Yes, I’ve recently acquired a taste for high contrast monochrome.
It is stark, clear, and in some ways, minimalist.
Stripped of colours, our attention is drawn directly to the subjects.
You could overexpose a bit to make a social statement about modernity – the face of the security guard is partially eclipsed, in contrast to the blown-out advertisement.
There’s the dichotomy between an individual and a building, and the image draws attention to rectangular grids of the building and pavement, in contrast to the white polka dots echoed in the two round shapes on the building.
The rectangular grids here are enhanced by the bus and the back of the shirt.
More grids, blocks and lines in the next few shots:
The face is blurred out, again emphasizing the blocks, grids and lines.
I’m about to reveal a useful street photography technique.
All these shots are done from a mobile elevated position.
I’ve set this up so I could do street photography on the move.
I spent $40 RMB setting this up, though the equipment involved, depending on the model, could easily cost more than $200 000 RMB.
I’m a very talent street photographer, you see.
Can you guess what it is?
It’s really a fantastic piece of equipment for the street photographer, which has to be manned by another person.
It’s called an open-air double-decker tour bus.
$40 RMB is the price of an all day ticket on a route with 3-4 bus lines.
My ten-year-old son wants to have a go. The next eight images are by him.
I gave him 2 very important street photography tips:
1) Try not to place the subject at the center.
2) Don’t drop the camera or else.
I’m responsible for the high contrast monochrome, of course.
But what can I say – he has good creative genes. 🙂
Okay, my turn.
The above is the street photographer assistant I hired, taking a break from handling that fantastic piece of equipment for me.
The youth of Shanghai, walking with a swagger.
I like the facial expressions.
Cool dudes.
A blurry shot, something I learnt from Daido Moriyama…
Thanks for reading, and buy my prints!
Hong Kong Lucida 