Year 7-9 Flexible Learning Projects, ICHK Secondary
Please can students take note that any outdoor activity requires the full permission of parents. We advise you to wear a facemask at any point where you might come into contact with others. Please exercise a cautious mindset in-line with those the current conditions require.
| Timeframe1hr: Urban/Waterfront2hrs + Hiking/Nature, but hopefully a hobby/habit you can get into for much longer than that…. | Groupings: Individual/Pairs/Group | MajorsArts, Digital Media Literacy Minors: Mindfulness |
| Blurb: Through indulging in some gentle or more rigorous exercise, you can get some fresh air, and, through using a keen eye, LOOK CLOSELY at your local area for photographic inspiration. The photographs used as examples in this unit are based on my experiences walking away from crowds down to local parks, waterfront walkways and hiking trails, well away from crowds. You can just enjoy being in contact with nature. You can also use the photos to “footnote” your journeys so that you can organise future trips more easily/share ideas with others. If you take any kind of smartphone or camera with you, you can turn this physical activity into a creative, artistic one by challenging yourself to compose a series of images which document your local landscape, and/or the beauty of Hong Kong’s amazing natural escapes…! | ||
| OutcomesA portfolio of 24 images which showcase your inventive use of camera shots: Rule of threeSymmetryZOOMING INZooming OUTContrast NB: I am only a very amateur photographer and have very little technical knowledge of photography. This is just a very basic introduction to the subject, which, if you enjoy, you can study much more intently down-the-line! | ||
| Getting HelpIf you are stuck, please email submissions@ichk.edu.hk for help, and a teacher will respond as soon as possible. If you need instant help, please call the school reception (2655 9018) and ask to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership Team.Optionally, email jrees@ichk.edu.hk for help | ||
Content
Prepare for your walk:
Make sure you have what you need. Be mindful and think about taking care of yourself.
Here are a few ideas to use as a checklist:
Water bottle, clothes in case it rains, sun screen, bug spray, money, octopus card, phone, camera, anything you need for the activity itself.
Be safe- tell someone where you are going and have a plan in case you get lost or something goes wrong.
Safety Plan:
- Stop, Breathe, Think.
- Work out where you think you are- look at landmarks, shop names, signposts, MTR stops, footpath signs.
- Work out how to get in touch with your emergency contact.
- Use a different contact if that does not work- friend, police officer, transport worker, shop worker.
Activity
“I want to encourage you to think back to the days when people had to get by on the 24 or 36 roll of film in their cameras…
They couldn’t constantly click thousands of photos. Nor do you want to have the hassle of sifting through a load of junk for the Instagram photos you eventually choose to upload.
There’s no hurry here, either. For this activity, you’re walking in parks, down near the harbour, or in the national parks. Basically, unless an interesting creature jumps out- you won’t need to hustle to capture it!
When I walk, I like to look around my surroundings. Sometimes I walk slowly to take in the scene. I love to “people watch” too and see all walks of life heading out to work, enjoying a leisurely stroll themselves, parents or helpers playing with children, the care and attention a flower seller takes to arrange their shop front, older folk engaged in tai-chi…
You can tap into the spirit of a place by observing people going about their days far better than visiting a museum.
Sometimes I walk fast for exercise. Being fit allows you the ability to walk further…to see and experience more vistas. When I hiked the 50km Hong Kong Trail, I took about 30 pictures in total. That’s quite a lot, I guess, but over 9hrs, and all those kilometres, maybe not so much. That gives you a sense of the frequency anyway- just try to take pictures of the scenes that you know are special.
But walking slowly has its merits too. And now I have injured my hamstring, that is what I am having to do..! Even if it means for some precious minutes escaping the bright lights of your computer screen, you can get outside and go for a walk. It’s nice to do this by yourself sometimes, but it’s also really nice to do it with a group on occasion. Why don’t you see if a friend/friends wants to join you?
Slow. Things. Down.
Your mind will respond to the calmness of the rhythm of your slower stride. And by taking things that much slower, you are likely to be able to admire things you might have missed, even if you had been walking down those streets a thousand times before.
By exercising discretion, and pausing to think about the shot, before you even take the camera out of your pocket, you will definitely take better pictures. But, also, by thinking along these lines, you can allow yourself to be more present in the moment…
As you enjoy the experience of walking and observing your area first and foremost- suddenly, a particularly arresting moment will present itself- then, SNAP!- you can capture that image and return to your peaceful state of mind, with your camera back in your pocket.
