*Sitting on Top of the Stairs*
Fuji GW690iii + JCH400
My wife says there’s a Montmartre vibe to this picture, but I just don’t see it. This is so Hong Kong to me. Sure, you can find similar stairs in Paris, but the run down walls, the enclosed space, the somewhat grimy look, it just all screams Hong Kong to me. Truth be told, I wish I’d had either more ambiant light or a higher sensitivity film to avoid the blur in the foreground, but it does lead the eye upwards I suppose…
*Waiting for the Ferry*
GW690iii + Ilford Delta 400 (Expired)
When I first started film photography about a decade ago I bought a lot of old, cheap cameras including a couple of medium format folding cameras. I couldn’t make much of anything with them at the time, so I focused on easier to handle 135 cameras. When I recently purchased my GW690iii I noticed I had a couple of rolls of expired 120 film in my stash, including this roll of Delta 400. I exposed it at 200, and while there’s some clear extraneous texture on the film, I quite like the effect and the result, particularly on this shot taken inside the Wan Chai Ferry Pier building.
*Club Venus*
GW690iii + Cinestill 800T
By the time I arrived to Jaffe Rd after about an hour’s walk it started raining lightly. I immediately noticed the neon signs for Club Venus because I walk past this street corner every day on my way to and from the office and had never noticed the place. Makes sense, it’s only open at night. Anyway, the drizzle on the asphalt gave me nice reflections, and the added blurry silhouette of the man with the umbrella only adds to it I think (this was a 1/2 second exposure if I recall correctly.)
*Kennedy Town*
Leica M6 + Ferrania P30
I’ve been in a mood to try new things these last few months, and that includes film stocks I never tried before. I read a bit about the trials and tribulations of Ferrania in their attempt to revive film stocks from the 60s and 70s in Italy and when Camera Film Photo announced they had a limited quantity of Ferrania P30 available, I purchased two rolls. P30 is a high contrast 80 ISO black and white stock and I must say I like the results a lot. This week I’ll be sharing my best P30 shots.
*Peel St. Shrine*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 50D
At the top of the lower portion of Peel St. just below Staunton Rd. there’s a little shrine that I’ve always found beautiful. I took advantage of a decent afternoon light and a tripod to shoot this photo. I took a couple of shots, one at f/4 and one at f/11. As an illustration that my 135 reflexes are still strong I assumed f/11 would be end to end sharp, but as you can see it wasn’t. I do like the slight blur on the foreground though, it makes the wisps of incense more of a central fixture.
*Fighting Mold*
Fuji GW690iii + Cinestill 50D
Somewhere in the mid-levels, my friend Matthew showed me a small area of narrow stairwells and streets where the sun does not his in the late afternoon, sadly. Still, there were a few rays of golden light here and there although not on this mural. Matthew believes there used to be a martial arts school there, but there no longer is and the mural is slowly getting eaten by mold. I think that makes it look all the cooler…
*Eating Flowers*
Fuji GW690iii + Kodak Portra 400
There a number of interesting murals in the narrow streets of Central, but I’d never seen this one before I went on my first walk with the new 6×9 camera. When I spotted these two girls, I knew I had my shot. It’s the only street shot I did, and then only because I had time to measure my exposure before shooting. I’m really super slow with the GW so far.
*The Cat and the Bike*
Leica M6 + Kodak Ultramax 400
There’s a little bit of street art in Tai Hang. Not a huge amount, but what there is is quite nice. This store screen is my favourite. It makes me smile each time I walk past it, and for some reason there is nearly always a bicycle parked in front (I can’t guarantee it’s the same one each time…)
*Open Space*
Leica M6 + Kodak Ultramax 400
Another example of a car being repaired on the streets. I like this one because of the cones, and because the guy with his suitcase gives the entire composition some motion.
*Needs Fixing*
Leica M6+Kodak Ultramax 400
With space at a premium on Hong Kong Island, most car repair shops actually repair the cars on the street. It’s one of the fun sights of Tai Hang. This Mini without its front wheels was really cute…
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