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

Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens – bokeh in Japan

Kobe graffiti corner

Several weeks ago I picked up the highly acclaimed Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  On a full frame camera like the Nikon D700, the wide angle junkie can attain Nirvana for its field of view (fov) in a non-fisheye lens.  Now sometimes, amateur photographers think of ultra wide angles (UWA) and landscapes in the same breath.  However, UWAs are very useful in shooting photographs where the subject is closer, such as in this series of photographs recently shot in Kobe, Japan.

This lens is considered the reference standard for wide angle zooms.  And for good reason.  The resolution is phenomenal with a sharpness in image that almost unmatched.  Edge to edge image quality at a f-stop of 11 is quite sharp.  However, at wide open or near wide open, the lens yields bokeh that is pleasing.  These photos were shot at focal lengths from 14 to 24mm.

Downside?  The lens is huge, with a bulbous front element, for which there is no filter.

Photos shown are uncropped and  taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Closer can be interesting

What to eat

Looking from the outside

Flowers with bokeh

Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 and Summilux 75mm f/1.4 lenses, food and bokeh

The Noctilux is known for its low light capabilities, very shallow depth of field and a creamy dream-like bokeh that is the realm of very few lenses.  My Noctilux is a third generation version and is capable of brilliant images although a slight issue with back focus can make it difficult to nail the perfect focus.

The Noctilux also holds its value so that if you buy one, you can use it for as long as you want and yet be able to sell it for what you paid for it.

Check out Edwin Puts’ thorough review of the f/1 version of the Noctilux on his “TAO of Leica” website.  His site is a real treat.

However, I also enjoy the Summilux 75mm f/1.4 which is known as a portrait lens.  It has razor sharp focus with good  bokeh and like the Noctilux, the ability to isolate the subject from the background.  And its much easier to focus.  It doesn’t have the extreme low light capabilities of the Noctilux but f/1.4 is nothing to laugh about. And this lens also retains its value.

The first two photos were taken with the Noctilux.  Note that the top photo was mainly lit by candlelight.  The bottom three with the Summilux. There is some distortion and “smearing” of the bokeh  in the Summilux photos caused by the curved shape and thickness of the glass counter.

All photos taken with a Leica M8 and Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens or Summilux 75mm f/1.4 lens.

More scenes from the beautiful Inchon International Airport, Seoul, Korea

I enjoyed this airport so much, I’ve posted more photos.  See the posting below for information about this airport.

Beautiful Inchon International Airport, Seoul, Korea

Since its opening in 2001, the Inchon International Airport (ICN) has ranked among the best airports in the world.  It has received the 5-Star rating from Skytrax, a ranking shared with Singapore Changi Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.

The airport shares many modern design features such as exposed trusses, vaulted ceilings, and exposed columns.  The only uninteresing area of the airport is the check-in area, which is rather ordinary and simple.  However everything changes once you clear immigration.  Then the true beauty of the airport shines through.

It’s design has more in common with the Hong Kong International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport than Singapore Changi or Bangkok’s Suvannabhumi International Airport.  Singapore Changi is more conservative in design; Bangkok’s airport is edgier.

Hua Hin night market, Round Two

More photos from the Hua Hin, Thailand night market.  Check out yesterday’s posting for information about Hua Hin.

Roaming Thailand – Hua Hin night market

Hua Hin is my favorite beach destination in Thailand.  Much more so than Phuket or Koh Samui.  Although it has been “discovered” as a tourist mecca, it still retains a small town atmosphere.  Because it is compact in size, it is easy to walk around the downtown area.  There are literally hundreds of places to eat and drink in central Hua Hin, with cuisines from the four corners of the world.

For example, one of Thailand’s finest Italian restaurants, Da Mario, is located just down the street from excellent Thai seafood restaurants, a Mexican restaurant, a couple of Irish pubs and so on.  All in a space of approximately one square kilometer.

I am partial to the night market, a two block long row of vendors selling food, souvenirs, clothing and just about everything else.   The following photos were all taken from the night market.

Small shrine near the Osaka Train Station

Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine

Most visitors to Japan go to the major temples and shrine as these locations are suggested by hotels, tour guides and others.  However in nearly all neighborhoods in Japan, there are local shrines and temples that can be interesting to visit and to photograph.  Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine is such a place.

When I asked the concierge at my hotel for the nearest shrine, he said that there are no interesting shrines in the area and that I should visit Nara or Kyoto, both of which are some distance from Osaka.

After I suggested I wanted to visit a local shrine, he pointed me to this location.  It is situated in the boisterous entertainment zone near the Osaka train station yet retains a quiet almost  meditative sense in the midst of Pachinko parlours, nightclubs and bars.  It’s worth a visit if only to take photos.

Prayers to be anwered

Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 – Bangkok market, lights and bokeh

I’ve been experimenting with the Noctilux since I purchased it almost two weeks ago.  Today I was at a market near Jatujak and figured that I would spend an hour photographing light fixtures with the Nocti wide open, that is, at f/1.  The bokeh is quite nice with this lens and one has an urge to capture an image more with the bokeh in mind rather than the subject in the frame.   And in the end, of course, the bokeh became the subject and the light source a secondary object.

More photos from Osaka. Leica M8 with Noctilux 50mm f/1