First impressions of a photographer’s life in Hong Kong
Six months ago, after eight years working in Spain I began a new stage in my life as a photographer based in Hong Kong. Here are some of my first impressions.
HK is a cosmopolitan and very modern place with enormous malls full of posh boutiques like Prada, Armani and Chanel; deluxe cars like Ferrari, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Jaguar riding the roads; free WIFI access in the streets… all in stark contrast to the homeless people with cardboard boxes begging for dollars.
For the lucky ones life in this incredible city is easy. It is safe, has amazing buildings, beaches, exciting nightlife, nice restaurants and very low taxes.
As a former British colony one can communicate in English, something not generally possible elsewhere in China.
Organizers of events here love credentials – and business cards. Here, if you don’t have a business card, you don’t exist. With a business card it’s possible to gain access to news conference and many other events.
Strange… what us?
On first impression it’s enough to put a nesting Robin off its stride for good and liable to bring other garden creepers into disrepute - but it’s just the English celebrating Spring.
The caption to Toby Melville’s picture informs us, “A costumed festival participant marches in the Jack In The Green procession in Hastings in southern England May 5, 2008. The traditional annual May Day festival has origins at least as far back as the 17th century, with hundreds of costume-clad dancers and musicians – many dressed in green foliage – marching through the coastal town and symbolically slaying a giant Jack at the finale.”.
Some are more ‘out’ than others.
They came… we saw… she conquered…
The State visit to Britain by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni drew widespread attention not the least from the massed ranks of photographers and televison crews keen to record the couple’s every step. No cliche was left unturned as members of the press vied with one another to describe their partnership.
But… a state visit by a French President would always draw interest, and with the added glamour angle you had a winning formulae. The drab world of formal visits was to be given a makeover - I for one hoped so. In my view, the visit was not so much a breath of fresh air blowing away the cobwebs, but a mix of contrasting elements standing together. With this visit we hoped to see contrasts of age, style and appearance. In addition the sense of anticipation was heightened because the people involved represented the historic differences between the English and the French. Would they come together in a new entente cordiale? Would the charge be led by the French President? Not on your life, it was led by his wife, the amabassador extraordinaire.
Did Carla Bruni-Sarkozy disapoint? Here are the photographs, judge for yourselves.
(Apologies for the cliches and metaphors – all of them mixed)
France’s first lady Carla Bruni is off to a good start as she rides in a carriage with Britain’s Prince Philip on route to Windsor Castle. Photograph by: Darren Staples
I am pro-France, but the President and the first lady are not needless to say are good representation of people of France. They seem to be ignorant of different ethnics, but being social birds…
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The Wall
I just wanted to say, apropos of nothing in this article, that your Beijing Olympics photograph of the woman with a scarf over her face (which I see tonight, 8-2-08, on the NYTimes website) is evocative, telling (of the Chinese pollution problem), and, simply as a photograph, gorgeous. I looked at it for a long time.