Through Someones Vintage Eyes – Hong Kong

A new, very occasional feature?

Other peoples images create different stories in our minds. Sometimes we get the narration, like me blogging here and you reading. Other times, we just have an image with no story and need to fill in the gaps with our imagination.

I recently got hold of a 37 slide box of Hong Kong. It was at a thrift store and by the estimated age, the photographer is either elderly and releasing possessions (as people often do in later years), or already passed on and their family have offloaded the life collection of things. A bit sombre – but ultimately we don’t take anything with us after life, and things we hold dear do not necessarily have meaning to those we leave (also – most of us cannot keep the collective possessions of our ancestors!). Anyway, back on the positive track:

NOTE: All images with text are the text of the photographer written on the slides. Also click into the photos – Gallery shows some as zoomed in portrait when most of series are actually landscape.

It was really interesting to see Hong Kong in the [estimated] mid/late 1960’s (based on landmarks, cars and writers language – anyone who can date more please comment). I visited roughly in the new millennium, or for my younger readers, this century. These images predate my memory and images by nearish 40 years! – quite a lot of the area had changed.

One clear difference was the volume of ‘boat people’ – either Tanka fisherfolk, or if I have guessed the date wrong by about a decade,Vietnamese refugees post Vietnam War (1975-1990s). Looking at the tram images, the city is so smaller compared to my visit and current day!

I wonder. Was the photographer one of the two posed on the summit above?

What’s burning on that hill in the background of the cityscape images?

Perhaps the floating restaurant gives clues to the age of the images. I don’t think it is the Tai Pak?

The Markets in part don’t look so dissimilar to my visit. Hustling and bustling for produce. No phone cases or plastic widgets for sale in these photos though!

In front of The Mandarin Hotel we see the Hong Kong Cricket Club – now the Chater Garden. Peak British Colony era stuff with some ‘ole sports’ having a swing as the photographer snapped his shot!

So many images of the ports and fishing communities. Hong Kong long had a solid traditional fishing industry. The Industrial History go Hong Kong group stated “The total population of boat dwellers in Hong Kong was estimated at 2,000 in 1841, 150,000 in 1963 and 40,000 in 1982…” – I think these photos perhaps show the country at its peak for boat people, before things began modernising more and reducing.

Middle, second to bottom row of the above selection also show the fascinating mountainside cemeteries in the background I believe – just as built up and crowded as the living city & so visual compared to the essentially hidden ones in some countries.

Taking the shot out of order, I close off with the above. One of my favourite of the 27 (as is the opening one).

We will likely never know the photographer, their trip and the real stories that unfolded, but their images now live on in this very different time and space, giving us a glimpse of the past.

Colour Slide Film: Agfa CT18

Scanned on a Kaiser Baas PhotoMaker Touch (also found at the op shop on a different visit)

January 16, 2026 0

Farewell Thailand

So our time had come to an end. The Holiday was over. As mentioned yesterday, we got up before the crack of dawn and began our journey home. After the initial travels, we found ourselves on a plane to Thailand. I followed with interest as the plane made a 360 turn in the middle of the ocean, and then later was notified as we went further North to wait for our landing opening (they never mentioned the full circle!?)

With time to kill (3-4 hours) I endlessly wandered Bangkok airport. As far as airports go, its a pretty nice one. Stretching for seemingly miles, outside is decorated with various giant model/display areas. The architecture reminds me of the framing I made in old balsa planes (all skeleton like).

And then we were in the air. Our last Thailand Sunset. We’d been up for around 14-15 hours at this point. Being I dont sleep on planes, and we had ~12 hours to go in the air (and a stop at Australia yet), I prepared for a long day.

Landing back in Auckland, New Zealand was both a nice feeling, and a bump back to reality. I’d been awake about a day and a half, most of the time spent sitting in a plane, followed by sitting in a van, followed by sitting in airports. It took a few days to actually ‘land’. Here we are landing in NZ…The photo actually makes me look better than I felt!

And thats Thailand!

Ive got a few novelty pictures yet to post, but the travel novel’s over.

Catch you tomorrow.

May 13, 2014 2

Destination Chiang Mai

Our next stop had us heading to Chiang Mai – the “New City” (replacing the old one Chiang Rai). Im sure pilots get used to the view from above the clouds, but I always enjoy looking at the whole ‘new’ world that appears when I’m in a plane. The perspective of mountain ranges, valleys and planes all formed in clouds are a view I can stare at for hours (with a window seat anyway).

Arriving in Chiang Mai is a bit of a shift in perspective for one just coming from Bangkok. Its the largest northern provence city, but pales in comparison.

But as above, thats simply a perspective thing. I think the whole trip, as future posts will show, was from big city to eventual small township/island sort of thing. Driving from the airport I observed both what looked to be new developments in the works, and old unfinished developments – an indication of previous economic ups and downs. The temperature was warmer and more humid.

One thing, amongst many, to do in Chiang Mai as a tourist is to visit the night markets (more on that another day). They also offer numerous tours to the boarder, and animal based tours.

To be continued tomorrow.

Fo all those who recognise Easter – Good Friday to you!

April 18, 2014 0

Farewell Bangkok

Although I have countless more images from Bangkok, today can be the last, so we can move up north a little next time. Something I love to see in cities I have visited is the contrast between old and new. Todays top image is of just as such – a old rundown building (I think still inhabited) contrasting on the more modern cityscape. It reminds me of those movies where someone holds onto their house whilst the world grows up around it. I think here in Auckland (the central city area) land and building value is too high to see something quite like this (but to be fair, there are some old ones off main roads).

Like many cities, Bangkok offers a host of was to get around for the tourist. Walk (the most traditional), Taxi (sooo cheap on the metered ones when traffic flowing), Tuk Tuk(more expensive than taxi’s – I’ll do a feature on them some time) or the train network. I loved how the train (and walking) overpass spread across the city above the roads:

I was also intrigued by the seemingly hazardous mains power system (Bangkok much better than some other districts).

Farewell Bangkok

April 17, 2014 2

Hong Kong Market

Momentarily when I arrived home, I was happy to see the internet had been fixed…then I sat down and it stopped again. Perhaps its some radio wave I emit when I enter the house!? Its working right now at least, so I will get on with todays post.

Shot back something like a decade now in Hong Kong on my Minolta Dynax, I captured this image from one of the local market streets. It had been raining, and I vaguely recall walking up behing the old lady with the brolly to frame her in the shot looking up the street.

Originally shot in colour film, after it being scanned in, I converted to B&W in gimp, and slightly cropped the aspect of the image.

I’d love to get the opportunity to stop over at Hong Kong again. Its a world apart from here in New Zealand, and perhaps its that difference that makes it so appealing. I love the contrast of buildings and people around. Following various bloggers and youtube channels, I like to see what is changing and what is the same. One day I’ll head back.

February 28, 2013 0

Off to Another Land

Another short and sweet post text wise today. Image shot on the Sony Nex from Mt Victoria, Devonport, North Shore.

February 12, 2013 0

Roadworks Fiji Time

Its funny how some images, to the individual, appeal. One from my archives – Roadworks Fiji Time, was shot on my Ricoh GRD IV whilst in Fiji the other month. I cant really hit the nail on the head what appeals to me about the image, but I like it. I do recall being quite impressed with the focus and detail of the rubble pile, coming from the Ricoh – perhaps visually assisted by the filter settings I had it on… perhaps it just reminds me of the day or the moment at the time.

Nothing other than resizing in post processing.

This weekend has flown by. What I have noticed is the Christmas decorations and stores now opening up – is it that time already!?!

November 11, 2012 0

‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’

So…its not a brick road, or a yellow one at that, but ‘follow the orange flower trail’ didn’t have quite the ring to it that came to mind when I took, or view today’s image.

When out in the bush, in general, we get an amazing mix of forest colours – browns and greens essentially. These orange flowers that had fallen from the trees really stood out when we went through a trail in Fiji. When I captured the image, I was drawn to the trail of orange disappearing into the path ahead.

Originally captured in portrait, I went for a square format in my post processing – keeping all the subject matter in the image and not loosing anything of any relevance. Some people shoot a lot in square format – whether it be the traditional medium format 6×6 film, cropped digital or various smart phone apps. I do quite like the format, so may look at doing some more, probably B&W in it at some stage.

Cropping aside, I also pushed the saturation a bit to make the flowers pop, and slightly sharpened the image also.

Shot on the Ricoh GRD IV.

September 27, 2012 0

A Horse in a Forest

I got the opportunity to develop one of my films from Fiji today. It was by accident that I had loaded a roll of Ilford Pan400 into the camera, planning to shoot colour for the whole holiday, but it made its way into my case somehow, and since Ricoh GR1’s pre-load the film before shooting, it was easier to just go with it than swap it out for colour (my colour films have been sent off for developing).

Anyway, today’s image was shot in a rainforest area several hours south from Nadi in Fiji. We were taking a trip to an inland waterfall after visiting one of the local villages seeking permission to enter. Some tourists ride up rather than walk, and I came across such a group on my return to the village. Unfortunately this horse was not in the best of moods today and had caused some issues on the trip up (I would too if I had to carry people through a muddy forest in the hot midday heat). Using my GR1 I got as close as I felt secure (it looks further away with a 28mm lens) and captured the horse and his guide calming him.

In post production using Gimp, I adjusted the levels a little, but otherwise left it as scanned. Considering the brightness, even undercover of the canopy, I was happy with the result the 400asa film gave me.

September 24, 2012 3

Searching for Shade

Fresh back from Fiji, I’ve had just enough time to look over my digital images. For those reading who may have missed my final decision, I ended up making it a ’28mm Holiday’, taking along my GR1 and GRD IV Ricoh cameras. I shot off two colour and one black and white films on the GR1, and a fair number of digital images also. Weather being fantastic, the light was also pretty harsh come mid-morning.

Today’s image, ‘Searching for Shade’ is one of my favourites from my initial inspection of images. Taking a stroll around the Denarau Port area, Nadi Fiji, where we were based, the temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius with no cloud cover. I managed to find a larger tree with good foliage and sat down to try and cool down a little. Transitioning from Auckland’s ~12degrees the week before, it took me a few days to adapt to the heat!

Just down, back in the sun from where I sat, I captured this image on my GRD IV. Using the bleach bi-pass mode. I particularly like how the bleach bi-pass in the Ricoh worked with the harsh bright light I had during the day. Sitting back at home its 11 degrees again…don’t think I’m quite over the holiday yet – I’d welcome that tree in the shade right about now!

September 23, 2012 1