one day in my life

see you at Am3...

2009-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

you can now find me at Am3: http://hugopoon.aminus3.com/

the moon...

2009-03-27T19:15:00.001-07:00

before the sun set, Pokfulam Road...

moon and tree

tree and moon

"set me free"

After viewing the first two pics, a good friend introduced to me the fantastic work of Caspar David Friedrich:
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/f/friedric/index.html

(Click the image to view the larger and check exif.)

sea of people... causeway bay

2009-03-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

well, you might not have seen too many crowded, hustling and bustling urban scenes from me; but I really don't always try to avoid the crowds especially during festive days like Chinese New Year... Here're a few pics.

"waiting for the green"

"faces"

"sea of crowds"

"sea of crowds"

(Click the image to view the larger.)

wilmer street

2009-03-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

and mood of the night...

an addition to the album of "my familiar places": http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/my_familiar_places

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

having fun in the dim...

2009-03-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

continue to have fun shooting in the dim and documenting all my "familiar places" under the charming yet difficult lighting conditions...

"contemplating" – Centre Street

"The Center & Aberdeen Street"

"Overseeing" – Graham Street

"An aged corner building" – Algar Court

"Curious Court" – Elgin Street

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

Posted on the FTF 090301:

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trams...

2009-02-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

what more could I say... trams have always been such a charm.:-)

"the peak tram" (Peak Tram Station, Kennedy Road)

"where have all the trams gone?" (tram stop, Queensway)

"yawn..." (Tram Stop, Des Voeux Road Central)

"shhh!" (the Tram Road, Johnston Road)

"colours of the night" (Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

a secondhand bookstore...

2009-02-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

my eyes and mind were caught as I strolled past a secondhand bookstore near where I live one recent evening...

"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world."

Michael Crichton (1942-2008)

Somehow, this statement struck me as much as his 'Jurassic Park' dinosaurs...

maybe I should confess that Michael Crichton's book wasn't the only charm I found in this secondhand bookstore...

(click the image to view the larger.)

spiral...

2009-02-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

I've always found spiral staircases fascinating... glad to have one near where I work. Some fun shots during my lunch break.:-)

the spiral

"me and a passerby"

a musical note?:-)

(click the image to view the larger.)

shooting in the dark...

2009-02-06T03:21:00.000-08:00

I was given a new compact camera to test use. It's one with superb high ISOs performance and amazing dynamic range... I'm so pleased to be able to shoot in the dark again!

The first thing I used this wondeful photo machine to do was to document my familiar places. Somehow I feel lucky to have found (or been found by) 'photography', without which I would not have kept that "sense of wonder" of the child or the traveler, and this daily journey to and from office would not have been such enjoyable and exciting. Even the most familiar streets look and feel interestingly different each day...

centre street and myself

"feeling warm" in a cold winter night...

"night life" couldn't remember how many times I've met him at this hour before... While I was feeling good that my work for the "day" was finally over and time was mine again, it seemed that his had only just begun... (western street)

continuing the uphill climb (along with the worker of last pic) brought me to the Western Community Centre, where I loved to hang around with my schoolmates... That's of course long long time ago!

"uphill..." same hour, but another night; same street, and another worker. Another ISO1600 shot and final capture of this familiar place of mine... BTW, the red brick building in the background meant alot to me - probably the happiest days of my life were spent here...

(Click the image to view the larger.)

grassroots happy hour...

2009-01-30T21:11:00.001-08:00

hot or cold, wet or dry, nothing could stop them from coming and have fun...

A busy street corner in the daytime, an exciting "battlefield" in the evening. Managed to find a narrow gap between two spectators to get a few shots.:-) (The street and spectators: http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/image/108182182)

"See who's winning, who's winning!" This man kept crying rather arrogantly. Yes, he "won" eventually, but a little inconsistent with his confident words were his voice that was tense and his move that's indecisive. On the contrary, the "loser" remained so calm and swift (you can see his left hand)...

a fruit store turned into a meeting place in the evening.

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

additions to the "solitude album"

2009-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

"solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, lack of contact with people or love, yet I must confess that this is exactly what I indulge myself so frequently. Solitude is specially beautiful when it turns misery and banality into a sentimental poem... "

"one saturday morning" - an unusually quiet scene of this busy footbridge that links up Hang Seng Bank Building and the Central Market...

"the last seat of the tram" - I've always been drawn to lonely people on a tram... and don't know why, they seem to like this seat most.

"a lonesome bus stop" - maybe it's just me who kept indulging myself in the mood of solitude...

"a quiet day" - one of the self-employed contractors waiting day-by-day outside the Southorn Playground...

"merry christmas?!"

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

my new year wish...

2009-01-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

(click the image to view the larger version.)

"six and one... I wish to be free"

by now, if you've been following this blog of mine, you'll notice that the best I could do is to update it once a week... my day jobs have been pushing me real hard!

so, here's my new year wish: a little more free time please!:-)

"I'm still hungry..."

