​Beijing by iPhone

Since the advent of the iPhone, the adage that the best camera is the one that you always have with you has never been truer. With every new model, Apple have refined the camera systems in these devices making them ever more powerful. Whilst they can’t replace a DSLR or mirrorless camera for ultimate quality, they can make a useful alternative if you want to travel light. Obviously an iPhone isn’t the right choice of photographic equipment for a one off trip of a lifetime, but it’s a great way to get a new perspective on a place you’re already familiar with.

I’ve visited Beijing many times since 2001 as my wife hails from there. Covid restrictions had stopped us from visiting since 2020 so we were excited to travel there again in December 2023, without the hassle of health declarations and pre-flight testing.

Over the years I’ve photographed the city with various camera systems, including a Canon EOS 5D, OM-D E-M5 and a Fuji XT2. This time I decided to travel light and use my iPhone as the main picture making device. I have an iPhone 13 Pro and the cameras built into it are still good, even though it’s now a couple of generations behind the latest models. I edited the images on my iPad Pro, using Apple’s own software built into the Photos app (I don’t have Lightroom Mobile as I’m not a fan of Adobe’s subscription model). I shot mainly in JPG with a couple of RAW files thrown in when I felt that the image would benefit from the extra resolution. However the RAWs do take up a lot more room and they can eat into both your phone’s storage and your iCloud allowance.

When we arrived we found the weather to be typical for Beijing in winter, sunny and bright but bitterly cold! However these conditions do give plenty of light for photography with the added bonus of fewer people being around.

Beijing is a city of malls and parks and these include a number of art focused areas that have sprung up recently. The Parkview Green mall is one that often has interesting installations and exhibitions and when I visited there was an art installation comprising of large coloured Perspex panels arranged as rooms which made for some interesting shots. However what caught my attention was the stainless steel cladding on the escalators which yielded some great abstract reflection shots. There is also an excellent cafe and art gallery there.
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I was also lucky enough to capture a demonstration by a local dance studio. Initially I was puzzled as to how to best photograph the dancers but then realised that the first floor gallery offered the best perspective. I set the iPhone camera to the 3x telephoto setting and this gave me a good shot.
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The 798 Art District, which is located in a disused electronics factory in northeast Beijing, has long been famous for its galleries and shops and is worth checking out although it can get crowded, even in winter. 

However other similar areas are springing up and there is one which is being set up at Langyuan Station in north east Beijing. This is a disused railway terminus that originally served several textile factories. When we visited, quite a lot of the shops were closed for the winter however there was an interactive exhibition about rainforests which was open and offered a much needed opportunity to warm up plus the chance to interact with various lizards and snakes! The architecture of the station is interesting and there are trails to explore alongside the disused railway tracks.

​A trip to the Galaxy SOHO complex is always rewarding and should be on the list for anyone visiting Beijing. This is a retail/office complex designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid and shows off all of her signature style. It was completed between 2009 and 2012 and was thriving before the pandemic. Since lockdown, quite a few of the shops and coffee bars seem to have closed but, with Beijing coming out of lockdown later than the rest of the world, I’m sure it will recover. The futuristic architecture provides some great photo opportunities, especially in the low winter light. This is another place where the iPhone’s telephoto lens comes into its own.

Luo Hong Art Museum is another venue well worth seeking out and is about a half hour taxi ride north east from central Beijing. Luo Hong is a Chinese entrepreneur who originally made his money founding the upmarket Holiland bakery chain of shops and cafes. This has given him the freedom to indulge his hobby of photography and he specialises in taking aerial photographs of mountains and wildlife from a helicopter. He has photographed mountain ranges in China, Tibet, Nepal and South America amongst other places, specialising in inaccessible locations and views. He displays his work in a purpose built museum on the outskirts of Beijing and a visit starts off with a 15 minute film presentation and then you’re shown into the gallery itself. The photographs are large and of high quality, although the saturation has been turned up a little too high for my taste. The museum building itself is impressive with landscaped grounds and a good restaurant. It also has its own indoor Koi Carp pond containing some huge fish. They’re not on the menu though!
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One thing that any visitor to China needs to bear in mind is that access to the Western internet is difficult. This is especially relevant if you’re shooting on an iPhone and hoping to post to social media. Instagram, Facebook and anything linked to Google, including Gmail, are blocked so you’ll need a good VPN (virtual private network) to stay in contact with the outside world. Unfortunately a free VPN won’t cut it and you’ll need to use a paid one to stand a chance of getting past the Great Firewall.
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China is a destination where you come away feeling that you’ve been somewhere totally different from the everyday and even though I’ve been there many times, I feel that I’ve only just scratched the surface and this has only sharpened my appetite to explore further.