CITY SNAPSHOT

CITY SNAPSHOT @dustytrash

“It’s a hobby… no, not a hobby — an obsession,” says Mr. Wood when asked if photography is his full time gig. He lives with his wife in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China’s Guizhou province. Insisting we refer to him by his artistic alias, Mr. Wood was introduced to photography as a kid, first developing black and white film in a dark room with his father. After a long hiatus, he began experimenting with film photography in 2007. Slowly, Mr. Wood moved to digital cameras, adding, “I’ve used a lot of different cameras in my life, for now, it’s an Olympus OMD with a couple of lenses, a Ricoh GRIII, and an iPhone.” He admits that sometimes he allows himself the nostalgia of shooting a couple rolls on his old Leica m6 with a 50mm lens.

“I am into street photography, unknown people, and random situations,” says Mr. Wood. “Also, I like the mixture of epochs when a new city grows in the middle of an old one — something we have plenty of in China.”

“There isn’t much opportunity for travel right now but I like the scenery here in Guiyang, the mixture of old China with a quickly growing and modernizing city. Other places I’ve enjoyed photographing are Hong Kong, Chongqing, Dali, Lugu Lake and some of the small beaches and towns in Hainan.”

Mr. Wood says that there isn’t really a formula to his composition. However, he finds the process cathartic and, after a hard day, he will grab a camera and go wandering. Through trial and error, and just exploring with the camera at his side, the shots present themselves naturally.