Hong Kong, day 4
Pic was taken earlier this afternoon in Wan Chai, a really great area just East of Central on Hong-Kong Island, with the perfect dose of chaos and funkyness. I think I loved this area because I found in it, Asian style, the souks and street markets I can't get enough of in the Middle-East.
However much I like this chaotic, colourful athmosphere, I never find it so easy to photograph, drawn as I usually am to find patterns, clear lines and a certain reflective emptiness.
And why on earth to I stick to B&W whilst describing the athosphere as colourful, literally as well as figuratively ?!
I'm colour-blind - there, cat's out of the bag ! The sheer visual complexity, nay visual noise, of this place is such that frankly, I find too daunting the task of having to deal with the colours. Not that I'm averse to colour photography, as you may have seem from some of my Moroccan (Atlantic coast) and Geneva pics - but then the colours are usually bold, bright and come in large patches. Much like the style of paintings I love most and find in Nolde, Chagall, Miro, Van Gogh, Ernst and the like.
Another thing that intimidates me is that a) in order to take a colour photo I'd first have to select one of 5 colour modes from my camera's menu, not no mention the proper white balance, and that b) I'd then be faced with a further plethora of editing options after uploading the photo to my computer. The sort of stuff that throws me into paralysing indecision whilst wondering how on earth others see "my" colours.
Neither have I ever taken a photo in RAW format, and tend to think of this as a lazy option, much as zoom lenses foster laziness when you're out there with your camera.
Was also in Stanley (on the southern coast of Hong-Kong Island) earlier today: great market, fair bit of greenery, nice little beach - but what a crowd on a Sunday ! The road there from Central Hong-Kong is narrow and winding on account of the steep, hilly terrain, rather like the Ligurian or Amalfi coast in Italy.
On the morrow, shall (hopefully !) wake up early to photograph the city awakening. Such is at least my modest ambition, though it may rather depend on how soon I log out of my web site and blog and hit the sack !
