GX GARNERINGS

^ Graffiti mimicking the Emperor's calligraphic style with posters of his mugshot, which makes me think of Obama's campaign posters. The local artist community is brewing a street activity titled "Piss Me Off" to mark the second anniversary of a famed local character's death and, most importantly, remonstrate with the government for its red-tape complacency in conserving folk arts. The character in the spotlight is the deceased Mr Tsing Jo Choi, popularly known as the Emperor of Kowloon due to the reoccurring Chinese characters "Emperor Tsang" and "Emperor of Kowloon" in his graffiti. If you haven't heard about the Emperor of Kowloon, you haven't quite known Hong Kong. If you've been to Hong Kong but not seen the Emperor's calligraphy, you missed the best part of it. So, what is so special about this self-styled Emperor? Born in a Guangdong country in 1927, the Emperor moved to Hong Kong in 1937 when he was 16 years old...

^A Beggar and a Lady with a LV Bag: The photo is purposedly overexposed to highlight the two subjects, the beggar facing the camera with a forlorn facial expression and the tubby lady with a LV bag around her arm and some shopping, walking away head down. The highlighting and the two subjects serve to make a stark contrast in telling the theme: "Where is our compassion?", of which the effect is hopefully complemented by the body gestures of the two subjects.   Technically, the shot was done in a pedestrian subway. The ISO was turned to 1600 to better cater for an adequate shutter speed in the comparatively low light situation. With a lower ISO value, I would have less elbowroom for dragging the exposure to brighten up the background without blurring the two subjects (cos the adequate shutter speed would be way past the safe shutter speed to steady the two subjects; you may search my blog for some idea about the safe shutter speed).   In the streets of Hong Kong, wha...

A great ad which makes you think about owning the E-P1

^Old Ferry, New Paint: The ferry in Hong Kong has a history of over a hundred years. Once the main public transport across the Victoria Harbour, the ferries have remained popular among commuters with attitudes in lives. A ride in the ferry is slow but far more in style than being rushed in the underground or jammed by the road traffic. Normally painted in the quintessentially Star-Ferry (the company name) green, this one is painted in red which makes it stand out. After using the GX200 for ten months, I am convinced enough to go for the accessories. Surely, the accessories will give the GX200, os to speak, a new lease of life. My past experience shows that a viewfinder will be needed for taking photos outdoor under the strong sunlight. And, as I wrote previously, a viewfinder can give me a proper perspective in composing a scene. Of course, the prejudice is personal. But I speak from my long experience as a SLR user.  So I hope to fetch the viewfinder for the GX200 or, prop...

The curious me bumped into the Google ad "wesay.com photo contest" on the page top (Is it still there by now?) and found the chance for photographers to win US$300/ $100/ $25 in a photo contest, of which the details are spelled out in the image below.  The deadline for submission is 31 July 2009. For details and entry, you may click the wesay.com ad (if it’s still here) on the page top to support the efforts put in this site. I have browsed the entries and am sure that some of you can take much more intriguing photos.  So what can be better than testing your photographic skills and earning money from it at the same time? I'm not hungry for money but joining the contest is no harm.  For the same reason, you are welcomed to click here alternatively for details and submission.

^ Post processed to slightly tint the buildings for a more surreal impact. The shot was taken in Canton Road, a mecca to big brand name spenders. This is the real scene and not digitally engineered. Can you explain it? Hong Kong is well known for its shopping experience as Ricoh cameras for photography, at least as far as I'm concerned. The Ricoh cameras are understated in their appearances as well as market share. There are something in the world that you have to try for yourselves before knowing them better and finally becoming in love with them. Ricoh cameras are definitely in this category.   The regular readers know that I've been a SLR user for many years. I'd correct myself by saying "had been" because I have finished only two rolls of films for the last ten months after acquiring the GX 200. There are some areas that the GX 200 cannot match the big guy. But the small camera is just way too handy and responsive to resist.   From ti...

These are the leftovers of the scrumptious dish "Siu All" (literally roasted duck) for Cantonese food connoisseurs.  They all died for a good course, and a good meal too. Have a nice Sunday! (Or can you after seeing this photo?  Sorry for the bad gag.)