2009-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

well, I have been taking pics everyday without a stop since it became a hobby / passion four years ago... yet I'm still "hungry"!:-)

some photos of eats that I dug out from my archive...

"black & white" – my cup of tea:-)

I'm starving...

"I'm so content – a treat of iced milk tea & a bowl of bbq pork rice"

"oh, it's hot!" - curry fish balls

sugar cane juice and turtle jelly – yes, turtle jelly, it's good to skin and throat...

Posted on the FTF 081129:

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"couldn't wait to turn over a new leaf..."

2009-01-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

2008 was rough and tough, yet it flew and became history...

couldn't wait to turn over a new leaf... 23:55 31 December 2008

another countdown...

happy 2009!

(click the image to view the larger version.)

some urban impressions...

2008-12-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

when you look into your familiar surroundings really "intensely", sometimes pretty interesting details would just pop up...

"splash" or "dandelions" (hk zoological & botanical garden)

"corrosion / urban decay" (swatow street)

"dazzled" (jardine bazaar, causeway bay)

"a summer rainy day" (queen's road east)

"typhoon signal #8" (ice house street, central)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

the oldest church in hk...

2008-12-22T06:43:00.001-08:00

though I'm not really a religious person, I did feel purified after a moment inside this oldest church in Hong Kong...
St. John's Cathedral (constructed in 1849), Garden Road, Hong Kong

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

shanghai trip 2008

2008-12-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

... weather wasn't good at all and my schedule pretty tight, yet I found the life around so vivid and the environment (especially the "harmonious contrast" between old and new) so exciting that I couldn't help taking as many shots as possible... I somehow felt like a child looking at a new world for the first time.:-)

arriving in bad weather

old shanghai and a new german car flying by...

old shanghai... a relaxing saturday afternoon

old shanghai... a back alley

"urban regeneration..." Glad to find that not everyone passing by was indifferent

new shanghai... the two tenors

"worship" of some kind...

new shanghai... bank buildings

"streamlined..."

Posted on the FTF 081212:

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the central police compound - revisited

2008-12-06T01:19:00.000-08:00

A study of the compound at night...

I was hoping the mood of the night could add to its atmosphere... but totally unexpected was such an air of romance!

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

the central police station compound...

2008-11-29T02:38:00.000-08:00

... a heritage that will likely survive (though it will have to face a conversion into modern usages in the near future).
"The Compound first came to life in 1841 when the British Royal Navy took possession of Hong Kong Island. To maintain law and order all the more efficiently, the site was selected as the centre for law and order, with the police station, magistracy and jail located close together."
It's been recognized as one of the oldest heritage structures in Hong Kong with rich Victorian, Edwardian and Oriental architectural style. Upon consolidating the police force into a grand multi-billion modern building, the Central Police Station was vacated in 2004. The Government once planned to dispose of the site to private developers; this was of course strongly opposed by architects and conservation bodies. The Government was forced to consult the public again...

"hong kong police"

"the magistracy"

"the victoria prison"

"security"

the prison in the city centre

prison wall

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

reminiscing...

2008-11-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

old streets, old shops, old buildings... are my memories inspiring me to photograph them or are the images of them bringing back the memories? I really don't know. But for sure, there're some yesterdays that I'd never forget...

Shing Wong Street, Sheung Wan

Old printing workshop, Shing Wong Street, Sheung Wan

a traditional chinese herb tea shop, Spring Garden Lane, Wanchai

dr leung for shoes... Thomson Road

a corner building of the 60's... Western Street

'Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.' Henri Cartier Bresson
Every time I pass by this fringe central district, HCB's words will come to my mind and it's such a pleasure to find this traditional store (and this 6 storey corner building) staying so much alive; I couldn't really tell how long it'll take before this precious corner site is cleared, merged with adjoining site and redeveloped into another prominent high rise commercial building...

hung yuen store, Hillier Street

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

two ifc in b&w...

2008-11-17T07:09:00.001-08:00

"Two IFC again?" I guess I just have to repeat myself, "despite having photographed it so many times, I'm still having that urge to get more shots of it almost every time and everywhere I see it... " To make it a little different, I'm doing it in b&w this time.:-)

the "armour-plated" skyscraper

"the torch"

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

if you're not bored yet, you can find the gallery here:
http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/two_ifc

the tramway...

2008-11-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

the tramway (kennedy town praya)

the tramway and a double-decker tram...

a double-decker tram and the tramway (johnston road)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

in the midst of the financial crisis 2008...

2008-10-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

tgif! after a weary week...

"any good news pal?!"

"how to spend it?"

