Alexey Belov

What got you into street photography in the first place? Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked your passion for it?

It happened pretty recently. In early 2020 I traveled to Nepal, just for one week. But my flight from Kathmandu back to Beijing was canceled, with no indication of when the flights would be resumed. As a result, I stayed in Nepal for almost three months. So I rented a motorcycle and started to explore this wonderful country and take pictures of everything around me.

This is how I fell in love with photography. On my return back to Beijing I decided to proceed and bought my first camera.

What’s your go-to camera and lens combination?

I am generally an Olympus (OM Systems) guy. Micro 4/3 system best suits my needs. I prefer to be close – so my go-to lenses are 12-40mm/f2.8 and 8-25mm/f4 (that would be 24-80mm and 16-50mm in full frame terms).

And I always have a tiny pocket camera with me – either Olympus XZ-1 or Panasonic Lumix GM5.

Have you experimented with other camera systems in the past? What made you choose Olympus for street photography?

When I went to the store to buy my first camera in 2020, I did zero homework on which camera I should buy.

At the time I was (and still am) under the impression that any more or less modern camera is capable of making high-quality images. So the only criteria for me was camera handling. I guess I picked and twisted each camera body available in that shop – and Olympus (EM-1 Mark III and then OM-1) appeared to be the comfiest for me.

I added a few M.Zuiko lenses – and now I am “married” to that brand – and “married” happily. However, I would not be fair if I didn’t mention another camera that I adore – this is Epson RD-1. For me it gives me an experience that cannot be compared with any other digital camera out there.

For my film photography (which I keep promising myself to do more) my go-to is Olympus M1, in fact, my coeval, we both were made in the same year. But the most favorite film camera is Minolta CLE.

In summary, I always go with Olympus when I am limited in time and need a “guaranteed” result. On the contrary, when my mood is romantic, when I am keeping aloof, immersed in my own thoughts, and wandering aimlessly – then rangefinders fit best. 

How do you navigate approaching subjects, ensuring the authenticity of the moment while respecting peoples privacy?

Don’t scare anyone and don’t be afraid.

I do believe that human beings are generally rather good than bad, so by default, I take all the strangers I meet on the streets as my future new friends.

I am nice to them and feel the same in return. If someone doesn’t want to be photographed (which is pretty rare) – I respect that and move on. But normally no one cares and often smiles back and poses and makes funny faces. I never hide.

I come as close as I can and try to get the feeling of what I see. To grab an image and run away – this is not my comfort zone. Much better is to observe the moment, feel it, get its taste, and find nice details and something interesting.

We take pictures not because we have to but because we ought to. We, photographers, are doing the noble thing. We have the chance to capture the beauty of this world and share it back to it. This is nothing to be shy about. 

Also, I was never looking to capture the “mysterious and exotic Orient” or tell a photo story about specific individuals of the present time for future generations. I certainly didn’t look to add more to the world’s collection of Asia travel photos.

I was more drawn to the essence of photography as a tool to explore the human way of being.

City life, with all its vibrant hustle and bustle, was the starting point of my work. Random people in the crowd, their gestures and poses, the daily routine of streets and squares, vast parks and narrow alleys. I like to explore the city in search of an image, diving into its commotion and opening myself up in return. 

What’s your favorite city for street photography, I noticed most of your shots were taken in Beijing?

I live in the city of Beijing since 2016 so most of my images are from this vibrant, vivid and friendly megalopolis. Though all of Asia is a gift for exploring color and street photography. It’s a parade of bright clothes and incredible palettes. The cityscape is sprawling and changing rapidly, with entire neighborhoods overhauled in a matter of months.

However, I consciously avoid focusing on a specific location or a point in time. Knowing where and when a photo was taken feels to me both unimportant and irrelevant.

I noticed you put together books for a lot of your work, what would you describe as your own favorite book?

Every book is a sort of milestone in my photography journey, and I respect all of them. Obviously, out of today my earlier books seem more amateurish, but that’s normal. Many people in this world compare themselves to others and feel unhappy. Yet it makes more sense to compare yourself with yourself in the past and to see how your own development goes: whether you are doing better than you have been a year ago. Same with photography.

