*Moody Lantern Portrait*
Fuji XT3
The beauty of really wide open lenses is that even at night you can do portraits with wonderful background bokeh. This guys was standing a few meters from me, and I waited a while for him to be looking in (roughly) my direction. This is the final shot I selected of a few and I really like it.
*Keep your Lantern Trimmed and Burning*
Fuji XT3
I took a lot of portraits of lantern bearers. I was looking for interesting subjects, but also interesting moments. Here, I liked how the lantern light was directly lighting the young man’s face. Of and yes, the title is a bit of a nod to an old, old song…
*The Dragon’s Head*
Fuji XT3
Getting a good shot of the Dragon’s head is devilishly hard. Since it’s made of rope with only the teeth and eyelamps to actually understand what it is, you need the right angle. Also, it’s nighttime, there’s incense smoke everywhere, and it’s constantly in movement. So I was quite pleased with this shot, and quite thankful I took my f/1.2 lens with me (this was shot at 1.4). The rest of the shot is blurred, but hey, you have to imagine that everything is in motion!
*A Dance with Dragons*
Fuji XT3
Last week-end was the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (nothing to do with George RR Martin, despite my facetious title). I had attended last year, with only my trusted 35mm x100F in hand, and while I got a few good shots including this great portrait I felt the need to revisit the event (which is fun in its own right anyway) and try to capture more diverse shots. I carried both my 56mm 1.2 and my 50-140 2.8 and both were put to great use. This is a broad shot of the wonderfully lit lantern display at the top of Wun Sha Street where the Dragon is dressed with incense sticks.
*Checking the Bill*
Fuji x100F
You know by now that I find the barechested men in Hong Kong (and elsewhere in China) interesting subjects. Usually however, when they’re not working, they’re checking their phones. Not this guy !
*Stop Killing Us*
Fuji TX2 + Kodak Portra 160
This shot was taken during the third Hong Kong protest march on June 16th. The European press has not covered much beyond that protest, but the protests are still ongoing, even if on a smaller scale. There was such a protest yesterday, that ended with a small siege of the Police HQ in Wan Chai to protest the arrest of protesters on June 12th. I rarely use the 90mm lens on the TX2 but this called for it.
*Keeping your beer cool*
Fuji XT3
Hong Kong is hot and wet right now, but it’s nothing unusual for the season. Europe on the other hand is super hot and dry and that is unusual this early in the summer. So thinking of all my European friends, here’s how a Peng Chau guy decided to keep himself (and his beer) cool in the sultry heat…
*Tattoo!*
x100F
Lots of tattooed people here in Hong Kong. I’ve been trying to get a shot of this type for a while. I kind of wish the other person hadn’t been so near, but I think it works nonetheless.
*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!
*Red Umbrella*
Fuji XT3
It’s incredible how a harsh sun will exacerbate strong colours, creating very contrasty scenes. This was shot in the streets of Peng Chau and I like it a lot.
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