A few from my recent trip to The Philippines and Hong Kong

GTRacer · 23 Feb 2016 at 00:53

Hey all, I'd like to share my recent photographs from The Philippines and Hong Kong over the next few days. Mostly street photography with the odd bit of landscape and abstract thrown in:

The Philippines RP:

Security guards with shotguns proudly on display are a common sight in RP, but they usually don't stand with as much sass as this guy.

Two commuters with umbrellas waiting to get picked up under the blistering sun.

Spotted on my morning walk to grab some breakfast (there's a nice congee spot on the next block).

Market workers having some down time.

GTRacer · 23 Feb 2016 at 14:32

More from RP:

a1ex2001 · 23 Feb 2016 at 14:32

I like the first and third they seem to convey a message and emotions the other two really don't do anything for me the second is too dark obscuring their faces and the final one just doesn't connect with me there is no real subject in it.

GTRacer · 23 Feb 2016 at 14:36

a1ex2001 said:
I like the first and third they seem to convey a message and emotions the other two really don't do anything for me the second is too dark obscuring their faces and the final one just doesn't connect with me there is no real subject in it.

Thanks for the feedback.

As for the other two, their faces are supposed to be obscured, and the final one is just a study in form.

a1ex2001 · 23 Feb 2016 at 15:05

GTRacer said:
Thanks for the feedback.

As for the other two, their faces are supposed to be obscured, and the final one is just a study in form.

Everyone sees things differently one of the many joys of photographer! Really like the street scene with the policeman directing traffic you've added it captures the feel of that area of the world really well.

Andy90 · 23 Feb 2016 at 15:33

Good street shots. Ricoh GR?

GTRacer · 23 Feb 2016 at 19:10

Andy90 said:
Good street shots. Ricoh GR?

Thanks, yup all shot on a Ricoh GR. I did shoot a bit of 6x6 medium format but that's yet to be developed.

Andy90 · 23 Feb 2016 at 19:43

GTRacer said:
Thanks, yup all shot on a Ricoh GR. I did shoot a bit of 6x6 medium format but that's yet to be developed.

Bet the detail and colours in those will be amazing, what film did you use?

GTRacer · 23 Feb 2016 at 21:29

Andy90 said:
Bet the detail and colours in those will be amazing, what film did you use?

Fuji Pro 400H, Velvia 100, Kodak Portra 400, Tri-X, and Ilford HP5/FP4 when I ran out of Tri-X. Used my Rolleiflex 2.8F which complemented the Ricoh perfectly.

munge · 23 Feb 2016 at 22:36

Interesting how black and white can make a picture that might otherwise have been a little uninteresting, not so. Sort of get the impression that the second B+W one wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting in full colour, even PP'ed like the other colour ones.

Last one almost seems like the bottom of the film hasn't exposed properly with that blank bottom half. Out of curiosity, what was the thought with that one?

GTRacer · 24 Feb 2016 at 14:13

munge said:
Interesting how black and white can make a picture that might otherwise have been a little uninteresting, not so. Sort of get the impression that the second B+W one wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting in full colour, even PP'ed like the other colour ones.

Last one almost seems like the bottom of the film hasn't exposed properly with that blank bottom half. Out of curiosity, what was the thought with that one?

I tend to shoot for the final output, so as I walk around I'm shooting with black and white in mind. That means I tend to pay more attention to texture, the relationship between light and dark tones and gestures more than I do with colour, which requires a different approach.

As for the last one, I just liked the stillness of the scene at night, especially the way the traffic light mixed in with the other light sources. The current shots I'm sharing are all shot digitally as I didn't want the hassle/weight of carrying both 35mm/120 stocks with me.

