jch400

Sanctuary

*Sanctuary*
Holga + JCH400

This is possibly my favourite place in the Hong Kong Catholic Cemetery in Happy Valley. It’s melancholy and beautiful, the tomb framed by those two tree trunks. I love the softness of the Holga in this context.

Lit Crosses

*Lit Crosses*
Holga + JCH400

Massive light leak on this one, but I think it works really well. Burnt sky plus light leak for the win!

The Column

*The Column*
Holga + JCH400

After a ten year long hiatus I’ve given toy photography a new try, and I like the results a lot more than I did ten years ago. Guess I didn’t have the confidence to realise that sharp isn’t an end unto itself. I did a fair few of these shots in the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley, and I love the mood.

A man and a scooter


*A man and a scooter*
Fuji GW690iii + JCH400

One of the real challenges of shooting street is this ability to take shots « en passant » as we would say in French, and that’s made even harder when you’re fully manual and your camera is as large as a large brick. So even though there’s nothing spectacular about this shot, just the fact that it’s in focus and framed properly makes me happy!

HK Verticals

*HK Verticals*
Fuji GW690iii + JCH400

HK is a vertical city, but that’s not something I find easy to capture on camera. It’s harder to frame and often the frame cuts don’t convey the sense that these scrapers go one forever. That’s one reason I really like this shot, which I think does convey the verticality, probably in large part because of the high vantage point.

Graffiti Jumble

*Graffiti Jumble*
Fuji GW690iii + JCH400

The backalleys of Central are a treasure trove for graffiti lovers, which is not what you’d necesseraly expect of this otherwise affluent neighbourhood. I regularly roam the area, and quite often find that black and white is just as interesting as colour despite the polychromatism of the original.

Pawn Shop Sign

*Pawn Shop Sign*
Rolleiflex SL35 + JCH400

I’ve had my sights on this pawn shop sign in Wan Chai for ages. Unfortunately, there are very often cars parked in front (despite the double yellow) and so I took the shot when I could instead of when the light was idea. Still, I like it, it’s got an old time Hong Kong feel to it despite the mask the woman is wearing. But I will go back, and try for a cleaner composition at a time of day when the light hits the facade differently.

Night Snack

*Night Snack*
Rolleiflex SL35 + JCH400

I remember that this food stall in Causeway Bay was one of the first places in Hong Kong I took some night shots off back in 2016. Thought I’d revisit the old classic with film instead of digital. Any time of day or night this place is full of life.

Always Hold the Handrail

*Always Hold the Handrail*
Rolleiflex SL35 + JCH400

Another shot I’ve been trying to do for a while, but rarely had the right camera with me to do. I quite like it, with the blurry silhouette of the man on the right…

Underbridge Garage Sale

*Underbridge Garage Sale*
Rolleiflex SL35 + JCH400

Quite happy to have captured this shot on the fly. The silver tones of JCH in the shadows are quite a pleasant surprise, and thebare chested man wearing a white mask is so HK.