AnglesHK
Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Legendary Award
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Featured
Contest Finalist in An Empty Space Photo Contest
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I lived in mainland China for many many years, and I would often travel south to Hong Kong. This photograph was taken along the walls of the Hong Kong Cultural Center near the waterfront in the Kowloon district.Time
I was fortunate enough to catch the contrast of the sunlight and shadows around three in the afternoon.Lighting
Sunlight and shadows can play a great role in creating illusions and/or enhancing a picture or scene. In this photograph, I was trying to capture the acute angle that was highlighted by the sun bleeding through the architecture.Equipment
This photo was taken with a simple little Sony DSC-P10. I explored the city trying to take the best with what I had to work with at the time.Inspiration
It was the month of June, 100 degrees fahrenheit, and 95% humidity. I was dehydrated, sweaty, and exhausted from walking all day. I had sat down on the ground along the wall of the Hong Kong Cultural Center to get out of the monsoon of hot rain. Ten minutes later the clouds and the rain had moved on and that is when I noticed the crisp lines made by the sun. The illusion that the sunlight on the ground was a continuation of the structure itself, was interesting to me.Editing
I had this photograph in my collection mixed in with all the thousands of photos I took in China over the years. It was in color and didn't turn out as dramatic as I had hoped for, so it was left in the file for many years and almost forgotten. Recently, I have become a big fan of the sharp contrast within black and white photos. I stumbled upon this photograph while playing around with the editing software, I changed it to B/W and all of a sudden the dramatic photo I was trying to capture came to life. I feel that sometimes color can be a distraction from the subject. In this case, my subject was specifically the architecture, light and shadows, so changing it to black and white refined and defined my photographic intensions.In my camera bag
Now days I am traveling with a Nikon D90, extra battery and a soft microfiber cleaning cloth. I am often laying down in the dirt, hopping over fences and climbing steep slopes in order to get to where I think the best angle will be. I feel burdened with anything more than just my camera. However, my tripod and step ladder are in the car at all times.Feedback
Hong Kong along with other cities large and small are full of "architectural entertainment". Find the less famous nooks and crannies of large structures, and acknowledge the unique lines, angles and details the architect intensionally created and could only hope would be appreciated. Visit the site at different times of day to see how the sunlight and shadows compete for surface area. When traveling to touristy places, monuments and iconic landscapes, turn around and see what photo opportunities are behind you.
