬间。四个小孩有玩不同的游戏。这张照片是在两年前拍。

Each photo to me is a moment in time and sometimes an encounter. Till now, each photograph is a beautiful memory. I’ll pick one photograph.

This is a photo of four little children who live near Old Town. Each time I pass by there, they were always playing the game of Good Guys vs. Bad guys or play-fighting. They live in the old-style longtangs, so when they play, they play together as a group, which is similar to the way I grew up. That day, they did not play together, possibly because surrounding neighbors found them too noisy. So the few of them stood on a 3-wheeled cart, each playing their own game. I’ve seen them many times before so I asked if they were play-fighting today. They said no and went about playing by themselves. This is the moment I captured. Four kids playing different games. I took this photo 2 years ago.

SA: Do you feel Shanghai’s rapid change as a city affects what you shoot in the street?

唐颖: 在三年的拍摄过程种很多我最先拍的地方都拆除了，很多我拍摄过的人也有搬走了。所以我觉得我更觉得有记录的必要性。我拍了很多照片，有很多我还没有修过，但是现在看，有很多记忆。

The places that I shot earliest in the three years that I’ve been shooting, have been demolished. Many people that I had photographed have also moved away. Hence, I feel the greater need to document. I’ve photographed a lot and there are more photos that I have not processed. But when I look at them, it brings back many memories.

SA: What are your preferences: Film or digital? Zoom or prime lenses?

唐颖: 我认为如果说照片质感胶卷比数码要好的多，而且胶卷的后期加工的可塑性很强。但是现在拍胶卷的花费很昂贵，我在旧金山学的是胶卷，也在暗房里冲洗过胶卷，但是要有自己的暗房而且完全自己冲洗是很昂贵的。对我而言，是不可能拍胶卷。所以四年前我就决定用数码，质量上确实不如胶卷但是我可以拍更多的照片，不用担心我的费用。我觉得在如今摄影师很多都用数码，原因是经济上的原因。

我之前也说过如果不是经济上的原因，我会使用F2.8 尼康的镜头，因为其快门的速度比我现在的镜头快很多，而且清晰度也强。但是我觉得有时你不一定需要昂贵的照相机或是镜头拍好照片，照片最重要的是你拍摄的人物，你如何控制光线，如何耐心的等待最佳时机，如何捕捉人物， 好镜头会有一定的帮助，但是决定性的因素是摄影师自己。所以即便你只有傻瓜机你也可以拍到很好的照片，所以了解你的照相机，就像是你最好的朋友，知道其长处或是短处，拍摄出你自己的照片才是重要的。

I think in terms of the quality of a photo, film is much better than digital and film processing is highly adaptable. But the cost of shooting film now is expensive. I studied photography in San Francisco using film and developed my film in darkrooms. However, to have your own darkroom to safely develop photos can be expensive. For me, it’s impossible to shoot film. So four years ago, I decided to go digital. The quality is lower than film but I can shoot more and not worry about expenses. I think the reason why so many photographers shoot digital is for that economic reason.

As I have said before, if not for economic reasons, I would use my F2.8 Nikon lens because the shutter speed is much faster than my current lens, and it has strong clarity. However, I feel sometimes, you don’t need expensive cameras or lens to shoot well. The most important thing about photos is that when shooting people, it’s how you control the light, how patient you are in seeking that perfect moment and how to best capture a person. A good lens will help but the determining factor is the photographer him or herself. So even wit a point-and-shoot, treat it like your best friend, and understand its strengths and weaknesses, and shoot what matters to you.

SA: What do you think about street photography and this specific genre of photography in China?

唐颖: 在上海，我看到了很多人也在记录。我认为现在的上海是最佳的时期作为一个摄影师，有很多形形色色的人物，很多变化。 很多人都在记录。我认为在中国街道摄影是有潜力的，但是我觉得能够花很长时间，能出作品的人还是比较少，因为很多中国有能力的摄影师喜欢到西北或是少数民族的区域做记录。在上海还是比较少，陆元敏是比较有名的上海街道摄影家。

I’ve seen many people documenting in Shanghai. I think that this is the best time for a photographer in Shanghai what with the different people and all the changes. I believe street photography in China has great potential but there are not that many people who are able to expend long periods of time (on street photography) and be able to publish such work. There are so many talented photographers in China who like to travel to the Western regions or places where minority groups live to document. But there are less (such documentary photographers) in Shanghai. Lu Yuanming is a more prominent Shanghai street photographer.

SA: Are there any photographers that have stood out or influenced your work? (if possible, can u name any local in addition to international photographers?)

唐颖: 我的偶像是Elliot Ewitt，我比较喜欢他的幽默的风格。他的狗的照片让我在上海尝试了我自己的关于宠物的系列。还有Moriyama Daito, Henri Cartier Bresson等等。我比较倾向与传统的人文摄影的风格运用在我街道摄影上，现代派的例如ALex Webb, Trent Park的作品也让我尝试了不同的方式去拍摄。我觉得摄影是需要不断的尝试和学习的一个过程。

Elliot Erwitt is my idol and I like his humorous style. His photographs of dogs have inspired me to create my own series on pets in Shanghai. (I also like) Moriyama Daito, Henri Cartier Bresson etc. I lean toward the traditional style of photography involving a human element, which is reflected in my street photography. More modern works by photographers Alex Webb and Trent Parke have helped me experiment different methods in shooting. I feel that photography requires constant experimentation and learning.

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