A Thinking Street Photography Site
The street markets of Shamshuipo are very busy.
There’s a constant assault of colours.
There’s so much movement.
So much that may be hidden.
That you can’t take what you see for granted.
Every scene is a visual poem.
The camera is a notebook with which to write.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Olympus XA 3
Film: Kodak UltraMax 400
My essay on the Umbrella Movement can be found here.
I suppose you could say this is a blend of street photography alongside my academic interests in auto-ethnography and cultural critique.
I’m still walking around…
The streets are exhibitions waiting to speak.
What would the stall say?
What’s he thinking about?
We’re all concealed by what we buy and sell.
We all buy and sell.
We’re all waiting.
Until it’s all meat…
Camera: Olympus XA2
Film: Ilford XP2 400
I have so many posts of the street markets at Shamshuipo.
My only excuse is that things are always changing, and the streets are never the same from hour to hour.
I’d wonder about the kind of life stories people have.
What would we say, if we have had a chance to speak about ourselves to one another?
I’m the guy with the camera who thinks too much.
While someone else is having his siesta.
The streets are so busy.
Camera: Olympus XA2
Film: Ilford XP2 400
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
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
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 was at Central with about an hour to kill before a lunch meeting.
Coincidentally, of course, I had my Canon 600D with a 40mm / f 2.8 STM lens.
I really like the above, with its three partitions.
I thought I’d try my hand at street photography from a distance.
Street photography with an urban landscape component.
I walked up and down the Central Escalators for a bit.
I feel I have more time to think about the background.
The background is the foreground.
Another urban landscape-ish skyline shot.
Lots of people are hard at work in the sun.
That’s a really big camera.
Working hard.
Thanks for reading!
Camera: Canon 600D
Lens: Canon 40mm F 2.8 STM
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
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
Hong Kong Lucida 