What a week! Going through it seems like passing a century, when everything I met was on the brink of collapse...Then this question caught my mind. "How to spend it?" Spend what? Money? Not sure if I'll still have much left when the financial crisis (and the economy slump that follows) is over. Time? It has always been a big problem and I'm pretty sure I have to work even harder for less in the days to come... But don't know why, I feel I'll be just as "rich" if not richer, but only on a different level of life - friends are becoming real friends indeed these days, the family is getting close, and I'm still hungry for more picture taking - the fire and passion in my heart remain just as strong... That's how I'm gonna spend my life; I'll spend it wisely.:-)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

the solitude album

2008-10-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

I understand solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, lack of contact with people or love, yet must confess that this is exactly what I indulge myself so frequently. Solitude is beautiful when it turns misery and banality into a sentimental poem...

"seem so close yet so far..."

"the ipod age"

misty gray

"watching the world go by..."

"hesitating"

23:39 p.m., one saturday night...

"tv..."

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

the solitude album: http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/the_solitude_album

roof garden - ifc mall

2008-10-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

not only is the skyscraper of 2ifc one of my favourite subjects, the mall is also the place my family loves to hang around. So while my family is busy doing shopping, I'll just slip and do some shooting...:-)

"create"

ifc mall

ifc mall and the city centre at dusk...

shooting across the harbour...

when the sun set...

after the sun set...

(Click the image to veiw the larger version.)

cental market - a heritage of unknown fate...

2008-09-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

one of the last two "Bauhaus market buildings" in Hong Kong (http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/bauhaus_market_buildings). Not only was it the first wet market in HK, it was also once the biggest meat markets in Southeast Asia. However, being located at the core CBD, this 4-storey building was considered seriously underdeveloped for such a precious piece of land. It was eventually closed and vacated a few years ago (with the exception of only a few shops on the 2nd floor arcade). However, to the surprise of the Government, her plan to demolish the building for another private commercial skyscraper was blocked by fierce objections...

viewing from Queen's Road Central

"you be good..."

"another heritage to be abandoned?"

Jubilee Street

"stop!" Queen Victoria Street entrance

the last shops...

"no negative needed..." no need to be negative? But I read the news on 3 September 2008 that this site would be officially on the Government's List of Sites for Sale...

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

some random favourites...

2008-09-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

"(Almost) the entire city is in a fever..." a pic to remember the Olympic fever a month ago, Causeway Bay

"Wo Cheong Pawn Shop" an old pawn shop being preserved and converted into a high class restaurant, Johnston Road, Wanchai

"Shelley Street and the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators"

"Fook Wah Masions" a typical building of the early 60's across the street where I live today, but it keeps reminding me of the days when I was a boy... Lyttelton Road

"Root and (shadows of) leaves" captured by this light and shadows during a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll... Honiton Road

"I heard you..." Heard Street, Wanchai

"Once it was nice..." the tram road, Johnston Road, Wanchai

"Gray, cloudy, misty..." Victoria Peak

"Has winter come early or was I just sensitive to the withered..." Robinson Road

"Words of despair..." left by a poor fellow who had no food or money, asking himself what he should do and where he could go... 3:00 am midnight, Queensway

"Mid Autumn Festival" Roof garden of the IFC Mall, Central

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

Posted on the FTF 080915:

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candid night shots...

2008-09-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

"merry x'mas... lonely people"

It was a cold Saturday night last December. I was on my way home after work when this scene "captured" me.... (a fast food restaurant, Ngan Mok Street)

"awaiting..."
Can't you fly faster? (Tram Stop, Des Voeux Road Central)

"hussein, bush & laden"
I've never thought the "three" could get so close together... (outside a toy shop, Pottinger Street)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

retirement life...

2008-08-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

... chess games, football games, old friends.

Wah Fu Estate

Southorn Playground

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

neon signs and central by night...

2008-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tsui Wah Restaurant & Yung Kee Restaurant

Evening hustle

Saturday night fever...

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

elgin street...

2008-08-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

just another day, another old street, another old district...

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

my neighbourhood...

2008-08-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

'Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.' Henri Cartier Bresson

Maybe it's this quote that has impacted me most and given me the strongest drive since I took up photography a few years ago; it's most regrettable when your most "familiar" place and people suddenly went away and you realized that you don't even have a good picture to bring back the memories...

"an old lady, oaklands path"

Warm or cold, sunny or rainy, nothing was more certain than that I would see this old lady in the morning, standing at her door step, watching the world go by, greeting her old friends that might be getting fewer and fewer...

"a local shoe store, queen's road west"
It's after nine o'clock as I trudged past this local shoe store on my way home. Queen's Road West isn't a busy shopping street and most shops would be closed after eight except a few small food shops (http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/image/93017931). I was surprised to find that this shoe store was still open; questions kept coming to my mind at the same time as I tried to get a shot...

"going home together, bonham road"

"progress... first & second street"
I'm not against progress but how much I wish I could have taken a few photographs of the original low-rise buildings before they were demolished...

"aging..."
Across the road of the Urban Renewal Authority development site (above) are these low-rise buildings, which might be too "new" to attract the attention of the Urban Renewal Authority yet have been deteriorating quickly...

