A lovely series by Swiss photographer Ralph Steinegger. Steinegger has lived in Beijing, New York, Istanbul, Singapore and Shanghai. He uses analogue cameras to document mostly urban environments, exploring their contradictions, hidden aspects, and poetic elements. For Steinegger the significance of water, and the waterways designed to control it, can’t be understated. Especially when it comes to a city like Shanghai (which literally means “on the sea”). Historical context and the foundations of Chinese civilization aside, Steinegger turns his attention to one of the oldest traditions connected to these pivotal infrastructures: the hobby of fishing.

“In the early morning light, lone figures are standing along rivers and canals, under bridges and highways, dwarfed by rows of residential towers and construction sites. In the midst of a built environment meant to liberate men from the constraints of nature, they cast their rods in silence. Standing still, as to be almost indiscernible, they seem oblivious of their surroundings and solely remain focused on the small stretch of water in front of them.”

See more images from “Shanghai Fishing” below!