Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Hong Kong

20 Questions in Hong Kong with Michelle Chan (aka little.rice)

*A new interview series with a play on “20 questions,” where I try to mix it up with different questions. Some serious, some not so much. I’ll also be focusing the series on some of the best street photographers from the cities I visit around the world during my 100 Cities project.

I visited and photographed Hong Kong earlier during my 100 City project, but didn’t get a chance to know Michelle Chan (aka little.rice) until this year. While Hong Kong is her home, she’s also lived over a decade in the UK and spends much time traveling, especially to one of her favorite places, Nepal . With such a genuine and warm energy, along with a unique photographic vision, I knew I had to include her in the 20 Questions series, and thankfully she agreed.

Michelle’s black & white photos contain a dream-like atmosphere and mood, while also including a strong focus on people and life. There’s emotion in her images, all with her own personal touch and character. An award-winning project of hers includes her unique, and slightly humorous, documentation of the Crab Seniors, a group of early morning elderly swimmers in Hong Kong. 

© Michelle Chan (Little.Rice) Photography 2016. All Rights Reserved

So now to learn more about her, it’s time for 20 Questions in Hong Kong with Michelle Rice…

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20 Questions in Hong Kong with Edas Wong

*An interview series with a play on “20 questions,” where I try to mix it up with different questions. Some serious, some not so much. I’ll also be focusing the series on some of the best street photographers from the cities I visit around the world during my 100 Cities project.

While living in Ho Chi Minh City, I made a week trip up to Hong Kong for photography. While the weather wasn’t the most cooperative, I left the city loving it. Hong Kong is such a unique city with so much to offer that I’ll definitely return. Hong Kong is also home to photographer Edas Wong, who thankfully agreed to take on this city’s installment of 20 Questions.

Edas’ photos have a dreamy, slightly surreal feeling to them. He finds surrealism and humor, or even the strange, from day-to-day life using juxtaposition and a curious eye. His captures make you look and think about what you’re seeing. He’s a dreamer that uses the camera to capture his imagination onto a photograph, using everyday life to do so. Which usually occurs right here in his city of Hong Kong.

So now to learn more about him, it’s time for 20 Questions in Hong Kong with Edas Wong…

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City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
A Street Photography Guide to
Hong Kong

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*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

Hong Kong

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Bad Fish”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong. Sorry if this shot turns anyone off, but it makes me laugh. Life isn’t always pretty, but at least it can still be laughed at. Wan Chai is Hong Kong’s famous red light district, where sailors came for some R&R in the old days. Today, much of that has changed with shopping centers, sky scrapers, markets, restaurants, bars and more.

On this day, the bad weather in Hong Kong was only getting worse for me, as it started to pour rain once again. So I took cover under the sidewalk awning of a restaurant in Wan Chai. I was looking at the fish in the tank when all of a sudden a mom came rushing out pushing her child. Just before they made it to the sidewalk, the boy couldn’t hold it in any longer. Needless to say, I didn’t go in for a bite to eat after that review, but I did decide to capture the moment. I doubt this is what Henri Cartier-Bresson was thinking of when he termed “The Decisive Moment,” but those fish do look interested. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

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Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Goldfish Store”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken around the Goldfish Market in Hong Kong. The Goldfish Market is one of the more unique markets you’ll come across. Goldfish are extremely popular in Hong Kong, partly due to their aquariums containing all five elements of Feng Shui. They’re used to balance the home and bring good luck, while also providing a pet that doesn’t require much space.

Thousands of bagged fish of different colors and shapes line the streets here. Inside the different shops, you’ll find aquariums, equipment and even more fish for sale. For this shot, I was looking at the street reflection showing on the aquarium of fish. I made a couple of photos closer to the reflection, but then noticed the scene inside the shop. So just as the woman took a phone pic of the fish and the man bent over to pick a new pet, I snapped this photo, while including the reflected aquarium. The Goldfish Market can be an interesting place to walk for street photography. There’s probably no other place you’ll see so many businessmen and other characters shopping for goldfish like here. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

Hong Kong Shooter Files-22

Street Shot Sundays
Photo of the Week:
“Alley Blues”

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Street Shot Sundays Story & Stats

Story:

This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong. Mong Kok, located in Kowloon, is one of the busiest and most highly populated districts in the world. Its mix of older and newer buildings contain much of the character Hong Kong’s past is known for. It’s also one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong, with some of the city’s most interesting markets and narrow alleys.

I was exploring some of these alleys when I captured this shot. Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s weather has aways been poor for me, but this day was extra bad. It had just finished pouring rain and I was standing under a canopy in the alley when I noticed this woman coming from around the corner. She was hunched over in an interesting position, with her hands behind her back, but what grabbed my attention was how her blue plastic honcho matched the blue rain tarp down the alley.

So I waited for her to walk by the tarp once the neon sign hit her, providing some light. The blues and atmosphere match the wet mood and alley character I remember most from those rainy days in Hong Kong. 

Stats:

  • Camera: Fujifilm Xpro1
  • Lens: Fujinon XF 18mm 
  • Focal Length: 18mm (27mm full frame equivalent)
  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500
  • ISO: 1600

Hong Kong Shooter Files-6

33 Street Photography Photos from One Week in Hong Kong

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While living in Ho Chi Minh City, I took a week break up to Hong Kong. It had always been high my list and it didn’t disappoint. While the clouds and rain didn’t do it any favors, I still left Hong Kong loving it and wanting to return. It’s one of the more unique cities I’ve been to with an international urban vibe mixed with old world Asia. It has one of the most impressive city skylines I’ve seen, but down on the ground in the narrow alleys and older neighborhoods, you can experience a completely different atmosphere.

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Hong Kong has such a variety of scenery and life that I’d recommend it as one of the best cities in Asia for street photography. So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Hong Kong…

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7 First Impressions of Hong Kong
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

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Unfortunately, I haven’t had great luck with weather in Hong Kong. Mostly clouds and rain instead of sun. And while that can be frustrating, clouds can’t cover the fact that Hong Kong is a one of a kind city full of character, variety and interest. A densely populated multi-cultural city that shows the future in one direction and the past in another, all wrapped up into one of the better big city experiences I’ve had. Clouds and all.

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So here are my first impressions of Hong Kong, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

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