His award-winning photo series Chai Wan Fire Station, which documents the daily comings and goings of a fire station courtyard, is a soothing spectacle that beckons viewers to enjoy each frame slowly, so as to uncover the differences of each shot.
他的获奖摄影作品系列《柴湾消防局》记录了一个消防局球场来来往往的日常景象，妙趣横生的影像充满舒缓的风格，仿佛在邀请观众放慢节拍，细细欣赏每一帧照片，以体会每张影像之间的差异。
“While working at my workshop one day, I discovered the bird’s-eye view of Chai Wan Fire Station through the ventilation window of the washroom for the first time. What I saw was more eventful than I thought. Apart from undergoing physical training, the firemen of this station also played volleyball, washed fire trucks and held guided tours for students. All this happened within this little square area that I observed and framed from above. Days and months passed, scenes began to repeat themselves. I started to slow down and patiently wait for the next unexpected scene.”
“有一天我突然发现，工作室洗手间的通风窗口可以俯瞰到柴湾消防局。我所看到的景象似乎比我以往想象的要更丰富热闹，除了进行体能训练，消防员还会在这个球场上打排球，冲洗消防车和接待学生参观团。这一切都发生在这个小小的正方形区域中，我往下俯瞰，观察这里发生的一切，用相机捕捉每个画面。日复一日，这些场景开始周而复始地出现。我开始放慢脚步，耐心等待下一个意料之外的瞬间。”
The pastel green courtyard forms the backdrop for each scene, populated by the local heroes and their everyday comings and goings. Volleyball games were a daily occurrence, as were rigorous training drills that look deceptively simple from above. The uniformity of the series is not only pleasing to the eye but also a testament to its subjects – the firemen below are nothing short of structured and disciplined. In order to create the series’ characteristically consistent overhead view, Chan Dick spent months with his camera, held by hand through a narrow window, patiently waiting for the opportune moment.
淡绿色的球场构成了每个场景的背景，再由消防局的英雄和他们的日常往来填充其中。每天这里都会进行排球比赛，还有严格的训练和演习——从上方俯瞰，这些训练和演习看上去有一种不真实的简单感。整个摄影系列的一致性不仅赏心悦目，而且也见证了他的摄影对象——消防员的组织性和纪律性。为了让整个系列保持一贯特有的俯视角度，陈的花了几个月时间通过一个狭窄的窗户手持相机，耐心等待按下快门的时机。
Unfortunately, Chan Dick no longer works from the same studio that overlooks the fire station. Beyond being a well-equipped photography space, every corner of his new studio features notable remnants of times gone past.
可惜的是，陈的已经搬离了这个能够俯瞰柴湾消防局的工作室。他的新工作室不仅装备精良，每一个角落更是充满着往日时光的痕迹。
As the afternoon unfolded, I slowly came to realise that Chan Dick’s work embodied a third quality that was nothing short of compelling: his love for Hong Kong is deeply rooted in everything and the surroundings that he grew up in are thematically evident in each body of work. The subtle nuances of nostalgia and his unwavering desire to preserve the Hong Kong that he remembers is the true draw card that makes Chan Dick’s photography unforgettable.
时间转眼到了下午，我逐渐意识到，陈的的作品还拥有第三种同样引人注目的品质——他对香港的爱深深植根于一切，他的成长环境是他作品中难以忽视的主题。他希望维持自己记忆中的香港，这份坚定愿望与怀旧情绪之间有着微妙的区别，而这也正是他的摄影作品如此吸引且令人难忘的地方。
Website: chandick.hk
Facebook: ~/chandickhk
Contributor & Photographer: Whitney Ng
Additional Images Courtesy of Chan Dick
