Introduction:

In one of my previous articles I put together a list of tips and tricks to improve your photography when out on the streets of Hong Kong. Whilst some of them address the cultural and locational aspects of shooting in a city like HK, a few of them are about making the best of the light sources - both natural and man made, to get the best out of the shots. In this article, I’d like to explore this topic in more depth and give you a single tip that will produce incredible results with your photography.

Shaping the Light in an Urban Setting

Street photography master Fan Ho was a master of shaping light in the city. Hong Kong in the 1950s and 60s wasn’t the imposing cluster of steel and concrete that it is today, but it was still a key trading hub with activity everywhere - people rushing back and forth, bustling market stalls, ships shuttling back and forth in the harbor. Fan Ho’s unique take on the city was to make use of the available light sources to add an incredible amount of contrast and depth to his images. He could shape the light, using it to highlight the subjects, lead the viewer's eye, and tailor his composition. Using his style of photography as an example, we too can learn to shape light in Hong Kong, making use of the best hours of the day to create dynamic visuals with depth that highlight our subject matter and compose our images. 

A while ago I was out on a street photography mission in downtown Hong Kong. It was a beautiful afternoon in the city and the sun had started to descend towards the horizon - the perfect time to capture all the pockets of light in between the buildings, using the light to highlight certain subjects. In the past, I, like many other photographers, have checked apps, cams, forecasts, and headed out before golden hour thinking that sunset light would let me shoot the city in its best state. What I didn’t realize, however, is that unlike other cities around the world, the sheer height of the buildings in Hong Kong meant that a couple of hours before sunset is actually the perfect time to capture images. If sunset is at 7pm, you need to be out at 3 - 4pm to get the desired results. If you wait till past that, the sun is no longer high enough in the sky to cast shadows between the buildings, and you’re stuck using reflections or other light sources where possible. 

One Key Tip to Level Up your Photography

Distilling that down into one key tip to improve your street photography: If you want to shape light, head out a few hours before sunset to ensure you actually have light to work with. 

Once you’ve done that, you can identify areas where contrast might help to highlight your subjects and set up your shot to serve your photograph best. In the photos I’ve included as examples below, I was ‘fishing’, a street photography technique that involves waiting for the subject to appear, rather than moving around constantly. Ultimately, the light helps you narrow down your options and you can either fish or move to another location to continue fishing until you get your desired results. For shooting settings, I tend to shoot to expose for highlights and bring up the shadows afterwards. My settings for the shot below were 1/2000s, F5.6, ISO 100, giving me the option to add highlights and lift the shadows.

I have people ask me what equipment I use to capture my results. My response is always the same - the camera doesn’t really matter, within reason. If you have a DSLR or a mirrorless camera that has a good bit of glass on the front, that should enable you to get similar results to the images above. I would recommend a slightly larger sensor size for street photography, as it allows you to crop the image in post and maintain a good level of resolution. 

Want Some Help Levelling Up Your Street Photography?

If you’re looking for a structured way to improve your photography, you can book a 1-1 chat with me and we can discuss a custom lesson plan to develop your skills as a photographer.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to send them my way. Look out for upcoming articles and catch you in the next one.

Blair