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.

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

Roaming Hong Kong – Causeway Bay on a rainy night

The Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong is one of my favorite areas to roam, especially at night.  It’s a youthful area so there’s a certain amount of energy and buzz that makes it an interesting area to photograph.  And when you factor in neon signs and lots of people, well, it gives you a lot to shoot.

Last night, there was the threat of a typhoon and of course, accompanying the typhoon is usually rain.  Rain is great for enhancing photos, whether by naturally saturating colors or delivering greater doses of reflection.

On this night, I walked from Causeway Bay to the adjacent Wanchai and then back.

Photos taken with Nikon D700 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  Photos shot in RAW with little or no post-processing.

“BNE” spotted in Hong Kong

I was walking down Hennessey Road in Causeway Bay last night with a friend and as I was taking photos, she spotted the infamous “BNE”.  Of course Bangkok is awash with these stickers and graffiti.  In my travels to other cities, I’ve never spotted these three letters.  Interestingly, we only saw this one sticker.  No others.

Photo taken with Nikon D700 and 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Almost missed

Hong Kong at night

Hong Kong skyline

Causeway Bay shopping headquarters

Hong Kong is a great place to roam at night.  From the Causeway Bay shopping district to Kowloon, there’s plenty of places to roam at night.  Besides Causeway, I also like to roam TST and the Mongkok area.

Mascots

Fresh fruit

View of Hong Kong from Causeway Bay

Central HK

Causeway Bay is one of my favorite districts in Hong Kong.  It has shopping for everyone’s budget.   As a result it’s a great place for people watching.  But it’s also a great venue for landscapes.  Walking from the heart of Causeway Bay shopping district to the waterfront takes about 10-15 minutes.  As you can see, there’s a great view in every direction.  These photos were taken at sunrise.

Kowloon side

Step off

Exercise

Roaming Causeway Bay – Louis Vuitton

One great thing about Causeway Bay is that it’s all there.  One moment your mouth is exploding with super spicy food at the Red Pepper Restaurant.  The next thing, your dropping into Krispy Kreme for a donut.  And then, walking around the corner to Louis Vuitton.  And the Ferrari dealer.  It’s all there.

I'm waiting for you, Ms. Remy

Causeway Bay, pink castle in the sky

Causeway Bay is one of the great districts of Hong Kong.   There is a vitality and energy here that’s created by the younger people that frequent the area.

For visitors, it’s a great venue to explore Hong Kong.  There are lots of hotels in the area.  From the Parklane and Excelsior Hotels to any number of other reasonably-priced hotels.  Now’s a good time to visit as it’s Summer Sale season.

Big Pink