monochrome – Page 4 – Hong Kong Lucida

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

All that Labour

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

All that labour.

Those goods on display.

Yummy stuff.

Sometimes we don’t see all the work that goes into work.

We negotiate a life.

And a city emerges.

It’s bigger than us.

The labour of thinking.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

From Place to Place It Must Mean Something

Posted on April 28, 2015April 28, 2015 by eddietay in Uncategorized

Today, we look at the act of pushing.

All that work, all day, must mean something.

This is us.

We sort things out.

We go from place to place.

From place to place it must mean something.

The pull of desire.

All that pushing…

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Ilford XP2 400

Looking for Inspiration

Posted on April 24, 2015April 21, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Inspiration – that sudden realization.

Some find it in trees.

Others find it in rocks.

Many find it in the interaction between the built and natural environment.

There’s a biblical angle to inspiration, akin to revelation.

What is the street asking of me these days?

What is my street?

Is it an impersonal grid?

Is there a personality emerging?

Where is the street these days?

These are all reflections of our selves.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Kodak BW400CN

What We’re Looking For

Posted on April 17, 2015April 13, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

We’re all looking for something.

There’s a gap in our lives.

If only that gap could be filled, we’ll be happy.

We all want something.

Anything.

A friend.

A thing.

To whet an appetite.

After that, the world would make more sense.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Kodak BW400CN

Street Photography and Human Presence

Posted on April 10, 2015April 9, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Must we have people in street photography?

Or is the mere suggestion of human presence enough?

I’ve grown to appreciate the poetry of things.

So as to be on the lookout for stories to tell.

There’s a poetics of space here.

There’s a story of workmanship here waiting to be told.

What sort of obstruction is being prohibited? Are the owners of those chairs obstructing access to the door prohibiting obstructions to the chairs? Isn’t the sign itself obstructing access to those chairs?

Work, work, work.

The labour of mobility.

So that we know the weight of things.

The signpost of a neighbourhood.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Kodak BW400CN

Work Ethic

Posted on April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 by eddietay in Monochrome

Hong Kong people work very hard.

You could attribute it to culture.

Or you could attribute it to the nature of an economy that drives its people.

We are our work.

Work teaches us to be.

To do otherwise is a privilege most can’t afford.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Kodak BW400CN

Preoccupied

Posted on March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 by eddietay in Uncategorized

Every single person is an immersion.

Sometimes there’s dialogue.

Sometimes not.

We tend to our own.

Look within ourselves.

And hope it is enough.

Camera: Leica M6

Lens: Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 SC

Film: Kodak BW400CN

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