*Dogtown*
Ricoh GR1 + Kodak T-Max 400
Sai Kung is a seaside town North-East of Hong-Kong Island. For some reason, either there’s a lot of dog owners there, or dog owners converge there at the same time I go there. Either way, I intend to go back to do a series of nothing but dogs and dog owners. This is one of them. Interestingly, while many people aren’t too happy about being photographed in the street, if you show interest in the dog, they agree readily!
*Waiting for the MTR*
Ricoh GR1 + JCH400
You know this annoying feeling when you’re going to drop film at the lab and the one roll in your camera has only a couple of shots left ? I tend to shoot anything, and it’s virtually always crap. Well, not this time! This is one of those rolls. I think it was even shot in the Lai Chi Kok station where Camera Film Photo is located!
*Sham Shui Po Life*
Ricoh GR1 + Ilford FP4+
Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon that feels like it has still retained much of the Hong Kong life of old. It’s busy all times of day (and night, I suspect) with street vendors of all sorts buzzing around. These guys were just setting up, I have no idea what they were selling, but it’s such a typical scene that I thought I would share it.
*The Narrows*
Ricoh GR1 + JCH400
One of the things that feels to me to be uniquely Hong-Kong is the narrow passages that connect the streets. Sometimes they are wide enough for small street markets to live there, but sometimes they’re just so narrow that their only function seems to be as a refuge for smokers.
*Framed!*
Ricoh GR1 + JCH400
The light in Hong Kong can be very harsh, and JCH400 is a great film but very contrasty. So some might argue that the above shot is too contrasty with some blown highlights. And yet to me this is what Hong Kong on a bright day looks like. The woman in the temple door is just a great bonus.
*Hong Kong Parenting*
Ricoh GR1 + Kodak TMax 400
We were walking down the jetty in Sai Kung on a wet spring day when I spotted this kid. I think I’d already spotted him once. He was lounging on a folding chair, protected by a large umbrella watching a movie on a tablet. That’s modern parenting, Hong Kong style for you!
*Fishmonger*
Ricoh GR1 + JCH 400
On my last Sham Shui Po photowalk I discovered the wet market. Wet markets in Hong Kong are nearly all inside, probably because of the stifling heat for 6 months in the year. I wasn’t sure how my Ricoh GR1 would fare with 400 ISO film, so I switched the tiny little flash unit to auto. To be fair, I was never sure the flash worked or not, because the lights inside were powerful. Anyway, this was my best shot from there, catching the motion of the fishmonger cutting up the fish.
*Temple Door*
Ricoh GR1 + Kodak T-Max 400
Ever since I started photography as a serious pursuit, I’ve been fascinated with doors. Not just any door, of course, but distinctive doors. If you go through this blog you will find many examples of doors, and the fascination continues. I can’t quite explain it. Anyway, here is the door to a Chinese style temple in Bangkok’s Yaowarat area. Even though it’s anything but canon, I like that my silhouette can be seen in the bottom part of the photo.
*Two Elephants*
Ricoh GR1 + Kodak T-Max 400
As I was wandering around the Bangkok Chinatown on this hot and sweaty day I stumbled on this building. I found the mural quite fantastic and so Thailand that I had to take a shot. Really pleased of how it came out.
*The Ceremony*
Ricoh GR1 + JCH 400
Tin Hau Temple is just down the road from me, and I walk through the temple grounds to go to the subway station. Usually, it’s the same old sights, but one Sunday a few weeks ago there was clearly a festival going on, with big papier mâché effigies and lots of decorations. And there were these five people chanting just by the temple entrance. I don’t know what the ceremony was and I certainly didn’t want to disturb them, but the robe struck me and I took a quick shot with my discreet Ricoh GR1. Colour film would have been better, probably, but there’s an « old China » feel to this one conveyed by black and white that I quite like nonetheless.
Recent Comments