Last week I caught the MTR into Sham Shui Po on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong to take pictures of a rather unique neighborhood. I focused on photographing people at work in their tiny spaces that appear unsystematic to the untrained eye, however I have no doubt that there is a highly organized map in the minds of the shopkeepers and handymen that affords them their efficiency. Though I speak no Cantonese, the men and women in the Sham Shui Po neighborhood did not shy away from my camera. They often waved or offered a simple smile, as did I, then I was on my way. I plan to return to this neighborhood with a method of communication that allows me to ask them the questions that arose in my mind as I watched them work. 
Tag: hong kong street photography
街 Hong Kong Street
Right now I am living in a part of Hong Kong called Sheung Wan. It is very international, semi-dense, and highly multicultural. In the past week I have explored Central and Kowloon quite a bit and I have been happily inundated with the sights, scents, and sounds of the city. The people have been kind, the streets shockingly clean, and the air warm and humid. It is a place of activity. No one stands still. Interrupting the flow in a public place by being on your phone is called “phubbing” or “phubbering”. Still, people move politely despite the denseness that everyone talks about when referring to Hong Kong. I still feel that I have my space. 
Viola Jean Photography 