This is a reworking of a photograph taken in November 2008 in the Beijing Hutongs, the original having appeared in the brief write-up of our visit to the area; see Beijing Hutongs.
As explained in that post, this was taken at the conclusion of our trip to the old area of the Chinese capital, as our pedicab driver began to pedal us back towards the bus that would take us back to the hotel. It was late evening and the sun was low in the sky behind us. Two employees of the building outside which they stood – we assume it was a café but don’t know for certain – shielded their eyes from the glare of the sun, and in their similar (not not quite uniform) clothing they almost appeared to be military of some fashion, saluting us. I mean, sure, I’d like to think we’re important too but we’re not that important.
The photo has been cropped to bring the two men in it more towards the centre. Some distortion from the lens has been corrected and the photo has been rotated slightly to straighten up the walls. Highlights have been reduced to pull in more detail and the image has been brightened, had some vibrancy added, and contrast applied too. The temperature has been cooled slightly overall and oranges have been reduced while blues increased fractionally for more natural tones.
