Why This Photo Looks Like a Drawing

Clean lines created by bamboo fishermen drew the attention, and camera lens, of photographer Tugo Cheng, who made this picture of a fisherman at work along the coast of Xiapu, Fujian Province, China.

The first day of shooting was a sunny day with a colorful sunset—beautiful sunlight and reflections, which are the signature scenes of coastal Fujian. The second day, however, was a cloudy day with rain showers. The [photo] outcomes turned out to be unexpectedly interesting when the elements appeared flattened without shadows and the image was distilled to purely lines and shapes, like a black-and-white drawing.

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