People checking out the stage for that night’s concert in Shenzhen, China, X100F
Before the music starts — people at a Shenzhen venue checking out the stage. The X100F in available stage light: high contrast, directional, unpredictable. Monochrome collapses the coloured gels into a simpler tonal range and focuses attention on the posture and movement of the figures rather than the spectacle behind them. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.
I have no idea what this small workshop is but it caught my eye. Foshan, China. X100F.
A small workshop in Foshan that caught the eye — the X100F and the instinct to stop. Street photography rewards curiosity over planning: the camera’s fixed focal length means you work with your feet, moving until the frame makes sense. Monochrome strips away the workshop’s colour and leaves only form, texture, and the quality of the light inside. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.
A pedestrian crossing with only one pedestrian… Foshan, China, X100F
A near-empty pedestrian crossing in Foshan — the lone figure the X100F waited for. Street photography is often about subtraction: waiting until the scene simplifies itself. The crossing lines and the single pedestrian give the frame its geometry. Monochrome reinforces the emptiness of the space; colour would have been busy with road markings and signage. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.
This is actually a measure put in place to combat pollution. Mist sprinklers… Foshan, China, X100F
Mist sprinklers in Foshan photographed against the light — an anti-pollution measure that becomes an atmospheric subject. The X100F and backlit water mist: the droplets catch the light and the frame becomes about atmosphere rather than subject. Monochrome intensifies the graphic quality, turning the sprinkler heads into silhouettes and the mist into a mid-tone wash. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.
Waiting for the scooters to cross the road. Foshan, China, X100F
Waiting at a Foshan crossing — the patient street photographer’s natural moment. The scooters and figures create a layered scene that monochrome simplifies into a clear visual hierarchy. The X100F’s fixed lens means you work with your feet, finding the frame through position rather than focal length. The slight motion blur on the scooters in the background gives the still figures their stillness. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.
Monochromia 
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