Monochrome – Page 5 – Hong Kong Lucida

On the streets of London with an Olympus XA2

Posted on August 12, 2015August 13, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

An Olympus XA2 is light, small and discreet.

I’d raise it to my eye and no one would notice.

Even if they do notice, people would be less likely to react, compared to if you point at them with a gigantic Canon 5D Mark III.

You could capture people and their environment – the lens is wide enough.

There’s the interaction between person and space.

Its convenience cannot be overemphasized – a matter of pulling the camera out of your cargo pants pocket when the opportunity presents itself.

Camera: Olympus XA2

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Street Photography, Street Wisdom

Posted on August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Never turn your back on the street.

Some streets are for sale.

Other streets are for friends.

Streets are for hanging around.

There’s a street attitude to tease out.

You’ll never know who is looking from the street.

Some streets are nicer.

Some streets are more equal than others.

Thanks for reading!

Camera: Olympus XA2

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Street Photography Ethos

Posted on August 1, 2015July 12, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

There’re no real aims to street photography.

You walk, you see, you shoot and hope it makes visual sense.

It gives one something to do – one could be a tourist in a way as to avoid a degree of manufactured experience.

Go to all the tourist spots – but go at it from a tangent.

Sometimes you wonder why there’s so much of sitting around.

At other times you see there’s another way of seeing – capturing the London Eye without capturing the London Eye.

One could pretend to be a tourist and not stand out from the crowd.

Perhaps there’s such a thing as visual addiction.

By doing street photography, one commits to a certain way of being in the world.

Thanks for reading!

Camera: Olympus XA2

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Street Photography: Film vs Digital

Posted on July 29, 2015July 12, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

In general, there’re two approaches available for the street photographer who uses both digital and film cameras.

With a digital camera, you could take multiple shots of the same scene.

You could take a shot that you think might not work but do it just to see what happens.

In other words, you could AFFORD to experiment with a digital camera.

With a film camera, you’d tend to be more circumspect.

This means that film photography reveals your competency.

After all, even if you could afford it, a wasted shot is wasted film.

Thanks for reading.

Camera: Olympus XA2

Film: Ilford XP2 400

On Looking

Posted on June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Sometimes it is the architecture of the city that teaches us how to look.

We look up.

We look again with a slight change of perspective.

We glance from far away.

A coordinated look.

Look up, look down.

We read.

We wait and read and see.

What does the look want?

The look of friendship.

Camera: Contax TVS II

Film: Kodak BW400CN

Corporate Cliches

Posted on June 15, 2015June 11, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

We need to avoid doing the same thing and look out for or even create the next paradigm shift.

We need to think about how we can add value to our work.

It’s all about win-win.

What’s our ROI on this?

We need to think outside the box here.

This is inevitable – it’s because of creative destruction.

We need to synergize our mission and vision.

Let’s pluck the low-hanging fruit for now and circle back to this discussion later.

Camera: Contax TVS II

Film: Kodak BW400CN

Mindful Platitudes with Street Photography

Posted on June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

What is the next step on the journey?

Where should one go?

What is your work building up to?

Is it all in vain?

Am I willing to own my mess and work with it?

Perhaps there’s a need to sit down in the midst of things and regroup.

Illumination can only emerge where there is darkness.

You’ll find your own way.

Look for the good stuff.

And wait until it all becomes meaningful.

Camera: Contax TVS II

Film: Kodak BW400CN

A Street Photographer’s Camera

Posted on May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

I’ve been thinking a bit about the tools we use.

A street camera is a machine for seeing.

Frankly, any camera will do. But I prefer film cameras.

For me, it’s a Leica M6 most of the time, because I need the meter once in a while.

At other times, it’s a Contax TVS II, a Canon 600D (yes, a digital camera) with legacy lenses, or an Olympus XA 2, just to switch around a bit, to refresh my vision.

I’m not adverse to using digital. But film cameras do last a long time.

Like my (2001 model) Toyota Corolla, which in Hong Kong, seems to be a mechanic’s favourite car.

It’s forgettable, reliable and replacement parts are easy to find.

I’ve been reading about self-drive cars and their amazing electronics.

But I wonder how long the electronics would last.

Do we have to replace them the way we replace our tablets/smartphones/laptops?

I’m suspicious of planned (compelled) obsolescence.

Would a digital camera last more than 3-5 years?

That’s the question I ask whenever I experience that rush of gear envy.

Thanks for reading!

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Getting Out of a Creative Rut

Posted on May 19, 2015May 19, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Some days, it seems like things just won’t come together.

You’re feeling blocked.

The framing is off.

You look up.

You look back at people.

You look up again.

You try again.

What else can one do, but try to fail better.

And then you get the feeling that things are coming together finally.

And you find something that makes sense, finally.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

2 Idiot-Proof Approaches to Street Photography with a Leica M6

Posted on May 8, 2015May 4, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

So basically, I have 2 idiot-proof approaches.

Approach 1, step 1: Set the camera to f/16 and 1/125s on a bright (or even slightly overcast) day, depending on your film ISO.

Approach 1, step 2: adjust my 35mm lens such that the DOF scale allows for a distance of between 1.2m to infinity to be in focus.

Approach 1, step 3: walk around and allow serendipity to do its work.

Approach 2, step 1: focus on a brick wall.

Approach 2, step 2: fumble with camera.

Approach 2, step 3: allow serendipity to do its work.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

	Ashlee Moody on Shanghai Digital Monochrome: P…
	QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ… on Cheung Chau Village Vehicles
	Bradley R on Chicken Rice Stall Series
	eddietay on Ruins and Formations II
	eddietay on Ruins and Formations II