Had a good day today
Took lots of photos and even got to know a guy here in Hong Kong!
Here's stranger number 9
We took a walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui harbour today, a place my parents frequented when they were dating. They tell me that it's become a tourist attraction now, and that Hong Kong has expanded a lot, a lot of man-made land has been added to it. The area was filled with tourists from mainland China, Singapore, the Philippines, and of course... my family
I saw a man fishing (not an uncommon sight here) on the edge of the harbour. A tourist was standing next to him, asking him something, but the fisherman didn't understand Mandarin... and the tourist didn't understand Cantonese. "I don't understand what you're saying, understand?" he tells the tourist. I laugh, and he looks at me "I don't get what he's saying, and he doesn't understand what I'm saying, but it's rude to just ignore him" the fisherman says to my family.
He reels in a fish, "the spikes in the fin are poisonous" he says to the china-man. The china-man nods, then leaves. My mom asks him if he caught anything today, and he says "I've caught three." My mother asks him if he eats the fish. "I just come here to pass the time." he says. The breeze from the water is nice, keeps you cool. It's not a bad place to relax!
The man uses a small orange handle with fishing wire wrapped around it. It looks like it's a kite handle.
I've decided that complaining about shooting from the hip is useless 'cause I'll have to do it anyway. Instead, I'll try to get better at it... I got a few shots I liked today...
These goofy guys were sitting infront of 3 bikes and sign that said "Biking around the world!"
They say they're from argentina
Sleepy cat
I also took a look at the used Leica equipment here in Hong Kong... the prices are ridiculous. Rangefinder photography... and photography in general in Hong Kong has become somewhat of an Aristocratic hobby... with skill being an optional requirement. The dealers here acknowledge this, and know exactly who's going to buy and who's just there for a look. It's a judgement based on appearance (do you look like you'd have the money to blow, or do you look like a bum?) and whatever equipment you have hanging out. My shorts, tee, cheap watch ($150...) and M8 with Zeiss glass (has to be modern leica glass, or rare vintage glass) all point to me being too poor to play the leica game. Dealers dismiss people like me. I asked for the price of a lens... "a few thousand" they say, knowing that I wouldn't buy anyway. I am tempted to leave each store with a very kindly, happily toned "eat a dick", flash them a smile, give them a slight nod, and see if they know what I'm saying.
There WAS one leica dealer that wasn't horribly rude. There's a chain of camera stores, Tin Cheung Camera. The location in Tsim Sha Tsui at the K11 Art Mall is full of nice, helpful employees.