Over Christmas, whilst in Hong Kong, I took a ferry out to an island called Ma Wan, to visit an abandoned village. More on that in another entry. At the end of the day, I was wondering along the west coast, when I saw a husband and wife approaching the pier on their boat. It was such a different scene to the usually hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, especially with the rural scene and flotilla behind the couple, bathed in the golden evening light.
Taken a few years ago on my Noblex, a local Hong Kong boatman was collecting floating debris in Victoria Harbour. The building half finished in the back lefthand corner of the shot, is the International Commerce Centre. It has 108floors and is 484 m (1,588 ft) tall, the tallest building in Hong Kong. Indeed, when it was completed in 2011, it was the 4th tallest building in the world (now the 11th).
Amazing how quickly the Hong Kong skyline has changed in a relatively short period of time.
Over the Christmas period, I was staying over in Asia. The above view is looking south from Kowloon across Victoria Harbour, at Hong Kong. The skies had been clear blue all day until the critical moment when the sun was about to drop behind the peak. I found a great spot on the crowded harbourside, close to the Star Ferries terminal. Seated by the barrier, whilst other photographers snapped the many boats in the scene, I exposed the shot for over 100 seconds, to blur out all the foreground detail and capture the movement in the clouds instead.
This boat has been floating around Victoria harbour for as long as I have been visiting Hong Kong. It was a super grey, inclement day when I took this shot with only a small handful of hardy tourists onboard.
Half an hour after the previous entry was taken, the Hong Kong skyline looked like this. Long exposure (16 seconds) has softened the water and sky. This was also taken from Kowloon, southwards towards Hong Kong island. Definitely one of my favourite places on earth.
Which cityscape would you photograph if you could choose anywhere to be?
My view from Kowloon of a tug boat gliding away into the setting sun as it dropped behind downtown Hong Kong. I love Hong Kong. The geography, both natural and manmade are both arresting.
At the end of 2014, I travelled up to Hong Kong from Singapore, where the weather was mercifully cooler than the incessant heat of the tropics. That said, I have never found 15 degrees Celsius so cold.
One morning, I took a gander along the path that runs circumnavigates the Peak, taking in views of Aberdeen Bay on one side with Hong Kong downtown and Kowloon Bay beyond on the other. This shot was taken on Boxing Day. The smog filtered the early rays of sunshine, dirtying the blue sky with hues of brown and grey.
What struck me most was more based about my Western sensitivities. Hong Kong had hardly missed a beat even though we were in the middle of the Christmas holidays. Then again, I do not believe that Hong Kong ever truly sleeps.
Third year running for me to participate in the 24Photography artist’s group. Each year, 24 photography artists document New Year’s Day. Each of us are assigned an hour to capture the day through our eyes and relate it to that year’s theme. This year, the chosen theme is Empty.
I was based in Hong Kong for most of December this year and although I was allotted 12 noon GMT, this translated to 8pm in Hong Kong. The city is one of the most vibrant and hectic places on earth, so following the empty theme appeared complicated at first. I wanted to focus on the hyper realism of the city, which I accomplished through using HDR to enhance the already bright end of day colours.
As usual, the exhibition will open on 24th February in Berkeley Square, Mayfair. Nearest tube station is Green Park.
Useful links:
24Photography website: http://www.24photography.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/24photography
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/24photography
All Terrain Photography 