"a wet summer night... second street"

"ah chi co."
A banal everyday scene of this old established district (eastern street)... I recall buying from this baby's necessities shop, when our son was a baby, but that was 17 years ago.

"babington path & honiton road"

A fun shot to wrap up this little series (for the time being) - a self portrait, sort of, and portrait of my daugher who's seldom willing to stay still and pose for me...:-)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

time, time, time...

2008-07-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

how much I wish I could have more time... have got so many photos, yet so little time to process them and compile them into any meaningful series... anyhow, here're some recent favourites.

Lippo Centre

"Bright Steps"

"just another day"

"sorry sir..." (a jaywalker stopped by a police)

rainy days

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

Posted on the FTF 080718:

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old corner houses...

2008-07-23T06:59:00.001-07:00

I recall seeing this kind of tenement houses everywhere when I was a child, but they have been vanishing at an astounding pace and become so rare that I'll always be captivated when I see one now...

Tai Wo Street, Wanchai

Tokwawan

Ma Tau Wai Road, Hunghom

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

the belchers, hong kong

2008-07-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

showers, storms and even typhoons kept attacking since the beginning of this summer. So, when a clear sky surprisingly appeared, I wouldn't let any shooting opportunity slip...:-)

the belchers and a plane

the belchers and an early moon

(PS. Click the image to view the larger version.)

"flying through..."

2008-07-05T03:25:00.000-07:00

"Hill Road Flyover" - no matter how many times I have passed by this flyover before, I'm still finding it astonishing... but my feelings are somewhat mixed. I do admire the engineers who overcame all the technical difficulties in constructing this spectacular structure; but I really feel sorry for the people living inside the adjacent residential blocks... they have to bear all the fumes and noise, especially when double-deckers and trucks roar by!

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

victoria harbour and the CBD ...

2008-06-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

it was a wonderful evening last friday and we had a rare clear sky... Thanks to CM Kwan, one of the best (and most popular) photographers I acquainted in pbase, I managed to get to a vantage point in Tsim Sha Tsui and completed a little series of the harbour...

before the sun set

when the night fell

when lights were on

when nights were on

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

More pics of the harbour can be seen here:

http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/the_harbour__the_ferry

victoria harbour and the star ferry

2008-06-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

I guess I mentioned this before: whenever I come near to the harbour or get aboard a Star Ferry, I'll just become easily "excitable"...

West Kowloon

"the Cheung Po Tsai"

even this new Central Pier, which has been criticized as an ugly tasteless copycat, somehow doesn't look that bad to me... :-)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

one storm after another...

2008-06-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

peeking after a storm...

The Belchers

Yet another storm is coming...

(Click the image to view the larger.)

lok hing lane & an old friend

2008-06-17T05:42:00.001-07:00

I first met this wonderful guy last year in a beautiful evening. Took a few snaps including this one, my favourite in 2007: http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/image/86791756

Couldn't forget the encounter since then... miss him and the place so much that I decided to go back again on a recent Sunday afternoon. But when I got there, no trace of my little friend, though the place was still intriguing...

Yet, he must have heard the clicking of my camera and popped in only after a few rounds. It's absolutely amazing thereafter how he posed for me and guided me through, shot after shot...

Well, I wasn't the only one who shot under his "direction".:-)

"O.K. it's time to sit back and enjoy."

That was it but I'm so sure that I'll be back again... See you and take care my friend!:-)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

"the tower of power"

2008-06-13T02:36:00.001-07:00

a friend abroad asked me whether HK has changed much since the handover of sovereignty in 1997. I must say that I'm not a "polictical sensitive" person and I feel that we're enjoying just as much freedom. There's one dramatic change in the cityscape I noticed though; I'm seeing this tower, "Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR", almost everywhere in the western part of the Island...

viewing from Pokfulam Road

viewing from Western Street

viewing from Queen's Road West

viewing from Queen's Road West

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

trams and tram stops ...

2008-06-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

maybe this series could be viewed as the "next episode" of the post of signage (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=28037780). Not only are trams my favourite means of transport, I love watching them so much... Advertisements of all sorts, funny slogans, big colourful pics, interesting contrast (or harmony) between them and the real life...

"beautiful inside"

"understanding"

"and a passing bus"

"a gentleman always strives to be punctual."

"a true gentleman is always well groomed."

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

Posted on the FTF 080607:

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service reservoir, pokfulam country park ...

2008-06-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

a view from the Tregunter Path. It's quite a sight, isn't it...

PS. I tried to heighten the atmosphere through processing the pic in the "miniature" style.

(Click the image to view the larger)

Posted on the FTF 080606:

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the tenor again

2008-06-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

two ifc and other skyscrapers in Central

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

More pics of two ifc:
http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/two_ifc

the blue house

2008-06-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

"reminiscing"

"rejuvenating"

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

I did photograph the Blue House and posted some pics on the FTF in 2006 :

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=19209019

the green house

2008-05-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

benz, porsche, dai pai dong and the green building...

the rich, the grass-roots and the forgotten?

