Mark Siegemund is a German freelance photographer who has spent many years living in Shanghai (China). His images are taken from unique perspectives, painting a picture with extremely unique landscapes of one of the most modern cities in Asia. By approaching challenging angles, his collection has allowed viewers to see many different colors of this dynamic city.
As a director of an architectural design company, Mark was captivated by the majestic buildings in Shanghai. That is the Shanghai World Financial Center, or the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. He has images that make viewers overwhelmed, goosebumps because of the sharp angles and impressive height.
The most noticeable point in the photos taken by Mark is the contrast between modernity and tradition. Although Shanghai develops at a dizzying speed with the main recognition being the mushrooming skyscrapers, in the heart of this bustling city there are still peaceful corners with classical buildings. Images of temples nestled next to luxurious high-rise buildings are not too difficult to find in this city.
The Huangpu River, which gently curves through the city, can be seen as the dividing line between modernity and tradition. On one side is the financial center, also known as Pudong, with its rows of skyscrapers and bustling and bustling neighborhoods. But on the other side of the river, called Puxi, is the old part of Shanghai, not as bustling as Pudong but still has a cheerful and vibrant pace of life. As Mark himself shared, it is not easy to find a place that feels slow unless you go further into the suburbs.
People living in Puxi can easily observe the towering buildings sparkling in the sunlight every morning, or the splendid neon lights every night. On the contrary, people in Pudong can only see on the other side of the river low-rise buildings, interspersed with ancient tiled-roof pagodas. The common point of both sides is probably the people, every day rushing with work, with life, making a living, drifting with the flow of time.
Some other images of Shanghai captured by photographer Mark Siegemund:
