John Salvino

Canadian living and working in Beijing | Photographer 📷 | Lover of music, movies, and the Raptors 🏀

📍 Beijing, China

Why Don’t I Use Photo Sharing App Glass More?

Why Don’t I Use Photo Sharing App Glass More?

I read Matt Birchler’s recent post about Glass, and it got me thinking about my own usage, or lack thereof. Like Matt, I was also initially really excited about Glass when I first heard about it. I stopped using my Instagram many months ago, but still wanted somewhere to

SKP Beijing

I can’t believe it’s already been one month since I got back to Beijing! My three months in Yangshuo are done, and after a short stopover in Nanjing, I’m living in Beijing again. I’m so glad to be back, I really enjoyed my time in Yangshuo

Yangshuo - Treasure Cave

Yangshuo - Treasure Cave

I took this photo in May 2020, in Yangshuo, China, inside Treasure Cave. I used my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens. Settings were f/5.6, ISO400. After moving to Yangshuo from Beijing in April, Treasure Cave was one of the first

Quarantine Photography in Yangshuo, China

Quarantine Photography in Yangshuo, China

So, I just moved to Yangshuo, China! It will probably only be a temporary move for a couple of months or so, but I’m excited to be here. I’ve lived and worked in Beijing since January 2018, but my work contract recently ended. Before I started looking for

5 Photography Goals For 2020

5 Photography Goals For 2020

Yes, I know it’s almost May, kind of late to be making 2020 photography goals, isn’t it? Well, this year is a bit different than most so I’m just going to go with it. With all the free time I’ve had recently, I started to think

Xi'an Drum Tower

Xi'an Drum Tower

Last April I had four days off for the Qingming Festival, so I decided to pay a visit to Xi’an. It was high up on my list of cities I wanted to visit in China, so I was excited to be finally going. Xi’an is now the capital

Open Season - Josef Salvat

Open Season - Josef Salvat

The song “Open Season”, from late 2014, is from Josef Salvat‘s “In Your Prime” EP. He is an Australian singer, and was originally known for his version of Rihanna’s song “Diamonds”. This was my first song obsession of 2015, I had it on repeat for much of

A Few Days In Hohhot

A Few Days In Hohhot

When you think of China, Hohhot is probably not a city that pops into your mind. But don’t overlook it if you’re going to spend any length of time in China. I spent a few days in Hohhot back in the spring of 2018 and wanted to share

Artist Studio

I took this photo in May of 2012, during that year’s Doors Open Toronto event. It’s from an artist studio located in the city’s Distillery District. The Distillery District is one of my favourite areas in Toronto, I definitely recommend you check it out if you’re

Breezin' - George Benson

Breezin' - George Benson

Breezin’ is an instrumental song, released in 1976 from George Benson’s album of the same name. George is an American jazz musician who has won multiple Grammy Awards. He has been making music professionally since the 1960s. For years, and I mean many, many years, I had this song

Boy Behind A Waterfall

Boy Behind A Waterfall

I took this photo in July of 2016, on the second day of my trip to Iceland. It is at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall near Iceland’s South coast and is one of the island’s main tourist attractions. It’s one of my favourite photos from that fantastic trip. Though

Angel In My Pocket - One to One

Angel In My Pocket - One to One

One to One was a Canadian music group from Ottawa, Ontario. Made up of Louise Reny and Leslie Howe, they enjoyed their most success in Canada from the mid-80s to the early 90s. Louise and Leslie actually went on later to work with Alanis Morissette on her early albums, with

Old Friends

I took this photo back in September of 2014 when I was still living in Toronto. Earlier that year, I changed my camera system from Canon to Olympus, drawn to the smaller size and lighter weight of the Micro Four Thirds system. I really enjoyed going for walks around Toronto

My China Photo Stories - Part 1

My China Photo Stories - Part 1

One of the many benefits of living in China is that there are so many amazing cities to visit, and many of them are relatively close to each other. Living in Beijing means that I have lots of choices within a five or six-hour high-speed train ride. So far I’

A Few Days In Chongqing

A Few Days In Chongqing

On my first trip to Chongqing, I spent a few days there and I wanted to share with you a little bit about some of the places I went during my visit. I really enjoyed my time there and I’m looking forward to visiting again! Some General ThoughtsA very

Love Song - Sky

Love Song - Sky

Love Song was released in 1999, by a Canadian band from Montreal called Sky. This was the second single from their debut album, Piece of Paradise, and by far my favourite song of theirs. The album did well, and they actually ended up winning the Juno Award (like the Canadian

Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) - Awolnation

Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) - Awolnation

This was the first single from Awolnation’s second album, Run, which was released in 2015. I fell in love with Awolnation back in 2011, thanks to their debut album, Megalithic Symphony. When I first heard this single, I thought they were definitely back! It was four years since

Some Distant Memory - Electronic

Some Distant Memory - Electronic

Penultimate song on the debut album by Electronic, the duo of Bernard Sumner (Joy Division/New Order) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths). A bit of a melancholy song, with some nice but simple Sumner lyrics, which he is great at writing. And of course that great oboe section in the

Everything You've Heard About Iceland Is True

Everything You've Heard About Iceland Is True

This past summer I spent 11 days in Iceland, which seems to be one of the most popular tourist places now. Every day I see articles and pictures talking about how amazing Iceland is, and I can now say, yes, it is. Here are some pictures I took during the

Street Walk - Queen Street East / Leslieville

Street Walk - Queen Street East / Leslieville

I checked out BuskerFest last Friday night, and once I decided to leave, I was planning on just heading home. I had been using the 40-150mm lens the whole night, so on the way out I switched to the 17mm, because it's lighter and I wanted to give my neck

My First Birthday

My First Birthday

I’ve been going through some old photo albums recently, just looking for funny or cool pictures to possibly post and write about. I’ve wanted to actually go through and scan every picture, but it’s such a daunting task. Maybe one day I’ll

My Photography Gear

My Photography Gear

I’m going to be writing about photography projects I’m giving myself and my progress with improving my photography, but first I figured I’d write a little bit about what gear I use. As we all know, it’s not the gear that makes a photo great, but