travel

Sinostory 2011: Beijing

北京

For several years now I have been organizing trips to China for college students who study photography and video production. Each year we visit several cities in a whirlwind 2 week trek across China's eastern seaboard trying to absorb the culture, make new friends, and capture portfolio worthy images. This year's trip began in Beijing, with only a few days in China's massive capitol we only managed to visit a few choice locations before heading south.  Here are a few of my best images from our few days in Beijing, with future posts from other cities soon to follow. 

Mu Tian Yu Great Wall 慕田峪长城:

 FORBIDDEN CITY 故宫: 

Tian An Men Square 天安门广场: All images ©2011 John Rash 

Red Rock in Exhibition

In early September I was lucky enough to attend Photoshop World in Las Vegas. Having one extra day to spend before returing to North Carolina I decided to escape the lights and crowds of the strip and to hike around Red Rock Canyon. Spending the day hiking through a thunderstorm the clouds finally parted in the afternoon and gave an incredible light to the landscape. I captured some fantastic photos of the mountains, including the panoramic seen below.

©2011 John Rash

Coincidentially, I was also invited to exhibit work in this year's Randolph Art's Guild annual invitational in October, so this image became the obvious choice for the show. It's not usual that an image gets to be shown so soon after it's initial creation. Below is an image of myself with Art's Guild Executive Director Derrick Sides during the exhibit opening reception on October 4th, 2011. 

 

香港人:Mong Kok


(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

(c)2007 John F Rash / RASHPHOTO

Mong Kok is Hong Kong's epicenter of style. Locals and tourists alike clamor down double-wide traffic-free walking streets like a stampede of fashionable youth. Comparing this shopping district to New York's Times Square, or Bejing's Wang Fu Jing Da Jie, is like apples and oranges. Friday and Saturday nights are not exclusively reserved for elbow to elbow mingling, and faces blur like headlights on a busy highway all day, and late into the night. High-rise shopping malls packed with specialty shops (none much larger than walk-in closets) can be found in cohabitation with international chains. Even if you're not the shopping type, as I am not, the energy and envrionment of Mong Kok, or hours of potential "people watching", is certainly not to be missed.