Jetsetting with Yvan Rodic | Prestige Hong Kong (Apr 2017)

This first mover in the streetstyle photography set and man behind facehunter.org tells all about photogenic cities and how to pack for any adventure.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

My Spectacles, Snapchat’s recently launched glasses. They let you capture video straight from the lenses. They’re like a toy. You can record things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to on your phone because you need your hands – say, when you’re on a bike or skiing. Then I would bring my power bank, obviously, my two cameras – the Canon 6D and Ricoh GR – and an eye mask so that I can sleep on flights.

HOTSPOTS

I think Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is a great city with a beach. When I’m there, I like to visit the Museu do Amanhã, which means Museum of Tomorrow in Portuguese. It’s a beautiful, very interesting structure. I also like to visit Santa Teresa, a neighbourhood that’s on a hill with incredible colonial architecture. When there, I always go to Bar do Mineiro. It’s a bar and restaurant that is very charming and traditional. Another city I recommend is Warsaw. It’s one of the most underrated city destinations in Europe. The summers are amazing. The city is culturally vibrant with a great restaurant scene. There are a lot of concerts happening everywhere and it’s such a fun place to party, especially along the river.

FASHION-WEEK FAVOURITE

Paris has the most to offer – from great traditional luxury fashion houses to younger, up-and-coming talent from around the world. So it’s actually the most diverse and global event with the most beautiful, dramatic locations. I always recommend visiting the Arab World Institute. It has these Islamic art-inspired windows that have advanced technology that allow them to act as blinds, adjusting to light that shines in through the day. Belleville is a cool bohemian, creative hotspot. Chinatown in Paris is now moving to Belleville – originally only in the 13th arrondissement. 

WEEKEND ESCAPE

I don’t really go on these because I love what I do, but for weekends away I would suggest Lisbon at the beginning of the year when it’s kind of cold. The city is stunning with fantastic architecture and the food is excellent, charming. 

PERFECT DAY

I think being around your friends, somewhere there’s great music, great views, good food – that’s the perfect combo.

JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

I’ve been on quite a few but I’d have to say Ethiopia. It’s such a special country and culture. In Lalibela there are churches carved into the rock and they’re something that look like they belong to another era. It’s almost akin to time-travelling. They are underground, with tunnels – definitely one of the most stunning places I’ve been to. Coffee culture is incredible there too, what with the beans. The music scene is fantastic. It’s a place people don’t know much about but really mind-blowing.

BUCKET LIST

Everywhere I haven’t been. I’ve been to pretty much half of the countries in the world now, but everywhere else. Off the top of my head: Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Fiji, Brunei, Madagascar and Uzbekistan.

PACKING POINTERS

It’s good to have options wherever you go. Always pack for all weather. Even if you think it’s warm, you might head for a trip to the mountains, so I would pack for both hot and cold weather and be ready for anything.

TIME TO TELEPORT

I’d like to go back to Woodstock Festival in 1969 to experience the wildness of all the creative minds gathered there and to enjoy the music. It would be like discovering a new kind of freedom.

PHOTO FINISH

Rio in Brazil is the most photogenic city I’ve photographed. For people, though, I would say New York for their diversity and creativity.