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

several old windows ...

2008-05-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

on which I've got fixated...

Boat Street / Electric Street

Happy Valley

Des Voeux Road West

(Click the image to view the larger.)

signage ...

2008-05-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

being a city guy has not made me insensitive to all the signage and billboards; on the contrary, they have always fascinated me. Artificial? Yes. Commercial? Maybe... But I've always enjoyed watching them, especially in the frame of the everyday life...

"Calvin" (taken on one of the last days of the Ritz Carlton, Connaught Road Central; demolition works actually in progress inside)

"water colour" (Hennessy Road)

"Imperial Cinema" (Remains of an old cinema, Wood Road)

"watching you" (Happy Valley)

"see who is fitter" (Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay)

(Click the image to view the larger version.)

Posted on the FTF 080524:

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skyline and birds ...

2008-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

how much I wish this could be fog, but what a shame... it's actually smog - result of heavy pollution... This was taken quite a while ago; it's one of my 2007 favourites but don't know why, haven't had the chance to post it until now, a genuine foggy season.

a couple more shots of the harbour:

(Better view the larger version; click the image to enlarge)

des voeux road west ...

2008-05-16T20:38:00.001-07:00

also called the "tram road", but even more commonly known as the "dried seafood street" – it's been a trading centre selling traditional dried seafood for more than 100 years. Shark fin, abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, oyster, just name it; you can find it... I wish I could capture that unique strong odor filling the entire street.:-)

(Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

Posted on the FTF 080517:
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may day encounter ...

2008-05-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

met this crowd when I was on the way back to my office in wanchai...

"well ... "

"maybe ... "

what's really unexpected was that on the next day, at the same location, my way back to the office was blocked again... this time it was some enthusiastic students welcoming the olympic torch relay.

"reds ... "

"and blues"

(Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

that's probably life ...

2008-05-12T00:10:00.000-07:00

captured these curious eyes of a young cat three years ago. They were so unforgettable...

Yet it took me three whole years to return to this grocery store to say hello to him again... He's become a robust young man and his eyes are just as sharp:

And, he has not lost any of his magnetism to young ladies.:-)

However, how would he look in another three years, I kept wondering... Would he be like this mature fellow that I met on another aged street?

That's probably life...

(Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

lonesome eyes (ifc mall) ...

2008-05-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

this has not happened to me before - I was about to give up these shots but changed my mind when the images were rotated clockwise by 45 degrees.:-)

(Click on the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

some skyscrapers

2008-05-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

"building of the silver age"

"gondola race"

"three"

"four"

(Click on the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

Posted on the FTF 080509:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27866806

tak wing pawn shop, man yee lane and passersby ...

2008-05-03T02:57:00.000-07:00

it's an old pawn shop situtated in the heart of the Central. Not only is this 4-storey building remaining intact, the pawn shop business is being carried on in the same manner as in the past 70 years... I really don't know how much longer its life (the economic one in particular) can last; better take a few shots while I still could...

(PS. Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

peel street ...

2008-04-28T07:04:00.001-07:00

to some, it's one of the last remaining "street markets" in HK, and to others, it's where they just come for foods whether it be traditional or trendy; to some, it's a fascinating mix of cultures but to others, it's the invasion of the old way of living by some pretentious bourgeois... To me, it's a street I have to pass by at least once a week but never seem to be able finishing photographing.:-)

viewing from Caine Road

"I'll hold on... "

street life

"bbq meat, gallery and boutique"

gallery and the Centre

the Centre

"bourgeois flavour"

the shrine

(click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

... more can be seen here:

http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy/peel_street

bus stop 11:17 pm ...

2008-04-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

to me there's no better reward for a long day's work than being greeted by a beautiful sight... :-)

(PS. Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

Posted on the FTF 080425:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27699287

10:26 pm ...

2008-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

it's already after 10 when I finished my work one recent Friday night; and as I trudged past the Wanchai Market, where I didn't expect to see any activities at all, I was drawn to some colourful lights in the midst of darkness...

(Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.)

Posted on the FTF 080419:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27620898

trams ...

2008-04-18T09:57:00.001-07:00

... it's a lazy sunday afternoon on a "westbound" tram.

"eye contact?"

PS. Click the image to enlarge and view exif info.

trams ...

2008-04-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

... a more joyous tram shot from today.:-)

"inescapable"

PS. Click the image to enlarge and view exif info.

trams ...

2008-04-14T08:03:00.001-07:00

"whatever it is... let it go."

PS. Click the image to enlarge & view exif info.

Posted on the FTF 080415:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27575540

new praya, kennedy town (II)

2008-04-11T18:47:00.001-07:00

... as said, I was hoping to get some sunset photos, but the sun had been hiding behind a thick cloud this evening...

