Shamshuipo – Page 2 – Hong Kong Lucida

Olympus XA 3

Posted on September 25, 2015September 21, 2015 by eddietay in Uncategorized

Sometimes, it is a pain when you realize that what you have is actually good enough.

Sad is the man who realizes he does not have a good excuse to buy another camera.

What happens if you’re already happy with your Olympus XA 2 as a street camera?

You go out and buy an Olympus XA 3, of course.

It’s the same difference.

There’re differences between a Olympus XA 2 and XA 3, of course.

What this also means is that I could go out with 2 different films.

One could be loaded with a colour film and the other with a b/w film.

Or they could have films of different ISOs.

Ah – the joys of street photography.

Camera: Olympus XA 3

Film: Kodak UltraMax 400

Some more Shamshuipo

Posted on September 22, 2015September 19, 2015 by eddietay in Uncategorized

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

Walking Around

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

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

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

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

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