vivo Imaging Masterclass covers Street Photography with E-Jay Zhang

With the latest vivo Imaging Masterclass, the company tapped street photographer E-jay Zhang to tackle the topic of urban photography and more.

E-Jay Zhang used the vivo X80 Pro for street photography

vivo Imaging Masterclass on Urban Photography and more!

With street photography, you need to play with lighting, elements, and perspective

E-Jay Zhang discusses how using perspective, human subjects, and color can make an image stand out whether it was taken with a professional camera or a smartphone with pro-level camera capabilities like the vivo X80 Pro in the most recent episode of the vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass.

E-Jay Zhang has long been captivated by urban or street photography, starting as a young professional in Shanghai and developing into a curious child in Beijing. He always wanted to photograph the city and its inhabitants, and the rooftop became his preferred location. 

In an effort to capture the entirety of the city and reveal its other side, he combed locations and strolled streets in search of and to examine diverse subjects, exploring numerous angles in the process. He believes that photography is somewhat akin to our ancient predecessors' cave paintings to record memories and events.

One of Zhang's first tips is to play with the lighting around you. He places a high value on the source of light and its direction to highlight the nuances of the subject since he feels that light is the soul of a photograph. For location shooting, dawn and dusk are considered to be the best times since the natural light is at its most delicate.

As much as having proper lighting tremendously elevates the quality of the photo, it may not always be feasible as different factors come to play. To address situations in low-light conditions, especially at night, you can opt to combine natural light with artificial light sources. Zhang advises exploring an image’s highlights, shadows, and exposure to bring out a good mix of cold-warm contrast that will give photos more depth and texture.

In addition, the widespread use of mobile photography benefits most people because it gives everyone the freedom and convenience to shoot whenever they want, wherever they are.

Zhang demonstrated how a smartphone can photograph pro-standard images effortlessly and with maximum consistency while using the vivo X80 Pro in a street photoshoot. He prefers to photograph urban landscapes that include both streets and people since they show actual living conditions and help more people get to know these locations better.

Zhang says that before choosing a location for a film, he always does his homework on the site and observes the foot movement in the neighborhood. Zhang believes that while the presence of people in photographs can add intriguing narratives, it's also critical to reduce any potential distractions and superfluous features.

He says it's crucial to be aware of your surroundings and not be frightened to get lost. Remember that multiple views can be seamlessly merged together depending on perspective, whether the subjects are people or landscapes. Using this method, photographers will be able to find more perspectives to enhance the shot and better determine where to make light source adjustments.

It can be difficult to find interesting scenarios and come up with original shots, but it's also true that occasionally simple setups can result in the most interesting pictures. All you need to do is change your perspective or learn new ways to use light and other sources. And with continued practice, you will eventually improve.

vivo X80 Pro Specs

Display: 6.78-inch 3D flexible Gorilla Glass Victus protected LTPO3 AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, WQHD+ 3200 x 1440 resolution at 518 ppi

CPU: 3.0GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 octa-core processor + vivo V1+ imaging chip

GPU: Adreno

RAM: 12GB LPDDR5

ROM: 256GB UFS 3.1

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.6 GNV w/ PDAF, laser AF, OIS + 48MP f/2.2 IMX598 ultra-wide-angle w/ AF + 12MP f/1.9 IMX663 Portrait w/ gimbal OIS + 8MP f/3.4 5x periscope w/ PDAF, OIS + ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating + Color temperature sensor + dual LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.5

Battery: 4,700mAh w/ 80W fast charging, 50W fast wireless charging

OS: Android 12 w/ Funtouch OS 12

Connectivity: WiFi 6, 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC), NFC, GPS (L1 + L5), GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: Large-area ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock, IP68 water and dust resistance, IR Blaster, stereo speakers, HiFi Audio, X-axis linear motor, top-class cooling system, USB-C, Colors: Cosmic Black

Dimensions: 164.57 x 75.30 x 9.10 mm

Weight: 219 g

Price: PHP 59,999

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