An Iranian in Beijing

Photography has always fascinated me. One of my earliest memories is of my father’s 35mm manual camera wrapped in a leather encasing. He picked it up soon after he immigrated to the United States. When I was younger, it was an ever-present companion on our road trips to California from our rural Kentucky home. My journey to photography would take much longer, however. And, if I’m honest, it is, much like writing, a work in progress.

I consider myself fortunate to have a life that allows me to pursue both writing and photography. Beijing, our current home for another year, is a treasure trove of photographic opportunities. It’s a city often misunderstood, reduced to its famous tourist spots like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. While these are undoubtedly worth a visit, there’s a wealth of hidden gems waiting to be discovered off the beaten path.

My mission when capturing images in any location is to present viewers with a fresh, unique perspective, or perhaps, a new facet of something they thought they knew. In the bustling metropolis of Beijing, this opportunity is abundant. I strive to turn the lens on aspects of the city and its culture that may be lesser known, offering a new narrative–or at least adding context to the one we already have–of the Chinese capital and China as a whole.

My photography kit includes a FujiFilm XT200 and my trusty iPhone. This combination allows me to capture a wide range of scenes and moods in Beijing and wherever my travels take me. With my Fujifilm camera, I can plan and execute a shoot over several hours or days at a specific location. On the other hand, my iPhone enables me to seize spontaneous moments. I also utilize Adobe Lightroom for minor edits when necessary.

Amidst the chaos and the almost frantic pace of this market off a busy side street, this delivery guy had found a moment of peace. Precariously balanced across the top of his scooter, his feet dangling over the handlebars, he was fast asleep, undisturbed by the bustling market around him, as a trash collector gathered up cardboard boxes.

This small bodega was doing swift business. Tiny shops like this all over Beijing cater to local folks who tend to shop daily instead of in bulk. It reminded me of old photos from bazaars across Iran or tiny shops in rural Kentucky.

As I waited among a collection of fans to cross an intersection and make our way to the stadium, I spotted these two young supporters learning how to wear a scarf properly. It was illustrative of the similarities in fandom across cultures. This scene plays out before every match in cities across the globe, a testament to the universal language of sports.

I took this picture after a hike through the rolling hills of Miyun. On the way home, we stopped for a bathroom break in this small village. The dusty, narrow lane that crossed in front of the village’s public bathroom and led deeper into the hamlet reminded me of the single-lane road near an old tobacco warehouse near my family’s farm.

There are pictures of Beijing that outsiders see. They display a Beijing that is bright, vibrant, and full of energy. That version of Beijing exists, but it isn’t the whole picture of what makes the city, what folks who live here see daily as they make their way through each day. As I strolled toward a local park, I chanced across this laborer repairing the sidewalk. The turquoise trikes caught my eye. These things are ubiquitous along the ancient imperial capital city’s back alleys and side streets. But then I saw the laborer toiling away, moving slowly from curb to trike bed.

Visiting Tiananmen Square is an unofficial requirement for all tourists and expats. Our guide told us it was the largest public square in the world, and the Iranian in me wanted to counter with Naqsh-e Jahan. If I had, I would have been wrong. It would be an understatement to speak of its significance and how it differs for locals and expats. However, as a visitor, it is difficult not to walk away with an appreciation of it as a national symbol.