Amateur Photographer's Perfectly Timed Snaps Take China By Storm

By Ryan Kilpatrick

Chinese street photographer Tao Liu has a special talent for capturing peculiar, charming, funny, and revealing moments on the streets of his hometown of Hefei, Anhui Province. 

A few months ago, the 32-year-old former prison guard was just a water-meter reader who was passionate about his hobby, lingering on the streets during his lunch breaks and commutes to capture his own unique take on local street life.

When he got home, he'd upload the photos on Lofter, China's Flickr equivalent, and jump the Great FIrewall to check out other photographers' work on Flickr and Facebook and listen to their talks on YouTube — constantly thinking of new ways to improve his craft.

All of Tao's hard work paid off last month when his photos started to go viral on Weibo. In the short span of time since then, Tao's work hasn't just achieved fame nationwide but indeed around the world.

When you see his work, you'll agree the accolades are well-earned. 

[Images via Lofter]

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