A Thinking Street Photography Site
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
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
All images were taken with one camera on a single roll of film on the same day.
Fare well, Occupy Central.
At Causeway Bay.
Freedom under watch.
At Admiralty.
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Kodak UltraMax 400
This is getting obsessive, I know. But I can’t help but think it’s important to document these sites.
They aren’t going to be here forever.
I think these are supposed to resemble corpses, indicating that the protesters would be waiting here till they die.
An installation of a protester.
(Very) rough translation: Respect Hong Kong’s right to decide.
The umbrellas.
The hope of a generation.
A closer look.
Another installation. There were many of these on the road.
Learning from history and literature – is it possible to argue against the above banner?
Umbrella revolution – a work in progress.
Hmm…
The writing on the wall.
A minion!
A balloon with inverted umbrellas.
Message behind bars.
There are so many banners.
The people continue to speak.
Still waiting.
Building a community.
If I’m not wrong, that’s the traditional practice of using a slipper to slap a picture of your enemy.
That’s a pretty strong statement.
That’s what it’s about.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Contax TVS II
Film: Fuji Venus 800
The tents at Causeway Bay speak for themselves.
All images taken with Contax TVS II, loaded with Fuji S 400.
The umbrellas on the streets of Mong Kok speak for themselves.
All images were taken with Contax TVS II, loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400 film.
Sometimes I don’t know where I am.
This place is accessible via a walking or biking trail.
And you get to see a sinking village house.
My wife organizes these day trips for the family and I simply tag along… I’m fortunate that way.
I’ll go anywhere as long as there’re things to see.
I know for sure this is somewhere in Yuen Long.
And the village is accessible only via a boat.
It’s another way of life.
It’s a “can do” DIY attitude I need to learn.
He saw my camera but basically ignored me and went on with his work.
I’m trying to improve my Chinese.
Assuming I got that right, it says “the only human-operated bumboat in the whole of Hong Kong, from 6am till 11pm”.
My set up for the day was a Contax TVS II loaded with Ilford XP2 400.
Thanks for reading!
Check out the open-edition prints!
Again we choose.
We decide.
We look.
Hmm…
That one! Yes!
This is the season.
We’re in season.
We stop to think.
And buy wisely.
All images are taken with my stealthy Contax TVS II with Ferrania Solaris 400 film.
For collectors: some images here are available as open edition affordable prints at my Saatchi Art page.
Thanks for reading!
All images here are shot at Tsim Sha Tsui with the Contax TVS II loaded with Fuji Venus 800 film.
The Contax TVS series of film cameras are gorgeous, with titanium bodies, aperture priority and P modes.
There’s a 28-56 focal length zoom which is ideal for street photography.
For me, they are the more nimble younger siblings of the Contax T3.
Which explains why I went out the other day with the intention of not buying that Contaxt TVS II I had seen, complete with the databack.
This person saw what I was about to do, and smiled.
Check out that SLR camera-thing his buddy behind him was carrying.
Hong Kong people work really hard.
We keep saying that Hong Kong is a shopping paradise.
Of course, we need people to service the economy.
There are shoppers just as there are delivery people.
A salute to the people who keep things going.
Sometimes they are invisible to the shoppers, often faceless and anonymous.
We should make it a point to notice people more …
To see the difference between glamour and real people.
Otherwise, we’re nothing more than mannequins looking at other mannequins.
For collectors: open edition prints from this post are not available here.
I suppose that’s my (ironic) gesture of commitment to the push and pull of capitalist logic…
Hong Kong Lucida 