I love how she loves her job...

Posted by hugo poon (hong kong, Hong Kong) on 11 March 2009 in Documentary & Street and Portfolio.

Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

I do not regard myself as a photographer. I'm merely a guy who enjoys capturing all the memorable scenes that I encounter in my everyday life. Perhaps, it's like a traveller hoping to record his memorable journey, but in my case, it's the journey of my life ... If I can record my encounters in such a way that they leave an image on the mind of myself and other viewers, it's a tremendous joy and some accomplishment...
In terms of photography, I'm trying to preserve the moments as my eyes see "something" and my heart feels it too. As such, I seldom feel interested in planned, arranged or manipulated photographs...

http://www.pbase.com/hpicckcy

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Comments (11)

Rags from Plano, United States

Keep up the good work!

11 Mar 2009 5:01am

Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain

I like her expression, she looks very far away from there while she holds the ad. I like also the crowded street, the passers by and the lights. Good one, Hugo.

11 Mar 2009 5:51am

John Leech from Grange-over-Sands, United Kingdom

I like the way so many of your shots combine well lit areas with bright colour with not so well lit areas with little colour. It is the kind of shot that I'd pass by deciding that the result would be confusing - the 'model' not being lit well enough to compete with the colour behind - but the results show that my theories and worries are nonsense. These images work really well and help me rethink a few things about lighting.

11 Mar 2009 7:39am

@John Leech: Thank you John! Although I'm not unduly excitable, I must admit I have been wasting quite a lot of hard disk space too.:-) But perhaps the point is: if you can see how quickly my familiar scapes and scenes are "vanishing", you would understand why I'll not let go of any opportunity to capture them even when the technical conditions are far from perfect...

WABIKOJA from Shiga, Japan

Wonderful tonality and beautiful composition!!

11 Mar 2009 10:19am

GJC from Kyoto, Japan

I like John Leech's comment. Well said. We have these same kind of sign-holders here, for karaoke places and for porn video shops! I often thought it must be a terrible job, especially in the winter.

11 Mar 2009 10:24am

Chris K from Sydney, Australia

Hugo, I have been watching your mesmerising photos for a few weeks now, and I admire your compositions, which have given me a new perspective on how everyday scenes can be so captivating.
I have also been taking note of the quality of your photos and camera settings on the F200EXR, which have absolutely amazed me. So much so, that even when the camera has not yet been released here, I took delivery of one today, imported from Japan.
I would love to know what settings you use for your night shots. Is it EXR Auto, or do you go into manual EXR or other settings.
In particular, I note that you seem to be able to take very clean shots at achievable shutter speeds, with very little noise.
Best regards,
Chris

11 Mar 2009 12:03pm

@Chris K: Chris, you've made me a very happy man by describing my everyday snapshots as captivating!!! This means alot to me!
"Clean shots with little noise." I'm so glad you're not a "pixel-peeper".:-) Considering the size (and price) of the F200, I do agree that the noise performance is pretty acceptable though some noise is really noticeable at ISO800 or above... The good news is that I find the out-of-cam images to be responding quite well to my standard PP workflow including the noise reduction application. Here's my standard PP, hope it can be of help to you: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=24258168
Regarding my settings, I've been using either the Aperture Priority or the Manual Mode most of the time, leaving the Dynamic Range and White Balance to just Auto...

Have Fun and take care,
Hugo

Steve Rice from Olympia, United States

A fabulous image. I love that lady's expression.

11 Mar 2009 3:45pm

sun from tehran, Iran

lovely.. nicely done!

11 Mar 2009 4:06pm

Mirko Herzner from Mühlheim am Main, Germany

A beautiful motion blurr here, Hugo. You isolated her from her background. Fantastic shot.

11 Mar 2009 7:38pm

Observing from North West, United Kingdom

Hugo, the magic of this image is the fact that the girl is static, while all around the city is in motion, very cool.

12 Mar 2009 1:55am

hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong

Thanks so much everyone!!! As John observed, this wasn't an easy shot especially when the tricky lighting is concerned... but I was so drawn to her (and her expression) that I decided to give it a try - by blurring the passers-by with a slow shutter speed. So gratified that this came out O.K.:-)

12 Mar 2009 2:36am

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Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
1/10 second
F/3.3
ISO 100
7 mm