Ordos is well known as China's largest and most impressive "Ghost City". Since Raphael Olivier work as a photographer in Asia is mostly focused on urban development and the way people interact within built mega-structures, Ordos always had a very strong appeal to him for its unique architectural features, the scale of its projects and the general out-of-this-world feeling the city became famous for.

However most documentary work I have seen on Ordos were quite similar: only a few photos of key landmarks and empty streets to illustrate an article, but not much more. I was curious to explore a bit further and get a more general overview of the various structures visible there and how people lived around them.
-Raphael Olivier

I first heard about Ordos years ago before moving to China, when the giant ghost city made quite a few headlines in the international press and started getting attention from journalists and photographers. It was one of the main goals I had when coming to China to visit and document this fascinating town. However, after settling in Shanghai and starting my business, I quickly got caught up in the daily routine and did not make it to Ordos. It's only recently, as I decided to leave China and move on to new horizons, that I realized some of the projects I had in mind years ago did not come to life. So I decided to pack my camera bag and finally go to Ordos and explore this place for myself.
-Raphael Olivier

I like to describe my images as "cinematic": story-telling, narrative with an emotional charge and emphasis on moods rather than purely descriptive elements. I definitely inject some of my personal feelings and emotions in the way I chose to frame and expose my photographs. I am not trying to show an objective reality in a journalistic way, I like my images to be a little dramatic.
-Raphael Olivier

The best advice I can give is to invest in some good shoes.
-Raphael Olivier

About Raphael Olivier

Born in France, Raphael Olivier has been living and working in Asia for almost 10 years. He made his first steps in Vietnam where he found a job as a photographer and designer for a fashion company before becoming a staff photographer for a Hanoi-based photography agency and taking on shooting assignments around the region. A couple of years later, looking for a more dynamic place to live and more challenging opportunities, he relocated to Shanghai where he has been living now for 5 years and where he set-up his own business. He currently works on commercial assignments around Asia (corporate, industrial, architecture) as well as personal projects focused on urban and social documentary. See more of his works on Behance.