Recipes · Stories & Journal
Vagabond Series - China, Guang Zhou
Presets from the road — China, part 1. Every city gets a note like this: the place, the light, and the presets that handled it.
I HP5 Plus 400
It's the first day of the vagabond series, and I've just landed in Guangzhou.
The first thing I noticed was the humidity. It was hot, thick, and everywhere. After I dropped my bags at the hostel I walked to the nearest Decathlon — I still hadn't bought my merino long sleeve or winter jacket, and I needed both before the train north.
Then it started to rain.
There's a feeling you get on a first day like this: hot, raining, and a little lost. Guangzhou doesn't make it easier. Everyone walks fast here, and on the street you can feel the city's urgency pressing past you.
People walking on the crossroad
In front of an old store
Old alley
Drivers all around the place
I shot that atmosphere with I HP5 Plus 400, a black & white recipe built on the Grainy Film II art filter. I tuned it softer than the default — less contrast — so the shadows don't slam shut and you can still read the details through the rain and the crowd.
Good for: street scenes, documentary work, architecture, portraits, everyday moments where texture matters more than colour.
Not for: moments where colour is the whole point — this recipe takes it away from you.
K Gold 200
A few days later, a friend who works in Guangzhou took me to Yide Road, a local street market. This time the sun was out.
The market was loud and lively, the kind of place where the atmosphere does half the work for you. On a sunny warm day like this, K Gold 200 is the one I reach for.
Workout park back at the street
A cute orange cat
It came out exactly right. It's a warm recipe — golden without tipping into orange — and when I look back at these photos now, I can still feel the temperature of that afternoon. A recipe earns its place when it remembers the day's weather for you.
Good for: sunny days, markets and old streets, warm light, travel diary shots.
Not for: cold, flat, overcast light — the golden feel just dies in it. (draft — confirm)
K Ektachrome E100
On my third day, my friend recommended a walk along Changdi Road, the path by the river. By the time I got there, the sky had gone grey and gloomy.
The riverbank was still full of life: locals jogging, cycling, fishing along the water. Watching them, I caught that familiar thought — every city has a river like this, and the people on it are the same everywhere. The only thing that changes is you. Travel just puts a different mood over the same scene.
An old man sitting alone
Across the street
For this I used K Ektachrome E100, built on the Pin Hole filter. It brings a strong vignette around the frame, a slightly green, vintage cast, and high contrast that makes the picture punchier. Everything closes in toward the center — it turns a snapshot into something that feels remembered.
Good for: quiet, lonely scenes; anything you want to feel timeless, like a memory.
Not for: clean portraits (skin tones drift), food or product photography, modern architecture, fresh natural landscapes, anywhere you need accurate colour.
What's Next
Three days in Guangzhou, three kinds of weather — rain, full sun, and a grey river — and each one picked its own preset. I'm glad I didn't over-plan this trip; the city planned it for me.
Next in this series: I board the long train out of Guangzhou and spend two days crossing China toward Xinjiang, the Gansu corridor running past the window. See you on board.