(Camera: Samsung WB600 @ Lower deck of Star Ferry)Probably no comparable international city can boost about cheaper public transport fares compared to Hong Kong. Take for example the ferry crossing the Victoria Harbour. For as cheap as two Hong Kong dollars, you can enjoy a breezy trip between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui and the fantastic view of the harbour. If the trip is too short to you, take the Wahchai-to-Tsimshatsui route for just 50 cents more. Actually, the ferry ride was voted the "Top 10 Most Exciting Ferry Rides” in a 2009 poll held by the Society of American Travel Writers.
There are two decks in a ferry. Head to the cheaper lower deck cos it will definitely give you a more sensory experience. The seats are more cramped. The air is filled with the foul smell of diesel wafting through the humming of engines which are exposed before your eyes through the middle void. It is closer to the water level; so close that sometimes the droplets will be blown onto your face -- so mind your camera when shooting near the railing.
The best time to take a ferry ride is in the early morning (real refreshing and brighten up your day), just before sunset (the crimson sky!) or between 8 to 8:15 at night when the nightly laser show (Symphony of Lights) is staged.
Just as the cheaper lower deck is preferred to the upper deck, sometimes a cheaper camera can do a better job. This shot could not have been done with the Sony a55 which the author was holding in the other hand. With the small 50mm lens, it still attracted attention which was the thing least needed for this shot. The possibility to do one-hand operation with the tiny Samsung WB600 was really handy in this situation. The lens was zoomed to the maximum for determining the exposure, and then the shot was taken on the LOMO mode.
Just the next second the man turned away his face. Waiting, timing and decisiveness are undoubtedly the crucial elements in photography.
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