Market with bugs to eat China

Exploring Beijing’s Bug Market

My wife and I visited a food market in Beijing where the stalls selling bugs on skewers drew our attention. Trays of scorpions, spiders and larvae sat in neat rows, their shapes repeated across the counter. It was an unfamiliar sight for us, and there was plenty to look at before deciding what, if anything, to eat.

Markets are one part of what makes travelling with a camera so interesting. My China photography collection brings together the streets, buildings and everyday scenes that caught my eye.

Photographing the Food Stalls

The displays make strong photographic subjects. Bright trays separate the food from the counter, while the rows of wooden sticks create lines through the frame. Looking closely reveals differences that are easy to miss in a quick glance.

I’m interested in the person working behind the display as well as the display itself. A hand reaching across the counter changes a still arrangement into a moment of activity. That attention to everyday movement also runs through my street photography collection.

Curiosity at the Market

These photographs record what we encountered on our visit. They are not a guide to what every market in Beijing sells, or a recommendation about what to eat. For me, the appeal is in looking carefully at a place that offers something outside my usual experience.

I wrote about another food encounter with my wife in Saying Yes in Beijing. For the photographic side of these encounters, my article on candid photography explores paying attention to people without directing the moment.