My most recent photobook – Elements – is centered around color and based on the meanings and symbols it conveys for people from different countries. Each color has its own mood and symbolic meaning, often different across cultures. Color communicates to us on an emotional level – it can appeal our attention, can sway our thinking, can cause a variety of reactions. It can irritate or soothe our eyes, relieve or raise our blood pressure, it can equally add to the narrative of the story.

I cannot ignore all this and try to notice and capture every color I see. China’s theory of five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water – is a philosophy of harmony underlying the perception of the world and integrating everything that surrounds us. Each of the elements has its own associated color and represents a certain material, cardinal direction, and feelings.

The entire world is filled with symbols and coherent, and without a deep knowledge of cultural background, an outsider is unable to read this book of meanings. This world was created in color, we might appreciate and enjoy this and, equally, show this amazing variety to others.

Your work specifically stood out to me on PortraitMode. Many street photographers have their own distinctive style or approach. How would you describe your personal style, and what elements do you prioritize when composing a shot?

All famous artists of the past were, first and foremost, hard workers – craftsmen who spent years perfecting their skills to portray hands, faces and weather conditions, use perspective and light, convey an image or render an emotion. It’s roughly the same with photography and equally applies to worldwide known photography gurus.

Once you know and understand what you want to portray, you can learn and master the technical skills quite successfully. Finding your voice in photography and a way to express it is a much trickier task only accomplished by a few. This can hardly be learned. To do that, you need to capture your inner state and align it with the subject matter of your photographic efforts to shape a coherent visual image in your mind and then find a way to capture it in a photograph.

At first, some may struggle to capture their inner state, especially in relation to a specific subject. In this case, one needs to learn how to discover it and connect with it. The subconscious mind operates using complete images. But what is a complete image? What are its components and what does it take to build one? How does it get powerful?

At the end of the day, I don’t know the secret to creating powerful photography. And I’m glad I don’t. Not knowing something is great. It makes you feel free, eager to act, and looking forward to new discoveries. It turns you into a child who believes in miracles.

Street photography often captures the essence of a city and its people. What do you aim to convey or communicate with your photographs?

Many people out there believe that it is essential for a photograph to tell a story, or to capture a snapshot of real life. I am not in that camp – I focus more on the visual aspect of the image – its integrity and mood.

Something with no voids that keeps the eye from drifting away. Something unusual but coming in a visually engaging pattern. A composition in harmony with color, and a geometry balanced with objects. Nothing haphazard or helter-skelter.

Are there any photographers, past or present, who have influenced or inspired your work?

It is close to impossible to pick a single name. I do like dozens of them. But if you ask me who of the photographers of the past who impressed me most, I will probably name Andre Kertesz, Tony Ray Jones, Ernst Haas, Robert Doisneau and Boris Smelov.

Among those who are working now are Mark Power, Harry Gruyaert, Sam Abell, Sergey Maximishin, Gustavo Minas, Ed Kashi and John Stanmeyer. Frankly, almost every week I add a new name to the list, so the stacks of artists’ books in my room keep growing and growing.

Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring street photographers who are looking to improve their skills and develop their own style?

Be instinctual. Be sincere. And be childishly curious.

Being genuinely curious and open to the world is all you need to see something really special. A scene that comes directly out of thin air, a striking combination of colors, lines, shapes and textures, an urban mosaic, geometry, silhouettes, faces and movement.

It’s so fascinating to be in this never-ending pursuit, looking for contrasting lights, a fanciful composition or impressive colors. And one more thing – spend time with yourself. Ask yourself (and then others) the right questions. Learn how to come up with solutions, and how to make decisions. And teach children to do the same, so that they can have their world, their life and their future built on candidness, joy and curiosity, rather than someone else’s interests or the fear of making mistakes.

If we all don’t have to choose between following our hearts and meeting someone’s expectations, between being ourselves and being loved, the photographs we make will, at the very least, be sincere.