I will divide the next part of this tutorial into three sections: Nature/Hiking; Waterfront; Urban. All photos were taken with my Samsung phone and there are those that might say- “that shows!” I’m not saying they’re great, but I do think some are pretty interesting, and they are ones that I might enjoy looking at in years to come.
Finally, by taking photos and publishing to a real audience- which is what you are doing when you choose to write, post anything to Facebook/Instagram/Insight magazine etc.-, you are taking the first very important steps for communicating something about yourself to the world. It is the start of a process of self-discovery and self-confidence, and fomenting these dispositions of mind-set will help you so much down-the-line in fields far removed from photography…!
Nature/Hiking
Cows: Was there ever a subject so docile and placid than a Hong Kong feral cow? I did take about four photos of this chap, on the approach to the Macelhose Trail 1/2 at the Eastern dam- just had to wait for him to look up! But those volcanic islands in the background are like nothing I see back in the UK, and the presence of this little fella adds a bit of personality to a regular landscape shot.
Images of pathways are pretty easy go-to literary tropes. Photos of your hikes can be stories that you share with others. I have gotten into the habit of “footnoting” hikes with special views but also to jog my memory for when I undertake similar hikes in the future. This is a view of the striking mountain range ahead with the path angling off into the distance, while I have tried to use the plants to provide some sort of frame to the shot and to give a sense of depth.
In Hong Kong, sometimes the light just does magical things. I’ve no idea really how/why (maybe it is the sun that breaks out from behind the cloud, or the angle of the sun at certain times of day- this was towards dusk- but pretty much the same flora/fauna acquire a beautiful sheen and the varieties of greens can add a lot of contrast to the photos. I try to follow the rules of thirds by placing the paths diagonally rather than square on which could be discomforting and reduce the calm atmosphere.
Long-distance landscapes: This is from the top of the ascent from the very start of Maclehose 3- it’s a very steep 400m rise up from the road! Again, Hong Kong’s natural landscapes are just magnificent. The volcanoes extend into the distance and you can see Sai Kung there just on the right.
Hiking gets you out to explore a wide range of new areas in the city. This is a view of Kowloon and Hong Kong from the Wilson Trail 2/3. It’s a little hazy, and I regret that the ugly, rusty, metal rail is there- should have stepped forward- but it’s the “biggest” view of the city I’ve seen. Those closer-up views of HK skyscrapers from the Peak are amazing, but I love the sense of sprawl, despite the hazy day.
Colour/texture contrast: I think this is my favourite photo of a landscape I’ve taken, and, as usual, Hong Kong has done all the work. You simply have to get out there on the trails. We live in a uniquely beautiful place and the more you can get out and enjoy it, the better! The late afternoon light just before dusk seems to have a wonderful, soft golden glow to it. It adds a depth of colour to the spectrum of plant life from the golden bullrushes which bend with the breeze towards the green mountains beyond. Man, where he does intrude, even looks quite pretty with Stanley seen from a distance on the Dragon’s Back Trail.
Another one of those weird times of day/angles of the sun where the light does the work for you and there are all these interesting contrasts in textures, colours and perspectives between the types of vegetation such as the bullrush grass, hardy evergreens, the granite boulders, and the sea and mountains in the distance. This is from the ascent to Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s highest peak at 957m, from the Macelhose Trail Section 7 to 8.
Framing: A view back to the city. We almost missed this amazing view of HK Island , had not Mr. McDermott turned back and alerted us. I’ve tried to use the windswept tree branches as some sort of jungly framing device, and the contrast of the jungle and nature in the foreground, which dominates, and reduces the IFC- the sum of all man’s arrogant conceits!- to a tiny focal point in the centre, lower third.
Using natural elements to frame the photo. Early morning and after 3pm till dusk seem to be the best time to take photos of natural landscapes here in Hong Kong. This is the Hong Kong trail section 8, I think, winding down towards Shek O before you double back and up onto the Dragon’s Back Trail, ending in Big Wave Bay.
Urban:
The same subject from a different perspective. New Year 2020: this photo was taken from the way back down from High West, Hong Kong Island. It would definitely look much nicer with a better camera, but, luckily, coming to my aid that night was the massive “Wolf Moon” that occurred during early January. The ICC is proclaiming the new year and the IFC seems to be beaming its light up directly at the moon, but the moon was so bright that night that it really resonated even against the competition of all that man-made neon light below.
