Playdate: Shanti Christensen, Blogger and Photographer
"I can still remember my dad trying to teach me how to hold a camera without shaking it,” Shanti Christensen emailed me. “I’ve always been interested in taking photos from a young age.”
This young woman – born in Guam, raised in northern California and now a longtime resident of Beijing – has carved out an impressive name for herself here. She has spent the last three years visiting homes all over China and collecting family recipes for a future cookbook. In the meantime, she documents all her experiences on her popular food blog.
At heart, she views herself primarily as a storyteller, whether she is sharing travel tales or pictures of meals. Few people may realize, however, that she is passionate about photographing far more than just food.
“I like highlighting characteristics of the human condition,” she tells me. Which explains one of her favorite weekend pastimes: exploring local markets to snap away at produce, spices and people.
That morning, we were scheduled to meet at her neighborhood market, Donglian Xing. Hordes of people tumble in and out of the indoor space, illuminated by skylights and colorful goods.
“At markets, I’m basically looking for light and how it hits. It’s really nice in the morning, when you have that nice golden glow,” Shanti points out. “And it sets the mood, too.”
Besides gathering tips from her professional photographer of a husband, Peikwen Cheng, she also took specialized classes in junior high and college. As she aims her Canon 5D at a row of plucked chickens – beaks, toenails and all – she advises me to seek out intense hues, patterns and emotion: “One tip I always have in mind came from Peikwen: ‘Keep the photo interesting from corner to corner within the frame.’”
“It sounds like a no-brainer,” she notes, “but you’d be surprised how our eyes are sometimes at a loss for what the photo is all about.”
Suddenly, she shifts her camera lens to a mustached vendor slicing away at dough. “Look!” Shanti squeals, pointing out the motion of the knife captured in the photo. It is a striking image – the man’s mouth is furrowed in concentration, and his hands are gripping the blurred blade with expertise.
I depart from the market feeling pensive and seeing the world with new eyes. Shanti had left me with this piece of advice: “Explore often as there are stories everywhere to be captured. Observe.”
To take photography classes, check out TheHutong.com and ChinaCultureCenter.org. To follow Shanti on her food and photo adventures, check out ShowShanti.com.
Click here to see the February issue of the Beijinger in full.
Photos: Peikwen Cheng and Shanti Christensen
