Street photography is not just a sharp triggering of shutter to shape the outside world in the form of light and shadow. It is simultaneously a curious observation and emotional perception of what’s happening in the ordinary streets at any moment when unpredictable dramas and realities are actually taking place.

I have lived in Shanghai for over 9 years and I explore Shanghai, where urban city and residential lanes are hidden and unknown to me and impact my emotional attachment to the city. Street photography not only enables me to create a documentary view of the unique Shanghai street and the culture behind it, but also reveals the extraordinary and metaphorical aspect of Shanghai – an invisible theatre of mystery, drama, unease and nostalgia.

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

About Tim Gao

As a self-taught photographer, Shanghai-based Tim Gao learned to develop films in the darkroom. With a keen fascination for Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photographic style, Tim began his professional experience doing street photography in 2012, being influenced by photographers including Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Diane Arbus, Josef Koudelka, Mark Riboud, Takuma Nakahira and Issei Suda, among others. His work shows the exquisite craftsmanship needed to obtain street photography, specially with film cameras.

Invisible Theatre - Street Photography Series By Chinese Photographer Tim Gao

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Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Tim Gao. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.