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How to Take Great Photos While Surrounded by Chinese Smog

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AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

If you can’t beat it, photograph it.

With choking smog once again descending upon China’s northeastern cities, that seems to be the message of an anonymousarticle widely reposted around the Chinese Internet over the weekend. The seemingly tongue-in-cheek piece offers tips on how aspiring photographers can use China’s thick haze to aesthetic advantage. Suggestions, accompanied with sample photos, include “using a slightly longer exposure time” to “capture subtle shifts in the smog;” hints for what to look for, such as “the reduced visibility on smoggy days can create delicate layering patterns;” and a reminder to “check the PM2.5 level before embarking — if it’s too high, visibility will be limited.” (PM2.5 is a measurement of harmful, small particulate matter in the air.)

This collection of tips and photos may seem to rank alongside the Dec. 2013 article in the state-run Global Times that offered five reasons why smog was actually a tactical boon for China’s military defense. The poorly considered article — seeming to casually dismiss smog’s genuine toll on human health — was quickly removed after an online backlash. But this smog photo post, artsy and hopeful, seems to combine both understated satire with a genuine attempt to make the best of a bad situation. Its final suggestion is to use photography as a means to express emotion about smog, declaring, “Since we live in it, let us at least make good use of it!”

Read the rest of the article here, and be sure to check out Tea Leaf Nation’s new channel on Foreign Policy.

The post How to Take Great Photos While Surrounded by Chinese Smog appeared first on Tea Leaf Nation.


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