GX GARNERINGS

A captivating perspective on the otherwise usual scenes is seeing right from above. This was the thought while doing shots with the R10. Would a good theme and repetitive compositional elements going with such a perspective combine to produce intriguing shots? Well, this guy does . Maybe we can learn something from his truly fascinating shots.

Ricohforum's Ricoh Around the Globe project has been going on for over a year since its start March 2009.  Now the camera R10 has finally come to the Hong Kong stop.  The note book which came with it is a joy to read, recording the interesting facts by the photographers at the previous stops. So here are the preview of some of the shots I have done with the R10 before I can come up with those of my choice for posting at the forum and the flickr page.     

A time-honoured plaque of the shop, Fung Moon Kee. For people savvy in the local history, the calligraphic characters from right to left on a wooden plaque readily tells of its old age of a good many decades. There are old shops galore in Hong Kong giving glimpses into the lives during the days of yore, if you know where to go. In case you need a tip, head to Shanghai Street which was where I went with the GF-1 and stumbled upon an old-style bedding shop. An old photo in the shop shows the long array of shops, one of which was Fung Moon Kee, along Shanghai Street in the 1930s. Actually, Fung Moon Kee is what the locals call an embroidery-works shop or "sau-jong" in Cantonese. With a history of over 100 years, the shop is originated from Singapore. A sau-jong served in the old days as what a bedding shop does today. The old-timer is working behind the glass display cabinet with all sorts of bedsheets tossing out smiles in motley colours in the background. Uncle Lam in his ...

... he could have come up with extremely mind-boggling works. Whenever I go to a mall, which, kitsch as they are, Hong Kong has plenty, the fascinating array of mirrors and the collages of images so reflected are my must-sees. With a trained eye, any photographers can easily imagine the intriguing final images out of such reflections, which reminds me of the great painter of all times, Picasso, for his radical works to capture his fleeting interpretations of his subjects on canvas. Some examples are here , here and here . To me, the best way to practise a photographer's eye is to observe the world through a viewfinder; but shooting is not necessary. That means you have to bring along a camera always and use a viewfinder. I don't wish to risk any prophecy on whether the camera's LCD screen can do the same until I have tried so myself. I just wonder it may not be as good a tool for that matter. Of course, using your thumbs and index fingers to frame a scene is a makeshift wa...

A brief background about today's photos: The Hong Kong government had tried to, and finally with success, steamroll ahead a reform package for the future elections of the local legislature and government head. Simply put, the package was branded as "democratic" by the government while the opposition thought it anything but, with the moderate democrats buying it as a strategical detour. A three-day protests had been staged outside the Legislative Council building where the shots were done. "Act Now" (right) was the government slogan for its publicity battlefield while the adapted version "All Wrong" (left) was the opposition's counterblow. Bare-footed and blind-folded youngsters marched around the Legislative Council building in the fashion of ten steps and one intermediate kneeing to write down their requests on the floor. The banner says, "Withdram the reform package". The protests drew many photographers to the scene. Th...

"Dad, how does the man pull the quay to the boat?" said a little girl. This is Sunday. Spend time with your family, and share some jokes together.