" nice mood though... "

"definitely no hope to see the sun today... should I leave?"

"... glad I decided to hang about.:-)"

"I'm not the only one being fascinated."

O.K. time to go home, yet I was quite sure I'd pay another visit...

PS. Click the image to enlarge and view exif info.

new praya, kennedy town (I)

2008-04-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

... having a meeting in the Western District the other day. Quite naturally, New Praya, the Western waterfront main road came to my mind: If I was lucky enough, I thought, I might be able to get some nice sunset pics with my "new toy"... I arrived well before the sun was about to set. So, I strolled along and enjoyed snapping the street under the lovely afternoon sunlight.

double-decker

tourist

"someone's?"

"my work has only just begun... "

(to be continued)

PS. Click the image to enlarge and view exif info.

some cityscapes ...

2008-04-08T03:58:00.000-07:00

AIG Tower

harmony in the contrast?

Peel Street

Three Pacific Place & Hopewell Centre

Connaught Road Central

These were compiled and posted on the FTF as Part II of the "two weeks with the F100"... Delighted to say that squeezing all these pics within such a short period, under the pressure of the daily routine, has been in fact one of my recent biggest refreshments.:-)

PS. Click to enlarge and view exif info

Posted on the FTF 080404:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27433588

"two weeks with the F100..."

2008-04-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

... it's been a while, really quite a while, since I last started a thread on the Forum. Glad I did cause the wonderfully warm and sensible responses have made me feel that the good old days are back... To one who had treated the Forum as his digital home and of whom photography has been a passion (obsession), it meant a lot!!!

air conditioner hoods

"father & baby"

"McDonalds or Chiu Chau food?"

"shy"

wanchai people - southorn playground

"chasing a dog"

"working late"

PS. Click to enlarge & view exif info.

Posted on the FTF 080321:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=27256885

raindrops keep falling ... (part II)

2008-03-29T02:32:00.001-07:00

"back from the abstract world... "

PS. Click to englarge and view exif info.

raindrops keep falling ...

2008-03-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

... last saturday we had the first shower of this spring. I was trapped outside the City Hall. Some raindrops kept falling on the skylight, caught my eyes and the song came to my mind...

"... but there's one thing I know. the blues they send to meet me won't defeat me. it won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me. raindrops keep fallin' on my head. But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red. cryin's not for me' cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin' because I'm free. nothin's worryin' me... "

PS. Click to enlarge and view exif info.

more trees in the concrete jungle ...

2008-03-21T03:56:00.000-07:00

a tree in safe custody

winter is not over yet

revisiting the green patch at Chi Fu

PS. Click to enlarge and check exif info.

is winter over yet ...

2008-03-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Was this tree so weak that it had to be tied tightly to a lamp post?

PS. click to enlarge and check exif info.

stunned ...

2008-03-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

he seemed to be stunned... and so was I!

While wife and daughter were doing shopping at Sogo, I enjoyed snapping outside with the F100... :-)

PS. Click to enlarge and check exif info.

"a preview"

2008-03-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

my first week with the sample F100... so good so far. Here're some shots I really like.:-)

southorn playground

"calvin"

"waiting"

peel street

albany road

2 ifc

PS. All were handheld. Click to enlarge and check exif info...

hey son ...

2008-03-10T21:48:00.001-07:00

... you'll be fine.

hk cultural centre ...

2008-03-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

meeting with Nico and Danny in Tsim Sha Tsui last night reminded me that I did pass by the HK Cultural Centre and take a few snapshots not too long ago...

PS. Click to enlarge.

watching the world go by ...

2008-03-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

windy or sunny, hot or cold, he'd always be there, outside his little shop watching the world go by... What he thought about while he sat inside his aged plastic chair, it was difficult to tell - of the good old days, or of the funny things happening lately; of the nearby old buildings being torn down one by one, or of the escalating house prices and rentals; of his wife who preferred staying inside, or of his granddaughter who's like the young girl walking by... But the look of his far-gazing eyes and his gesture were declaring: 'I'll hold on.'

PS. Click to enlarge.

green.spring

2008-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

maybe to a lot of people, this image is just a pretty ordinary view. But for someone living in a concrete jungle, having to work from nine to nine every weekday, what can be more rewarding than sharing a view of the green with his family in the weekend, especially when the bitterly cold winter has finally come to an end...

BTW, this is actually no countryside... this green patch is a hillside adjacent to Chi Fu Garden (a residential estate in Pokfulam), where we take our daughter to her tutor on Saturdays... :-)

PS. Click to enlarge.

evening bus ...

2008-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not the only one who falls into melancholy on an evening bus ...

means or end ...

2008-03-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

"... cameras, lenses and even image quality factors, IMO, are far less important than the core photographical elements in conveying an atmosphere or giving distinction to the subject... When would people stop being caught up in the means and focus again on the end - getting a photograph that touches heart?" I couldn't help asking everytime I visited the Forum.