The view from High West on the same hike earlier that evening.
This is one of those days, such as right now, when the factories in Mainland China have shut down (then it was for Chinese New Year, now it is due to the coronavirus) and the views go on for miles. Lantau is visible in the background to this shot from Macelhose 6 walking north through the Kowloon Reservoir system. The powerlines act to dissect the shot horizontally into thirds. Hong Kong looked like a little toytown the way the buildings were so neatly stacked and the air was so crisp and clear.
Trying to find the old Hong Kong might be increasingly difficult as the glass and steel skyscrapers dominate, but there are pockets of ancient ways all around. This is the Tin Hau Temple, at, well Tin Hau. My phone camera definitely doesn’t do justice to the temple as a whole, but you can then Zoom-in to key features which give the sense of the place. In the first picture, I made sure I left in the column to frame, as well as the Cantones script, while the main focus is the beautiful paper lantern with tiger design, while the ceremonial doors and wooden awning frame the rest of the photo at an angle. You could do a whole photo series of those miniature shrines that appear in the foot of residential/shop doorways all over the city…!
Waterfront:
A fisherman at dusk. I like the balance between the natural sea and the man-made aspects of the buildings and the jetty. The wooden planks they have used for the materials of the waterfront park are very soft and naturalistic too. The planks form “vanishing point” to the sun in the distance. I didn’t notice this at the time, but I was trying to use the fishing rods to provide symmetry. Of course the light at sundown on a clear day is beautiful, so, it’s always worth keeping an eye on https://aqicn.org/city/hongkong/. If it’s green then GO!; if it’s yellow, then, well, maybe. To be honest, with photography, you can probably get some pretty cool effects if it’s pretty hazy too..!
In recent months, the Hong Kong Government have opened up huge waterfront spaces that allow you to access nature easily from your home. This is wonderful. You can avoid crowds and enjoy some fresh air the whole way down from Wan Chai Convention Centre to Kennedy Town now. This route takes you part of the way through a working industrial shipyard,which is fascinating; Hong Kongers have have cottoned on to the very Instagram-able nature of these tough, rough angular backdrops.
The rusty, old coal barge in this photo is meant to be providing both a frame for the view in the background, as well as the contrast between the rough, red, ionised metal and the softer blue sky in the background. If you were to Zoom in, there’s someone walking with an umbrella on the pier in the distance- It doesn’t quite work given perspective , but I do think that if you spend time thinking critically about your compositions while working with just your phone, you can think about whether it is worth buying a proper camera down-the-line.
Not a particularly beautiful photo, but I do love the reclaimed industrial space for pedestrians to enjoy. I’m all for any move the Hong Kong Gov’t makes to make the city more sustainable and the greening of formerly industrial spaces, and installation of exercise equipment for the older folk to enjoy is lovely. I think if you are photographing people then you really need to be polite and ask their permission, but I hope I’m far enough away here not to intrude in their personal space, plus, it’s anonymous as they are faced looking away and the main focus of this photo is Victoria Harbour, as well as the crane which has been incorporated into part of the urban park and play area for children. The “vanishing lines” of the shadow also appear to point towards the ICC on the other side of the harbour, but that is totally coincidental.
Even the mundane can become interesting if you are able to compose the frame to pick out some interesting angles and colour combinations. This is a photo of two coal barges at anchor together in the harbour with the multi-coloured barrels making it look like some kind of playground and the distinctive Hong Kong English and Cantonese scripts “anchoring” this photo distinctly in Hong Kong.
Same subject, different angle: The final thought to leave you with is a sequence of images I took of a ship coming into harbour. I didn’t know it was coming into harbour, but I saw it moving against the backdrop of the descending sun. Even a smoke-belching, rust-riddled old ship- with tons of character and tales from all the oceans it has traversed- has its own beaten-up beauty! As the ship came in closer-and-closer, there was a flurry of activity from photographers looking out to the bay. As I changed my angle the colour of the sea, changed from shimmering golden reflections of the sun, to ultramarine, and a dark, deep steel blue. The ship moving in meant I could look at it from different angles and let it dominate the frame from a low-angle, close-up shot. Then, as I walked along further, i just happened to notice these lovely hand-knitted puppets that some artist/artists had installed to help beautify the spot. They provided the audience for the final couple of shots as the ship pulled out of harbour and out, once more, to the vastness of the South China Sea…!
Sustainability, Human Technologies and Theory of Knowledge 