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A Shot of Culture

R1230816 (Large)
(Camera: Ricoh GX200)

Walking past this spot in Mongkok, I was interested by the too brightly-lit street with packed buildings and crowded pedestrians along it, and the workers working overtime (it was 7:30 pm) in the opening with the protective metal floor-plate placed around in an unruly fashion in the foreground. The sight through the arm of the digger, here used as a frame to tighten the composition, captivated me because it simply epitomised the lively ambience of Hong Kong streets. I intentionally waited for a few seconds, repeatedly half-pressing the shutter release to activate the green AF assist-light to attract the subjects' attention, before taking the shot.

So, if you are in town for a very short while, go to Mongkok and be catapulted in the whole gamut of Hong Kong street culture. It is an action-packed place with an animated kind of atmosphere and an unsaid orderliness running through it, decorated by roadside vendors, camera shops, bookstores, cafes, buskers, beggars, roadshow people, occasionally scantly-clad showgirls, eateries of all sorts, to name really a few. The myriad of colourful happenings offers enormous opportunities especially for photographers

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