Causeway Bay

Fotoeins Friday: “Outside SOGO”, HKG Causeway Bay

The action rarely stops in Causeway Bay, like many other parts of Hong Kong. To the left outside the frame, department store SOGO stands opposite the street-level entrance ‘E’ to the MTR metro station. It’s 730pm and “big-city commotion” hits you from all sides: people heading home from work, people heading to the shops or restaurants, cars, taxis, and the rumble of the famous streetcars on nearby Hennessy Road. Blue-shirted volunteers for UNICEF are gamely trying to get their pitch out for donations to their cause. At centre is a bright white billboard with an elegantly dressed wedded couple. The “husband” and the man below are facing the same direction, while the “bride” with a tiara looks out to people on the street. The tag line for Chow Tai Fook Jewellery (周大福) reads “The Perfect One.”

In the course of my year-long RTW, I made the photo above on 21 June 2012 with a Canon EOS450D, 18-55 IS kit-lens, and the following settings: 1/30s, f/4.5, ISO400, 18mm focal length (29mm full-frame equivalent). The photo is an enlarged version of what appeared on Instagram. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-7YS.

Hong Kong: the total 3-week food score

Featured: Dim sum (yum cha) at The Graces, Lee Theatre Plaza, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong – 10 Jun 2012.

I wrote recently about what I ate during the 2nd-quarter of 2012 on my continuing around-the-world (RTW) trip. As I spent over 3 weeks of June in Hong Kong, I wanted to give the food in Hong Kong its fair due: look, salivate, and enjoy. Also, check out this visually appealing beginners’ guide to dim sum.

( Click here for images and more )

Hong Kong: night skyline from Kowloon

The scene might compel the viewer to don a pair of ice-skates, except for the fact the nighttime outdoor temperature in June is +27C/81F.

At the Kowloon Public Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Hong Kong city skyline is front and centre. Among the many illuminated buildings, you’ll pick out the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, and the Bank of China building and 2 IFC tower in the Central district.

I made the photos above on the evening of 30 June 2012 with the Canon EOS450D camera, 18-55mm kit-lens, and a tripod. The range of shooting parameters were f/14 to f/22, one to four minutes of exposure, ISO100, and 18- to 34-mm focal length. The small apertures (“large” f-ratios) prevent harsh glare or saturation by strong lights, and the long exposure times smooth out the “random” nature of the wave action in the water.

It’s easy to agree and difficult to ignore how photogenic the city skyline is, by day or at night.

For a slower yet inexpensive ride with a great view of Hong Kong, take the Star ferry from Hong Kong’s Central or Wan Chai, across Victoria Harbour, to Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui.