Roaming around Hong Kong’s Time Square with HDR post-processing

Standing on a traffic island with camera and tripod.

I’ve had HDR (high dynamic range) software for a couple of years and just never gotten around to experimenting with it.  Sitting around on a holiday with nothing to do, I decided to play with it.  HDR allows for an exaggerated range of luminance that takes a photo into the abstract and obviously loses it connection to reality.  Not everyone likes the results.  I happen to think that it works pretty well with night shots in a brightly lit urban environment.  However, a little can be insufferable sometimes.

All photos shot with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  Post processing with Capture One, Aperture 3 and Photomatrix HDR Tone Mapping software.

Old and the new.

Bus Stop.

Waiting for the bus.

Hong Kong wet market fish with Nikon fisheye lens.

Approaching wet market from Hennesy Road.

Whenever I visit Hong Kong, I like to stay in the Causeway Bay area for its vibrancy.  From street food to street shopping, there is plenty to do in the area.  This wet market is across the road from Times Square and is an great place to visit as evening shopping draws to a close.  Earlier in the day, it can be crowded with people which can impede one’s chances to take photos of the market’s offerings.  Just around the corner from this location are a number of high end restaurants and shops that are the modern Causeway Bay.  The market is a vestige of an earlier time that will someday disappear and become the latest skyscraper.  Enjoy while you can.

Photos were shots with a Nikon D700 and  AF Fisheye Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 lens.

Fish-eye tomatoes.

 

Fish-eye fish.

Typical view at market.

Close-up.

Happy Valley Racecourse at turf level. Great for photos.

Turfside at Happy Valley.

Over the years I’ve spent many a beautiful night at the Happy Valley Racecourse.  However up until a visit in October, I’ve never watched a race from turfside.  I’ve always sat in the expensive upper reaches of the beautiful facility but never in the “cheap” seats.  Let me tell me, the race and its attendant activities are much more enjoyable from this location.  Not only can you view the race from closeup, you are never isolated from the activity like you can be in the upper seats.  And being so close to the action, one can feel the “excitement” in the air.  And for photos, its chockful of subjects to pursue.

All photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens or 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Beautiful turf.

Jockey in thought.

Warming up.

Heading for home.

Cool down.

Too shy to photograph people on the street? – Step 2

Look for people working.

People are sometimes apprehensive to photograph people on the street.  To become more comfortable, aspiring photographers should consider different ways to overcome their shyness.  Several weeks ago, I recommended shooting food stalls in close proximity to people.  In doing so you can build up your confidence while shooting in public.

Another exercise calls for you to photograph people going about their work.  That’s what I’ve done in this series of photos.  Not only does this make for interesting shots, working people tend to be occupied going about their work and therefore they generally do not pay attention to you.   One word of caution.  Be careful when photographing police or military in some countries as levels of paranoia post 9/11 has created a bit of suspicion.

All photos taken in Hong Kong with a Nikon D700 and either a Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom or Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Unloading beer

Too preoccupied to notice

Three phones on the dash

Ignored except by me

Nikon D700 with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro in Hong Kong

Ballet on scaffolding

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time researching a macro lens that could do double duty as a medium length telephone.  I looked at many lenses including the Nikkor “micros”.   I finally decided to check out the Sigma 150mm.   I read a couple of reviews on the web that extolled that brilliance of the Sigma,  mainly revolving around its ability to capture a razor sharp image.  Yesterday I bought the lens at Man Shing Cameras in Mongkok, Hong Kong.  After playing with it for one day, it’s performance has surpassed my expectations.  One of my favorite lens is the Nikkor 135mm DC f/2 lens and this Sigma outperforms the Nikkor from f/2.8.  And the soft bokeh lacks some of the harshness of the 135mm.

These photos demonstrate the capabilities of the lens as a telephoto.  And I haven’t even begun to talk about its macro performance.  But that’s a story for another day.

These photos were taken with a Nikon D700 and Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Sweating it out

Man Shing Cameras salesman

Girl talk

The cat

Street fashions in Hong Kong

Young and old

Hong Kong is one of the most vibrant places in Asia for street fashions.  While not exactly cutting edge like Tokyo, it has a certain look all its own.  It’s the combination of elegance and street sense that make it a standout city.  These photographs were taken over a span of four days last month in a couple of the more street fashion conscious areas in Hong Kong, Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mongkok and Causeway Bay.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Waiting for a sms

Another girl, another phone

Shopper walking to MTR

Walking away

Two right, one left

Hennessey Road in Hong Kong fashion shoot – part 2

Spotted from across the street.

Last month I posted photos of this same series. Well I happened to have more as you can see.  It was quite a treat to see this shoot unfolding before my eyes.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Another bus

Profile

Looking down

Look at the camera

Hong Kong’s Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mongkok

Girl watchers

One of the best spots to take street photos is Sai Yeung Choi Street South which is located near Nathan Road and Argyle in Mongkok.  This area is a magnet for young people and, as  a result, it’s a great area to shoot people strutting their stuff, both wanting to be seen and looking at the competition.  The street is closed to vehicular traffic at night and therefore pedestrians are everywhere.  There’s also plenty to do from the many restaurants to shops of all persuasions and interests.  But the top activity is to pick a location and fire away.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Sid Vicious fan

Poseur

What's up?

Hong Kong hips

One night on Hong Kong’s Temple Street

Woman in kimono

The Temple Street Night Market near Jordan  is one of the busiest and the most interesting locales in Hong Kong.  The variety of goods, from clothing to home furnishings to various trinkets is enough to keep the visitor coming back for more.  To me, it’s a great venue for photographs.  Whether its street photos or still lifes, one finds a variety that would satisfy most photographers.

All photos shot with a Nikon D700 and 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Purveyor of shoes

What to buy?

The glow of the light

Bamboo steamers

Chinese brushes with bokeh

Music on Hong Kong Harbour – black and white

Joyful saxophonist

Hong Kong is a wonderful place to wander and one is never quite sure what one will see.  On this day while walking along the waterfront on the Kowloon side, a friend and I stumbled upon a youth orchestra competition of sorts.  We stood around for around thirty minutes, snapping a photo here and there before finally moving on to other sights to see.

As noted in my posting a couple of days ago, I used only the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 during my five day stay.  No zoom lenses or multiple lenses.  Just kept it plain and simple.  Try it.  It works.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Flutes

Vibes

Sax boy

Trumpet man