Here's a recent candid I took inside a restaurant, just a few days before the Valentine's Day... Didn't have any photo taking equipment with me except the cell phone but I still decided to give it a try cause the moment was so lovely and sweet. Glad I did; this is one of my recent favourites despite its technical imperfections...

PS. My personal favourite is still the one taken with the flawed F10:

http://hugopoon.blogspot.com/2005/12/watching-rain.html

harmony in the contrast ...

2008-02-29T06:33:00.001-08:00

... or contrast in harmony.

Tin Hau Temple & Baptist Church

St John's Cathedral & Banks

face...

2008-02-27T04:05:00.001-08:00

I have been sensitive enough to feel beautiful faces around... caught by this outside The Landmark, Central.

nocturne ...

2008-02-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

... it's not that I didn't want to take more daytime pics, but somehow my own life only began when the day was over...

a store - high street

alley - spring garden street

staunton street

staunton street

street performance - great george street

Posted on the FTF 080221:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=26881399

photographing 120 wellington street...

2008-02-21T04:26:00.001-08:00

this old grocery store is definitely photogenic and I have tried to photograph it (and this 'heritage' building) quite a few times... but this time it's the young man using an aged twin-lens camera that had caught my attention.:-)

boat street ...

2008-02-15T17:40:00.001-08:00

no more than an alley... it always brings me that feeling of cold loneliness, even during the festival of Lunar New Year...

"trudging home through darkness"

"head-on"

"derelict"

"Boat Street & Electric Road"

PS. Among these shots, two were taken a while ago, one with the S5 and one with the F30; the rest were taken lately with the "new camera"... Click to enlarge and view the exif info if you're interested.

couldn't stop ...

2008-02-14T03:41:00.000-08:00

couldn't stop prowling all the familiar streets with the "new camera"; craved to capture the entire essence of my everyday life ...

Johnston Road

Johnston Road

'Sammy's Kitchen' (Queen's Road West)

'Victory Hardware' (Hennessy Road)

'Robinson Dry Cleaning' (Caine Road)

55 Robinson Road

"Wanchai people" (Southorn Playground)

PS. the image stabilization system of this cam is surprisingly effective and I rarely felt the need to bump up to really high ISOs - 'Sammy's Kitchen' (ISO 800) and 'Robinson Dry Cleaning' (ISO 1600) might be the only two cases during these two weeks... Click to enlarge and view the exif info if you're interested.

some random street snapshots ...

2008-02-12T02:28:00.000-08:00

... continued to be amazed by the superior dynamic range and effective "image stabilization" system of the new cam...

Shopping for Lunar New Year - Center Street

Shopping for Lunar New Year - Wanchai Market

Shopping for Lunar New Year - High Street flower shop

"Working late"

Connaught Road Central

Jaffe Road

"Red"

Scaffolding bamboo

PS. Click to enlarge and check the detailed exif info... more pics would be coming.:-)

kung hei fat choy!:-)

2008-02-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Continue to have fun with the "new toy"... Shopping for the Chinese New Year was such a good reason to go out last Sunday afternoon. Didn't buy much but took quite a few snapshots with the new camera.:-) Nothing really special (just some familiar steet scenes along Queen's Road West) but maybe it's this versatile cam, or maybe it's because of the holiday mood, I have had a wonderful time...

Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!

"overjoyed ... "

2008-02-02T00:44:00.001-08:00

so overjoyed by this "new toy" that I'm posting these pics which I'm only supposed to post at least three weeks later...

never thought 'image stabilization' could be so effective, 'dynamic range' such amazing... and have never expected a "consumer dc" to be this capable and such great fun on the street... it's capturing so effectively what I see and feel!:-)

... look forward to posting more in the coming weeks.

"overriding auto focus... "

2008-01-23T04:06:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get as sharp as possible images of the subjects for too long; it's time to relax a little. Interestingly, it is equally enjoyable... not to focus, at least occasionally.:-)

can't forget yesterdays...

2008-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

were my memories inspiring me to capture these images, or were these images bringing back the memories? I really don't know... But for sure, there are some yesterdays that I'd never forget...

Western Community Centre

King's College

my answer to ian bramham's

2008-01-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Just as I thought that I wouldn't post anymore on the FTF (which had got "polluted" and stuffed with empty talks and biased disputes on equipments), Ian Bramham, one of the best photographers I've known on the Forum, posted some wonderful night shots of Paris: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=26290778

He has brought life and hope to the Forum and... made me want to post again.:-)

"sheung wan by night"

"capturing a capture"

"merry x'mas & happy new year - central by night"

"rushing home"

"walker evans... "

"an old pipe & a cat... "

"Cameras and lenses are simply tools to place our unique vision on film. Concentrate on equipment and you'll take technically good photographs. Concentrate on seeing the light's magic colors and your images will stir the soul." Jack Dykinga

Image quality factors, IMO, are far less important than the core photographical elements in conveying an atmosphere or giving distinction to the subject... When would people stop being caught up in the equipment and focus again on getting a well composed photograph? I myself love the F30 pics as much as the s5 pics...

