If a Photographer Knows the History

If that's the case, the photographer is more able to bestow his feelings on the the final images. That brings us back to the comment that photographers should first feel the scene which I wrote in yesterday's post. This post is a footnote to it.

Today's two photos are nothing spectacular, not if you know nothing about the history of the Hong Kong.

To put the statement in perspective, let's learn something cultural about Hong Kong. Before the order of English sentences made a stronger influence on the local Chinese community, most Chinese printed materials were read from right to left horizontally -- the horizontal order was already influenced by the English. The reason is that the traditional order of Chinese sentences is from right to left vertically, which is still the case in the Chinese community in Taiwan.

With the passage of time, the Chinese in Hong Kong adopted the horizontal left-to-right writing order for the sake of convenience. Imagine the clumsiness in putting the left-to-right Arabic numerals or English acronyms in the right-to-left Chinese sentences.

So, here is a photo telling you some history in this regard. See the signboard in chopping-knife shape? It says, "Chan Chi Kee Knifesmith" in a right-to-left order. Now compare it with the signboard down below. It says, "Sun Sing Cheong Joss-Ware" in a left-to-right fashion. What are included in the final image is to give viewers a glimpse into the historical change in the writing order. Now you know why the photographer composed the photo this way and also waited until there were a van and a bike passing by to echo the contrast.

Now, see the facade of the leftmost building in the second image. It is decorated with the same Chinese phrase on each floor, saying "Double Light Electrical Appliances Company". This was a popular way in the early days of Hong Kong to flaunt one's wealth: the building was built and owned by the company.

If you have knowledge of this historical fact, you will know why the image includes the signboards of the nightclubs in the foreground. Nightclubs were the entertainment for the rich in the old days of Hong Kong. This image gives out -- at least tries to do so -- a melancholy feeling of the past glorious days of these old buildings and nightclubs, as well as their patrons.

This a footnote to my comment that photographers have to feel the scene before taking a shot.