Hong Kong is dense: three takes
April 3, 2016 3:31 PM Subscribe
Andy Yeung’s drone photos of Hong Kong.
Michael Wolf’s many photos of Hong Kong (and other megacities).
Peter Stewart’s photo art of Hong Kong. (Before and after)
Michael Wolf’s many photos of Hong Kong (and other megacities).
Peter Stewart’s photo art of Hong Kong. (Before and after)
obligatory bonus link: Kowloon Walled City
posted by mwhybark at 4:09 PM on April 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mwhybark at 4:09 PM on April 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
The "Before and after" link really shows how the Art is put into Fine Art Photography, at the cost of showing us the unvarnished world.
I feel like with most of those the editing brings it closer to what it actually looks like and feels like. Even the fake sky behind the towers probably helps capture more of the sense of grandeur I'd imagine you get in person. In that case, I'm slightly put off by what feels like sort of a mismatch between subject and background, but I don't know if I'd feel that way without having been shown that it was artificial.
posted by teponaztli at 5:00 PM on April 3, 2016
I feel like with most of those the editing brings it closer to what it actually looks like and feels like. Even the fake sky behind the towers probably helps capture more of the sense of grandeur I'd imagine you get in person. In that case, I'm slightly put off by what feels like sort of a mismatch between subject and background, but I don't know if I'd feel that way without having been shown that it was artificial.
posted by teponaztli at 5:00 PM on April 3, 2016
Love this stuff! I follow @nukeproofsuit on instagram, who takes a lot of awesome pictures like these. Thanks for putting together the post!
posted by rebent at 6:09 PM on April 3, 2016
posted by rebent at 6:09 PM on April 3, 2016
These photos are gorgeous, thanks for the post!
For rather different photos of Hong Kong, see: Hong Kong in the 1950s
posted by invokeuse at 6:31 PM on April 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
For rather different photos of Hong Kong, see: Hong Kong in the 1950s
posted by invokeuse at 6:31 PM on April 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
I feel like with most of those the editing brings it closer to what it actually looks like and feels like.
I lived in Sham Shui Po, and I remembered duller coloring than what is depicted in these photographs, but it's possible that buildings got a lot more colorful over the last two decades. And despite looking like highrises fitted like Lego blocks on a grid, there are usable public green spaces in there... somewhere. Public housing developments should have shared courtyards/parks with greenery and benches and gazebos and playground equipment.
posted by The arrows are too fast at 6:50 PM on April 3, 2016
I lived in Sham Shui Po, and I remembered duller coloring than what is depicted in these photographs, but it's possible that buildings got a lot more colorful over the last two decades. And despite looking like highrises fitted like Lego blocks on a grid, there are usable public green spaces in there... somewhere. Public housing developments should have shared courtyards/parks with greenery and benches and gazebos and playground equipment.
posted by The arrows are too fast at 6:50 PM on April 3, 2016
teponaztli: "I feel like with most of those the editing brings it closer to what it actually looks like and feels like. Even the fake sky behind the towers probably helps capture more of the sense of grandeur I'd imagine you get in person."
For the Japan shots (which are the only ones where I'm familiar with the actual locations), the unedited shots are precisely what it really feels like in person, and the HDRed shots are...weird. Not necessarily bad, as I suspect the photographer was aiming for weird, but definitely nothing like what the places feel like in person.
posted by Bugbread at 7:55 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
For the Japan shots (which are the only ones where I'm familiar with the actual locations), the unedited shots are precisely what it really feels like in person, and the HDRed shots are...weird. Not necessarily bad, as I suspect the photographer was aiming for weird, but definitely nothing like what the places feel like in person.
posted by Bugbread at 7:55 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Personal taste but I like the before pictures much more in almost all of those sets. That super HDR stuff is going to look so dated in about five years.
posted by octothorpe at 8:30 PM on April 3, 2016
posted by octothorpe at 8:30 PM on April 3, 2016
For rather different photos of Hong Kong, see: Hong Kong in the 1950s
That set is incredible on so many levels.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 8:42 PM on April 3, 2016
That set is incredible on so many levels.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 8:42 PM on April 3, 2016
Not necessarily bad, as I suspect the photographer was aiming for weird, but definitely nothing like what the places feel like in person.
Hey yeah, I should have been more clear that I haven't been to these places so I was imagining that might be the case. Totally makes sense if it isn't. I also like super rich color, so well-done HDR looks good to me.
posted by teponaztli at 11:55 PM on April 3, 2016
Hey yeah, I should have been more clear that I haven't been to these places so I was imagining that might be the case. Totally makes sense if it isn't. I also like super rich color, so well-done HDR looks good to me.
posted by teponaztli at 11:55 PM on April 3, 2016
No, I got that. Sorry, didn't mean to come off as a jerk. I know that phenomenon where you see something really cool and try to take a picture of it and the picture just doesn't convey the same impression, often due to part of the photo being blown out or underexposed. I just meant that for the actual places I knew, that wasn't the case this time.
posted by Bugbread at 1:05 AM on April 4, 2016
posted by Bugbread at 1:05 AM on April 4, 2016
Oh, I didn't think you came off as a jerk at all. You made perfect sense.
posted by teponaztli at 1:39 AM on April 4, 2016
posted by teponaztli at 1:39 AM on April 4, 2016
I remember seeing Michael Wolf's Hong Kong photos years ago and this set of people sitting in their ~100 sq/ft apartment has stuck with me.
posted by LoveHam at 4:28 AM on April 4, 2016
posted by LoveHam at 4:28 AM on April 4, 2016
Photos of Hong Kong always blow me away. Visually they're beautiful, but there is something viscerally terrifying when I imagine living in a space like that. Reminds me of the 200 story apartment blocks in the Judge Dredd movie.
Those before and after photos are fascinating. I really like seeing the multiple exposure composites and would like to play around with something like that sometime. I do admit, though, the single edit shots where the sky is replace still kinda feel like cheating. And I say this even though I'm perfectly fine with photo augmentation in fine art or otherwise.
posted by slogger at 8:14 AM on April 4, 2016
Those before and after photos are fascinating. I really like seeing the multiple exposure composites and would like to play around with something like that sometime. I do admit, though, the single edit shots where the sky is replace still kinda feel like cheating. And I say this even though I'm perfectly fine with photo augmentation in fine art or otherwise.
posted by slogger at 8:14 AM on April 4, 2016
never get tired of that Nik Color Efex Pro
posted by andrewcooke at 12:09 PM on April 4, 2016
posted by andrewcooke at 12:09 PM on April 4, 2016
never get tired of that Nik Color Efex Pro
Apropos of this thread -though it could probably get its own thread- Google has made the entire Nik collection (including Color Efex Pro) free.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:47 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Apropos of this thread -though it could probably get its own thread- Google has made the entire Nik collection (including Color Efex Pro) free.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:47 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
dear google. i was being sarcastic.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:55 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by andrewcooke at 5:55 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
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