Posted on the FTF 080105:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=26299201

mother and son

2007-12-31T21:47:00.001-08:00

it suddenly turned cold in the last days of 2007. However, the slightly chilly weather has only made the scenes look warmer...

... at a tram stop, des voeux road west, shek tong tsui.

on one of its last days...

2007-12-28T03:39:00.000-08:00

"You are so beautiful to me... " But no matter how beautiful we might think it is, nobody can change its fate; this part of the harbour will be gone forever when the 'Central Reclamation' is completed. All I could do was to take a few shots on one of its last days...

schoolboy going home

2007-12-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

it was a dark cool lonely evening. Despite being in a hurry to attend a meeting in Tokwawan, I still tried to see what I could get on the way... I was drawn to the texture and peeling paints of an old factory building wall, brightened up by some strong advertising spot lights...

... but I was only saddened in the end, by the scene of a schoolboy walking home all alone and disapppearing in the darkness...

shadows of father & son...

2007-12-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

it was a relaxing sunday afternoon and I took the chance to prowl the streets around Pokfulam... the windows pattern, newly painted walls (Lee Sing Primary School), lightened by the beautiful afternoon sunlight caught my eyes...

... but I didn't expect that my heart would be so touched in the end, by the shadows of this father and his son; didn't know why, I felt that my father was still by my side, though I could not hold his hand anymore...

mood of the night

2007-12-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

A road sign, a tree, a bus stop... a local barber or just a street corner... No matter how ordinary or familiar they might seem in the daytime, the night is somehow like a magician turning them into an allure... or is it just me?

Posted on the FTF 071109:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=25549453

shooting for pleasure...

2007-12-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

A friend found two commentaries on my photos:
"All he did was walk around photographing things in his life with no concern for being a 'photographer'... " How accurate! I'm doing all these for pleasure!
"(He is) looking to observe existence, with some wit, and a light touch... " I wish I had the wit... but this explains perfectly well why I have never been interested in planned, arranged or manipulated photographs.
A few recent snapshots... just trying to enjoy myself in observing the existence of my everyday life, with a light touch, and hopefully with some wit...

on the morning bus

bright steps

"envy..."

"if life is a game..."

an onlooker... expecting the unexpected?

Posted on the FTF 071026:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=25368508

victoria harbour & the star ferry

2007-12-07T06:31:00.001-08:00

I can't remember a single day that I haven't had at least a glimpse of the harbour since I was a school boy; and I don't recall a single time that I've lost a sense of wonder when I went aboard the Star Ferry... They're another subjects that I have never stopped photographing.

Posted on the FTF 071018:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=25260955

enjoying the ISO 1600 of the F30...

2007-12-06T06:22:00.001-08:00

Notwithstanding that the image quality of the F30 ISO 1600 isn't comparable to that of a good dSLR, the unique way the F30 is rendering its high ISO images is often adding a special flavour to a night picture. Such special effect (painting like, water coloury or whatever one may describe it) helps conveying the mood of a night scene so well that I have had little reluctance to bump to ISO 1600 in capturing real low light street scenes such as the followings. I must say that the little F30 seldom lets me down.:-)

"But if anyone from Fujifilm is listening, please, please don't give up on the pursuit of usable high ISO image quality in compact cameras - you were our last hope... " Simon Joinson

Posted on the FTF 070929:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=25014609

the tram road

2007-12-05T06:06:00.001-08:00

Johnston Road, more commonly known as the "Tram Road" - the Tramway has been running through it for more than one century since the opening of tram service in 1904. It's such an old road; it must be one of earliest road of the 'Colony'. Yet, it's full of life as ever, and like it or not, it's changing face at an amazing pace. It's such a familiar place to me; I'm in fact passing by it everyday to my office. Yet, the scenes along it have never stopped to intrigue me...
Like 'Two IFC' the pics of which I posted last time, this is another subject that I simply can't stop photographing since taking pics became a hobby/passion...

Posted on the FTF 070921:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=24911194

a building i fall for

2007-12-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

... when I scanned through the photos I took, I noticed that I have kept photographing a building - Two IFC. In fact I have never stopped shooting it since I took up photography in 2005. And, despite having photographed it so many times, I'm still having that urge to get more shots of it almost every time and everywhere I see it...

Posted on the FTF 070907:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=24726954

island west waterfront, and sunset

2007-11-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

A day wander this summer brought me here - a place I'd never been before; all I could tell was it's a deserted park along the waterfront of the Western District. I was as excited as a traveller who had entered a strange country... Notwithstanding the hazy sky and summer heat, I had enjoyed a precious wonderful time, watching ferries pass by, capturing the sun go down and the sky change colour...

Posted on the FTF 070824:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=24515635