*Invertigo*
Fuji GW690iii + Kodak Portra 160
I remember that when I first started photography I use to love these dramatic bottom views of skyscrapers. Then I stopped doing them for some reason but a few months ago on a stroll around Central I looked up and realised all the reflections on this particular one made the view interesting despite the simple composition.
*Rainy Daydream*
Rolleiflex SL35 + JCH400
There’s something about rainy days. When I’m working on my high office floor and it’s raining outside it draws me out, into daydream and my vision goes a bit blurry. This is what I’ve been trying to express here. Very similar to a shot a published a couple of weeks ago, but I think this one is more dreamy…
*Eiffel Bridge Traffic*
Fuji XT3
I already mentioned the Eiffel bridge (called the French bridge) in Luang Prabang, crossing the Nam Khan river. The bridge is only suitable for scooters and motorbikes, not for cars. I did some morning shots but they weren’t as interesting as the afternoon shots that had the lattice shadows more prominent.
*Bad Weather over Hong Kong*
Minox35ML + Kodak T-Max 400 @ 800
I’m very happy with this shot. What started as a fun little exercice in focusing blind (the only focusing tool with the Minox is the distance ring) with the idea of blurring the background a little and focusing really close on the raindrops on the window delivered what I find to be a very powerful shot, one that evokes the melancholy that thinking about the recent evolutions in Hong Kong puts me in. If I ever do a photozine or book on the last few years in Hong Kong, this may very well end up being the cover…
*Heights of Wan Chai*
Rolleiflex SL35 + Ferrania P30
I recently sold my Ricoh GR1. I just never enjoyed using it and was rarely wowed by the photos it produced. For a fraction of the price, I purchased a Rolleiflex SL35 with a Rollei/Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens. The first roll I ran through it was Ferrania P30, which in hindsight was stupid: way too precious a film stock to use as test roll, but thankfully it came out fine. I love the deep contrasts that you get with Ferrania P30, it gives the shots an old time cinematic feel. This was taken from the terrace of my shared office space in Wan Chai.
*Golden Intricacy*
Fuji XT3
The decorations on many of the temples in Luang Prabang was simply some of the most detailed and beautiful I’d seen anywhere, magnified by the warm sunlight around. I can’t remember 100% which temple this was but it’s likely to have been Wat Sensoukharam.
*A Corner of Sky*
Fuji GW690iii + JCH 400
I’ve attempted this kind of shot many times in the past (the Hong Kong skyline gives you plenty of opportunities) and the trick is to keep some texture in the sky while maintaining detail in the building facades. I think I managed to expose this one just right, and I like the jagged line of building roofs.
*Triangular Colonnade*
Leica M6 + Ferrania P30
There’s a ugly brick building just outside the Star Ferry pier that is surrounded by these half covered colonnades. When the light hits in the right way though, it’s a fantastic alignment with super high contrast. I’m not the first one to shoot this and I won’t be the last but I really like this spot.
*Cycling on the Bridge*
Canon A2 + Ilford Pan F
In late 2013 I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee for work. I had a half day to walk around town and really loved the feel of the place. I got a few good film shots out of it, including this one of the Walnut Street Bridge. Looking at my old photos recently I realised I’d taken a black and white shot of the same location that was really interesting too.
*Walking through a building*
Lubitel + Ilford HP5+
Around a decade ago, when I was first getting into film, I was fascinated by TLR cameras and sourced this cheap yet functional Lubitel from a Ukrainian ebay reseller. I only ever shot one roll, it was too fiddly for me at the time. Of that roll, the one shot that I still find interesting to this day is my first (accidental) double exposure. There’s something quite evocative about it, which goes to show that while I like control over my double exposures, there is something to be said for embracing the randomness of it all as well…
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