Balinese Bedogol
Fuji xpro-2, 50mm, f/2, 1/110s, ISO 200
Temples and, sometimes, houses in Bali are often protected by guardian statues called Bedogol in Balinese. I loved their fearsome look, their coiffes and the fact that they all carried a mean looking mace in one of their hands. This one (in font of the Petitenget temple) was covered in moss, and added bonus in my book.
Banyan Roots
iPhone, 29mm, f/2.2, 1/100s, ISO 40
The Banyan trees in Hong Kong fascinate me. They’re everywhere, and will seemingly grow over anything. I shoot their roots whenever I can.
Chinese Icon
Fuji X-Pro 2, 45mm, f/4, 1/10s, ISO 6400
Just next to where I live – in Tai Hang – is a tiny temple full of character. It’s very dark inside, and when I went there with my fastest lens (the 85mm 1.4) I realised I couldn’t shoot anything, it was too small ! So I used my stabilized 15-55 at the maximum workable settings (very slow, high ISO) and this is what came out. Quite proud of that one, and it really shows a side of Hong Kong that tourists rarely get to see.
Pepper Trio
Fuji X-Pro2, 85mm, f/13, 1/9s, ISO 200
There’s something fascinating about red peppers. Maybe it’s because they are so unbelievably red, or maybe it’s because they look so nice and shiny and end being so deliciously evil. I like peppers…
Comedia
Fuji x100s, 35mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO 2500
In one of the numerous AirBnB rooms I stayed in last year, this mask was hanging in the back wall of the toilet room. The gold on red thing and the way the shadow from the lamp was hitting the wall struck me and so I shot this minimalist shot.
Münchausen in Montparnasse
Fuji X-Pro2, 85mm, f/1.4, 1/8000s, ISO 200
There are many interesting statues and busts in the Cimetière du Montparnasse. This one struck me with its resemblance to the Baron Münchausen in Terry Gilliam’s movie.
Rest in Peace
Fuji X-Pro2, 85mm, f/1.4, 1/240s, ISO 200
This is one of those shots that would probably benefit from being pure B&W: there’s very little colour to begin with. But I think B&W would give it more harshness than what I was looking for, so I kept it in these super low-key grey/pink tones. Tell me what you think.
Piles of Cash
Fujifilm XPR2, 90mm, f/10, 1/15s, ISO 200
One thing you quickly realize living in China is that in a (mostly) cash based society, you end up with a lot of loose change in your pockets. I put 1Y coins in a couple of bowls in my office, and they’re pretty darn full by now. But it’s nice if you want to shoot money…
Rainbow Teddy
Fujifilm XPRO2, 90mm, f/13, 1/10s, ISO 200
One of the things I’ve been shooting in that little lightbox of mine lately has been my daughter’s toys. This is a rainbow teddy bear I got for her in Thailand (I think). I like the way the white background makes the bright colours explode.
Dark Buddha
Canon EOS 7D, 80mm, f/2.2, 1/60s, ISO 100
Late last year I volonteered to do a series of Chinese fruit and vegetable photographies for a charity cookbook that should be released this year. As a sufferer of gear acquisition syndrome, I immediately went and bought a lightbox (thankfully, it’s cheap here, although one of the LEDs is already blown out…) I had to try it out, and struggled to shoot my veggies on a proper white background. I then thought it would be an interesting challenge to shoot a black subject on a black background, so I grabbed this plaster statue of a Buddha that we brought back from Vietnam. As you can see, I failed to shoot black on black, couldn’t keep the background truly black, but in the process created a Harcourt-esque background that’s really quite cool.
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