A few more thoughts/photos from The Philippines before I move on to Hong Kong:

Some students prepping for after school activities at a La Sallian school in the countryside. It's a pretty big deal for these guys as the subsidised education (the majority of schooling in RP is fee-paying) could possibly lead to them being enrolled in De La Salle Uni., one of the top universities in the country. The day to day stuff is run by candidates/members of the La Salle Catholic brotherhood. Additionally, kids from wealthy families are taught in the same classes as those who come from poorer families. The rich kids are required to 'dress down' in an attempt to make everyone equal, but it's not that simple - some kids still feel like they have to boss others about as if they were their own domestic helpers, which is met by disciplinary action from the school. Often, they're told they can leave and go to a fee paying school if they can't adjust. From my own experience in Manila, mixing the two socio-economic classes is a good idea as it's alarmingly easy to blind and yourself to the hardships present on every street corner.

Schoolkids in Metro Manila often spend their lunch breaks in convenience stores.

One of my favourite things about street photography: spotting juxtapositions.

redline · 24 Feb 2016 at 18:41

Ha!... that last shot is fantastic... the couple and the tee slogan is just perfect.

I like them all actually, but the B&W shots seem to work better... but I'm a B&W guy.

Edit: Just an observation (for fun) on that last shot and its 'story'. To me at first glance, and mainly due to the bulk of the guy, the girl seems vulnerable (and the message is for her)... he almost seems to be leading/forcing her away, or overpowering/controlling her, then I look down and see him carrying the bag, and it takes that impact away... he's suddenly a nice guy carrying the shopping... I'd edit the bag out.

That message is key to the shot though.

Another edit::: have you ever come across Fan Ho?.... http://www.fanhophotography.com/index.html some stunning photography of Hong Kong, esp. the 'Yesterday' section. His capturing of light through smog is quite something. I thought you might enjoy.

munge · 24 Feb 2016 at 20:09

Love that last one. Doing it in anything other than colour would detract from the impact of the white slogan on a dark tee shirt. And redline, perhaps he's making sure that the clothes he buys for her get home so she dresses like he wants... (Sister's ex liked to control by buying her nice clothes.....)? Amazing how much you can read into a picture sometimes, whether the photographer intended or otherwise!

I don't shoot enough black and white, think there's so much potential there to improve one's photography by making me think about, like you say, texture tonal ranges, etc.

GTRacer · 2 Mar 2016 at 14:10

Thanks for the comments and interpretations on the last shot. I think I'll keep the bag as it does imply two wildly different perceptions of the people in frame, and it's up to the viewer to bring their own experiences to it.

@redline: Yup I'm familiar with Fan Ho's work, it's amazing stuff. Tried to track down some of his books while I was there but unfortunately most shops were closed.

Here's the first batch from Hong Kong, wonderful city, it was great being back after nearly 8 years:

One of the first scenes I saw after stepping off the Airport Express

From there I headed over to Wan Chai as Central wasn't very busy:

Barging through...

Messing about with an anamorphic/cine crop - I'd love to spend a few weeks doing a short film in HK.

Getting some last minute flowers for New Years

After that I took the ferry to Kowloon side for dinner:

About to arrive...

Some monks admiring the view on the way back to HK island

GTRacer · 3 Mar 2016 at 16:21

From my second day in HK:

Three expressions

Not sure if the man brought his canary out for the morning or if it was someone else's

Found a temple and hung around there for a bit:

Then went up to The Peak to take advantage of the lack of smog:

Later on - just my Ricoh GR sitting on the wall of the viewing platform there:

GTRacer · 4 Mar 2016 at 20:53

Last HK batch before I start scanning all of my film in:

People crowding the fence to get a good photo of the sunset

Bulk feeding pigeons

At the fish market in **** Kok

GTRacer · 5 Mar 2016 at 15:26

Here's a bonus set that I shot to pass the time during an 8 hour layover in Beijing. I wanted to head out into the city proper but it was -5C and I definitely wasn't dressed for that kind of temp. The Ricoh was set to 1:1 mode so I could dial in my eye when it came to using my Rolleiflex:

mrcpickering · 6 Mar 2016 at 19:06

Great examples of street photography. Loving the use of contrast.

mid_gen · 8 Mar 2016 at 09:16

Really nice shots. I really do miss living in Hong Kong for the photography opportunities, you only had to step out the front door to find all sorts of interesting things to shoot.