GX GARNERINGS

(Just like pig can fly and swine flu can mutate, the iconic Micky Mouse can mutate into a furious rat as well.  It almost scared my GX200 out of its lens) After the frst confirmed case of the swine flu in Hong Kong, a fraction of the locals are wearing surgical masks in the street.  Some of the more concerned tourists do the same.  There are not a lot of them really.  After all, the SARS outbreak happened some five years ago. People are advised to continue their business and social activities as usual.  So people just ate out as usual and I took pictures of usual. The thing that I wish to share for today is framing.  Use some foreground to frame the scene just as if it were the frame to hold the picture itself, says lots of the books on photographic books.  As far as my experience goes, foregrounds as frames are more usually found in landscape pictures and streetscape snaps. But with a little bit mutation, this trick can be applied to like a photo of the "business as usual

This is a public holiday in Hong Kong.  I went to this kids' paradise in Tung Chung, a gateway town sitting next to the international airport island (Note: Taking about the airport, I have just heard that there is a confirmed case of the H1N1 swine flu.  The infected person is a Mexican.  I have yet to watch the news after this). A big crowd gathering around a fountain place heaved into sight when I walked towards the railway station. Initially I thought to myself that there must be a performance by some busker.  I was wrong. It was the kids playing in the fountain place which drew the crowd to watch and take photos, now including me. This fleshy boy played like crazy (above). And when the splashes paused, he simply rolled on the floor (below).  His parents were very likely not around because the usual Chinese parents would be alarmed by the dirty act and intervened to stop him. Then the fountain started up again and some expats unleashed their kids to join

(This photo was taken with my GX200 set on a mini-tripod.  The lady apparently noticed me taking a picture of her but she just didn’t mind) Many years ago I met a Scot professor teaching in Australia during my first visit to the Down Under. When I expressed my puzzlement over the Aussie people not rinsing the detergent off the dishes under the tap after washing, he gushed in an amusing way, “The reason is simple. Some people are stupid.” What an instinctive discernment! I don’t necessarily agree with him. Well, the Scottish people are known for their flair and hardiness, don’t they? (I went near these girls like flies flocking around the rubbish bin and shot the photo in secret.  Do they look cool?  Make your own conclusion) I am interested to hear his Scottish version of an answer to the trend that more women are smoking cigarettes while men are quitting. At least, this is the trend in Hong Kong. According to the latest government statistics, the number of fema

(This old man is selling clothes on a sidewalk beside a busy road.  The photo was taken with my GX200 set to the MY1 mode and the focus fixed at 1m focal distance) As in any country in this part of the world, peddlers have a long history in Hong Kong.  They are very good survivors of the tides of economy, especially when the economy is depressed.  There is always a flourishing number of them whenever the unemployment rate is up.  But don't mistake peddlers as poor people, they can be very rich.  I know an information engineer who have been working for an European cellphone manufacturer hawked in the street during weekends for good money.  To be exact, he sold cheap clothes using his makeshift mobile kiosk.  Now he lives with his family in a bungalow worthy of almost US$1.5 million.  Of course, hawking is just one of his source of income.   The point is peddlers can be weathy people. Without the need to pay for rents or taxes, hawking is a surefire way to restart a nomral l

Going home is a much loved theme of me and I did this theme twice here and here . Late this night, I strolled around along the street in a China town. Before long, I came to a light box with an ad saying in four big Chinese characters, "Help you go home". So there I stood and held up my GX200, waiting passers-by hurrying home to come past the light box. As China is the world factory, it is imaginable that lots of its citizens earn their living in factories of all sorts. The factory workers are mostly people with little formal education from remote and poorer areas. They are generally known as Min Gong, literally "civilian workers". Every year, millions of these Min Gong compete for train tickets to go home before the start of the Chinese New Year. This ad says it can help these Min Gong go home. A big draw for them really. Sometimes, to fix at a spot and take photos as the scene changes with time is interesting. The photos will give a richer texture to the scene

(This photo was taken near Chongking Mansion, a name well known for its cheaper beds for backpackers. The black community gathers around Chongking Mansion. When it was first built, Chongking was an upmarket residential building boosting a seaview over the Victoria Harbour) Sunday. A time for leisure. This picture aptly depicts the control we can have on our leisure time. Sun bathing. Checking out your foot. And do nothing.