I recently attended a street photography workshop on December 22nd, 2024, in Beijing’s Dashilar Hutong, taught by the talented Francois Nadeau. Francois has a very relaxed and approachable teaching style. He emphasizes understanding the rules of photography but encourages breaking them when necessary, allowing for creativity and spontaneity in capturing the perfect shot.

During the workshop, he covered various techniques and methods for street photography, including professionalism in the field and how to anticipate and prepare for the right moment. I gained a much better understanding of my camera’s functions, learning to adjust settings so that I can capture street scenes more quickly. It became more intuitive and enjoyable.

One of the highlights of the experience was the ease of conversation with Francois; it felt like we were old friends catching up. My goal was to acquire skills to improve my street photography skill sets, and Francois helped me achieve that.