It is what it is…

A break away from the landscape view to one of a more intimate nature. Ardnamurchan forms the northern edge of Loch Sunart, along the shoreline can be found great swaths of seaweed clinging to dark rocks beneath. What struck me was the intense yellow colour it had, especially notable on a gloomy day. By chance a patch of blue sky opened up directly above me and I quickly set up to create this image of the contrasting colours and layers as they appeared before me. Despite the frenetic placement of the seaweed there’s something calming about the way they’re held in place by the water…

After the wander along the shore I found myself in another dense woodland, discovering this little gem quietly eking out its life in the crook of a heavily coated tree’s branch, it certainly pays to take it slowly and look carefully at what’s around

From the earliest settlers throughout Hong Kong’s history, people living on the island have been dependent on the surrounding waters for their livelihood; trade, fishing and as a place to live due to the shortage of space on land. Today very little remains of the old ways of salt production and fishing with most trade being done via computers as unimaginable values upon the lofty floors of glass fronted towers that now look down on the once frantically busy waterway of Victoria harbour Don’t get me wrong; it’s still busy but not quite how it used to be when going by the old images of pre-war Hong Kong (more on that later). Indeed the dramatically changing scenery of Hong Kong extends beyond the construction sites and office buildings, the continuing reclamation process is reducing the available harbour and shelter space for boats immediately adjacent to the business districts and the bulk of the shipping ports have begun relocating into mainland China where there isn’t the restriction on space. Looking out to sea it’s hard to miss the unfathomably large 18-container wide ships steam past.

It’s a strange view looking across Causeway Bay, below me lay a tangle of rafts of all shapes and sizes, tarpaulins draped across their tops to act as shelter from the weather and all of them loosely connected with thread-bare ropes forming a slowly undulating mass in the swell. Small craft being paddled laboriously out across the harbour yield to the sampans that chug about, ferrying people from land to water-borne craft. Yet above all the swirling chaos stood neat, ordered static structures, air conditioned offices, high-rise apartments and glistening deep blue glass. Imposing in their placement and dominating the landscape, the people who live on the water are not just looked down in the literal sense of the phrase and the economic status pushes the buildings ever higher. Two worlds so far apart on one level but so undeniably linked to each other…

 

When I set out towards the tip of Ardnamurchan Peninsular, often described as the most westerly point on the British mainland (though Corrachadh Mòr which lies to the south inches out a little bit further apparently), a glance at the weather report led me to believe I was in for an evening of light winds, bright conditions and a ‘little’ cloud cover. It ticked all the right boxes promising for some atmosphere and potentially good light to create the image I had in mind. After an hour of perilously tight and twisting single-track roads, I realised the forecasters were optimistic in their descriptions. A blanket of grey cloud overhead blocked any sun and a strong wind meant standing up involved leaning into it at a comical angle! I briefly considered my options and rather than head home with the thought of a wasted trip hanging over my head I watched the fast moving clouds, hoping for a glimmer of light in the dying moments of the day. Waves pounded the rocks below me as I looked north eastwards to Eilean Carrach with Portuairk and Sanna Bay out of view beyond. Looking out to sea, dark clouds roiling off the coast all but obscured the Isle of Coll, Isle of Muck and Isle of Rum beyond it was certainly building into a dramatic display.

If conditions are right, as the sun dips beneath the clouds before falling below the horizon, the photographer is afforded the most spectacular light with which to illuminate a subject whilst retaining a potentially moody sky around it. You may even get some light reflected on the underside of distant clouds, depending on their altitude, as the sun dips below the horizon adding a further dimension to your images. Unfortunately, with stormy seas to the west, the clouds on this particular day stretched to the horizon and possibly beyond, with sufficient density to mean the sun would probably not be making an appearance any time soon. One final factor remained to my advantage though; strong winds. I was in luck as a large hole developed lending a touch of soft light to the scene. I stepped out of my shelter from behind some rocks and got to work creating the shot. Light produces colour from the objects it reflects off, in its relative absence I chose a longer shutter speed to collect what light there was and to emphasise the movement of the waves. The final result belies the high winds I was sheltering from just moments before but the movement in the water gives it the energy that I was looking for.

