Nick Fancher is a photographer, author, and educator who specializes in dramatic lighting, often employing the use of bold colors and experimental camera techniques. He uses bright colored filters (often neon) to set a mood, mixing strong and soft light to add depth—his photos have bold color contrasts and dark, moody tones that make people stand out. His lighting always has a purpose: it doesn’t just light up subjects, but also shows textures, expresses feelings, or fits the theme of a shoot, whether it’s black-light body paint portraits or commercial work.

I’m going to use moody blue and red light, just like he does, and stick to simple, everyday spaces. His work has shown me how to mix those colors better—I’ll add a soft red edge light to my blue shots to deepen the shadows without ruining the quiet vibe I want. I’ll also try to use foam boards or other creative ways so it creates a feeling of purposeful instead of random. Most importantly, I’m going to match the light to the mood I want to create: a sharp blue light for a distant, introspective feel, or a soft red glow for a calm, warm atmosphere. This way, the color and shadows won’t just look cool—they’ll better help the emotion that i want.

Portrait photography is a type of photography that focuses on expressing the characteristics and personality of a person or a group of people by using lightning, backdrops and poses. Selfies might be a type of photography. Sometimes they look more casual and immediate, but it captures one’s own image. A good portrait feels real and evokes feelings.

I think portraits shouldn’t be limited to full body. Sometimes details like a hand, an eye, or even a fabric of clothing can function as a portrait if they symbolize the subject’s identity or tells a story. A portrait ceases to be a portrait when it loses all connection to the subject’s identity shown. For example, a figure so blurred that it no longer conveys who or what the subject is.

This photograph captures a rickshaw puller.

-bright outdoor light

-structural lines

-texture

-greenery

-expressions

This photograph captures a scene in a Beijing hutong.

-contrast with red & green with shadowed areas.

-composition

-architectural structures & circular traffic signs

-pattern

This photograph captures people playing chess outdoors.

-composition creates more of a symmetry feeling.

-group interaction, with the centered composition.

This photograph captures the scene of outdoor chess play.
-the grid lines

-texture

-color range transitions

This photograph captures a row of rickshaws. I cropped the image to highlight the girl looking away. The line of vehicles extends into the distance, creating a leading line, adn the repeated arrangement of red forms a  pattern.

This photograph captures winter swimmers.

-green tones contrasted with swimmer’s movements and white spray

-natural and full of motion

-texture of swimmer’s skin

This photograph captures a man playing chess.

-contemplative atmosphere

-focused posture

Statement of intent

The title of this project is Hutong street photogarphy. The concept/story I want to tell with my photographs is the dynamism in daily life and capture the essence of old Beijing

The Hutong is bustling with a lot of local people’s life. A family, speeding motorcycles, and traditional Chinese fast food may all be my photos.You can capture more details that you can’t notice in life, because life without details is vague. Beijing is a city influenced by modern life but still retains a lot of ancient historical background. I tried to capture this feeling in my photography.

Capture the spirit of Hutong life past. Many have never lived in the hutongs, but through photos, they can experience a sense of familiarity within the same historical context. Photographs can capture memories and bring back eras we’ve forgotten.

I will draw inspiration from the works of photographers like Dougie Wallace and Hellen Levitt. I aim to capture candid moments, as they feel more authentic and full of life. i might want to capture more  fluid, dynamic movements. I hope to photograph the most local aspects of life in Beijing—the real lives of the people who truly belong to this central part of the beijing.

Street photographer- Siegfried Hansen

Initially, my intent was to look for vibrant greens, but I shifted my focus to capturing the intreseting artifacts to better express this artistic space.

The first photograph originally depicted a staircase, but after rotating 90 degrees to the right, it resembles a wall. The ladder’s cross-section graduallygoes on to the right, while the white handrail also guides the viewer’s eyes.The narrow alley is framed by textured brick walls, guiding the viewer’s eyes toward the center of the composition. Straight lines extended from the floor and walls, which creates “spatial depth”. The shapes of the windows and certain geometric structures makes it more dynamic. The final image shifts perspective, presenting an upward gaze. Buildings flanking the frame form an inverted triangle, with a tree filling the central void. This composition contrasts effectively with the urban surroundings of 798.I made the photos to black and white scale so viewers can better focus on the texture and composition—like the coarse texture of the walls and floor—rather than the colors.