Street Photography in Chongqing

Jiefangbei is the pedestrian square around the People's Liberation Monument, the center of the peninsula and of modern Chongqing. Fabio Nodari says the area captures the spirit of the city best in the evening, when the lights come on. The square is a constant stream of shoppers and office workers. Stand on one of the raised walkways at the edge and shoot down into the crowd, using the lit signs as your background. The hard part is separation. Wait for a gap and one clear figure. It is very crowded at weekends, so keep your bag in front.

Luohan Temple dates back to the Song dynasty and is still an active Buddhist temple, now surrounded by commercial towers. The contrast is the picture. Roam and Ridge suggests getting low in the courtyard and looking up, so the curved eaves frame the glass walls above. For street work, watch the worshippers with incense and candles, and the smoke moving through the light. Come in the morning, when it is calm. Metro Line 1 or 6 to Xiaoshizi, Exit 6, is a five minute walk. Be quiet and ask before photographing monks or anyone praying.

Chaodonglu is a working street near Chaotianmen that has become famous with photographers. Fabio Nodari explains why: with a telephoto, you can stack local warehouse workers loading and unloading trucks against the towers of Raffles City behind them. This is a compression shot, so stand well back and use 100mm or longer. Go in the daytime, when the loading is active. The workers are busy and this is their workplace, so stay out of the way of trolleys and trucks. A nod goes a long way if someone notices you.

Hongyadong is a stack of wooden buildings in the style of traditional stilt houses, built into the cliff above the Jialing River. At night it lights up gold and turns into the most photographed scene in the city. For street work, the crowds on the terraces are the subject: people posing and filming. Fabio Nodari notes the classic view of the building is from across the river, where there is a big pedestrian area. I'd shoot the building from there, then cross back and work the crowd inside. Lights usually come on in the evening. It gets packed, so watch your gear.

Shibati means Eighteen Steps. It was a maze of stairways and wooden houses linking the upper and lower city, and it has been rebuilt to keep the old look with new businesses inside. 240 Hours in China suggests entering from Jiaochangkou station and walking downhill past tea houses and an old well. The stairs are the composition tool. Stand at the top of a flight and wait for a figure climbing toward you. It works best in the evening, when the lanterns come on. Some of the charm is staged now, so look for the locals in the tea houses.

The cable car crosses the Yangtze from the Jiefangbei side to the south bank. Fabio Nodari photographs it from the Dongshuimen Bridge, with the cabin hanging in front of the apartment towers. Ride it too. Inside, you get faces against the window with the city dropping away behind. Queues are long on weekends and at sunset, so book a few hours ahead. For the outside view, a longer lens isolates the cabin. Stay clear of the queue barriers when shooting, as staff move people along fast.

Longmenhao is a renovated neighborhood on the south bank of the Yangtze, where the cable car lands. Fabio Nodari describes narrow alleys and old shop signs that evoke 1930s Chongqing, with fewer tourists than Hongyadong. Many houses are now cafes and boutiques, so this is more about setting than daily life. I'd use it for figure and ground: a single walker against the old signs. Late afternoon has the best light, and at night you get views back across the river to the lit skyline. It is quiet, so candids feel more exposed.

At Liziba, the Line 2 monorail runs straight through the middle floors of a residential building. It is a tourist favorite, and the viewing platform below fills with people raising phones every time a train passes. That crowd is your street picture. Turn around and shoot the viewers, with the train sliding into the building behind them. Trains come every few minutes, so you get many tries. Pre-focus on the platform and time the moment the phones go up. It is busy on weekends, so come on a weekday morning.