After precariously balancing on the slippery rocks with my tripod for some time, surrounded by the wind and waves, I made my retreat. The nature of landscape photography is often one that allows the photographer time to prepare a composition and then wait for the “right” light to illuminate it just the right way. Occasionally though an opportunity may arise that is fleeting, requiring quick instinctive decisions to make an image. As I began my rock-hopping back to dry land the clouds began to break up directly in front of the sun and around the lighthouse. I was quick to set up again and make just one image of it (top). Within the space of another exposure a large cloud had completely obscured the sun and any light. It did not return. I packed up and headed home satisfied I had done what I could given the circumstance.

The weather is one aspect a photographer cannot control, no matter how much we’d like to but this unpredictability makes the challenge of photography worth pursuing. With results perhaps better than those initially envisaged it serves the photographer well to keep an open mind and use their vision to create an image regardless of the conditions, with due attention to their own safety of course. More often than not images created in such circumstances generally turn out to be some of my favourites, be it the sense of achievement at having survived harsh conditions (and lived to tell the tale!) or that such a departure yields an altogether better representation of the subject from the original intention. By keeping an open mind and being prepared to seek alternative views a photographer may be pushed to stretch their skills to new levels and create images that perhaps exceed their initial intent or vision. Be prepared and ‘expect the unexpected’.

 

You can buy anything in Hong Kong, you just have to know where to look. From the vast shopping malls (almost everywhere!) containing designer clothing outlets of the likes of Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani to the sprawling street markets wheere you can find jewelry, clothing, fake designer handbags, fake designer watches, toys, games, trinkets, food of all descriptions there’s even an area where you can buy kittens, puppies and goldfish! The Kowloon regions of Mong Kok, YauMaTei and Tsim Sha Tsui form the epicenter of street markets within Hong Kong. Of the many markets the most well known and largest are the Ladies Market (see below) and Temple Street Night Market that span several streets’ worth of precious Hong Kong space, implying above all else their importance to locals not just tourists. Others such as the Jade Market, Goldfish Market and Fruit Market are smaller but still draw the crowds of locals and visitors alike. All lie within walking distance of each other and can be a fun day’s worth of meandering along busy streets, watching the buzz and energy of people going about their lives beneath brightly coloured signs and adverts overhead. Just be sure to watch out for the taxis!
There’s so much bustle and jostling going on in and around the markets, deliveries to and from stalls, squeaking of the trollies as they rush by, stall hands calling out for attention of their wares and the people haggling over their value of goods. Alien languages cry out from one side of the tight walk-way  to the next as their keepers discuss the last deal made – did they fleece yet another unwitting tourist I wonder? A concoction of smells wafting out from each stall as the occupants grab a quick meal between visiting customers or even a quick nap away from prying eyes during another long day. It’s completely safe to wander around with a camera and see what to pick out, I was trying to see what happens beyond the view of a tourist and all the glittery stalls, where the objects for sale are doing the moving around – assisted by the vendors at each stall. I tried to keep a polite distance whilst looking for shots to create the story of the market, though in a heavily populated country such as this I’ve no idea what a polite distance cold be…still, I received no objections which I took to be a good sign at least.
Near the Mong Kok MTR (Hong Kong’s underground rail network – very efficient!) is the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street. Originating as a place for women to buy (mostly) clothes it has since transformed into a sprawling mass of stalls selling all manner of things, much like the one down in Wan Chai only spread over several blocks and as ever you just have to know what to look for and sped wisely when you find it. Part of the skill of spending wisely is to haggle, for everything. Haggling down from the initial asking price is expected by the vendors, I suspect they’d feel upset if you didn’t at least liven up their day with a bit of hard bartering going on. Nothing in the market has a price tag, if you express an interest one of the many stall hands will pounce and offer it to you for a fairly arbitrary and often greatly inflated price. As a rule you never take their first offer. I tried my hand when looking for a few things and went for the dead-pan approach when a ‘price’ was announced. A moment passed without a word from myself or the stall hand then, to break the silence I suspect, the ‘price’ was dropped some 25% right off the bat, this is usually an indicator that what it is actually worth is a fair bit lower still.  Happily I turned out to be reasonably ok at it and getting an item about 1/4 of the initial offered price. They put on pained expressions as you push them down on the price for things, part of their tactics are to hurry you along into buying before you fully haggle it out to your satisfaction! It’s fun to have a go at though and sticking to your ground really works to your benefit.