How To: Urban Photography

January 24, 2017 2017年1月24日

23-year-old photographer Jimmi Ho moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in 2008. In his new adoptive home, he soon discovered a unique vibe, brimming with human energy, bustling streets, and small turns surrounded by new high-rises and old style buildings. “They became my favourite subject to shoot – as more of these places began to present themselves, I began to really love the shooting process,” he says. “In the past few years, I have witnessed the rapid development of Hong Kong. The combination of Chinese and Western culture presents an interesting contrast between traditional and modern architecture. Hong Kong’s unique real estate and bulging population has forced it to evolve at a truly alarming rate.”


自2008年,何颖嘉从广州搬至香港,十几年的生活对他来说,这个城市到处都充满着人情味,大街小巷,高楼大厦、旧式建筑都是我喜爱拍摄的对象,比起拍摄的结果,他更享受拍摄的过程。 “短短的几年我亲眼目睹香港飞速地发展,高楼大厦不断取代旧式建筑,中西文化相结合,也因此造成了这里传统与现代建筑的强烈对比。香港地少人多,特殊的地理位置导致了这个城市不得不在有限的空间中建设和发展。”

Hong Kong’s buildings vary widely – each building differs in historical background, size, shape and structure. The old buildings go through refurbishments over the years to make way for all new multi-functional streets. “I use my lens to bring the density of my surrounds to life, to highlight the various spaces around me,” he explains. “Hong Kong is a crowded city, highly compressed and irregular, which can give off a sense of claustrophobia.” 2016 was an illustrious year for the young photographer who was named a Sony World Photography Awards winner in Hong Kong, as well as runner-up for National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year in the Cities category. More recently, he was also awarded the Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year award for the People and Space category.


香港的建筑物千差万别,不管是历史类型、大小或比例都不尽相同,老区的建筑经年累月地修筑和加建后,打造独特多功能的街景,形形色色的风格相互汇集,“我将镜头聚焦于密集都市的元素上,拥挤的城市衍生出独特、高度压缩且不规则的空间,高楼林立的环境中使他们更显突出。” 在2016何颖嘉曾获索尼世界2016摄影比赛香港赛区冠军, 2016 年国家地理旅行者摄影大赛城市组亚军,Insight Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2016 冠军等等。

“For the budding urban photographer, knowing where to begin can be overwhelming,” he says. “It may be difficult at first to hone in on your target as seeing the works of other photographers may bring you a sense of pressure. Or you may have been an experienced shooter for many years, hoping to find a breakthrough on the photographic path.” Below, he shares with us some of the tips that helped him along the way.


“刚开始接触城市摄影的人,一般都不知道该拍什么,总觉得寻找拍摄目标是相当困难的事,看见别人的照片时,内心可能会感到负担且相当辛苦。又或者你是已经拍摄多年的摄影爱好者,希望在剩余的摄影路上寻求突破。” 下面是他跟我们分享的一些促使他进步的秘诀。

1. “Steal” like an artist.

People say that the first step towards creation is imitation. This is not a call to imitate or plagiarize, but a reminder to study the work that inspires you. Wonder, ask questions, research, compare photos, seek to absorb every shooting experience and improve yourself until you find your own breakthrough.


1.试着模仿

有人说创造是从模仿开始的,多看看别人的照片,思考且研究他们是如何拍摄,比较自己所拍摄的照片与其他人有何不同,从而吸收经验并改善,或许能找到属于自己的突破口。

2. Change your perspective.

When we get all too familiar with a certain point of view, its difficult to keep challenging ourselves. Something as simple as changing the height in which you look through your viewfinder could make a huge difference. Think of the way children see things, the way that birds see things from above. Don’t forget that there’s always more than one way to see the world around us.


2.变化观看事物的视野

我们对自己观看事物的角度太过于熟悉,改变透过观景窗所见的高度,偶尔以小朋友的高度观看事物,或像飞翔于高空的鸟儿来俯瞰这个世界,千万别忘了这个世界是多么的辽阔宽广,变换观看事物的视野,将会让我们看到不曾见过的新世界。

3. Wait for “the moment.”

Be prepared. Take your shooting arsenal out with you everyday and record the sights and sounds that you see everywhere you go. If you want to shoot a standout picture, you’re going to have to wait for the right moment. Sometimes, you may even need to go to back to the same place, again and again, to find the right light and capture the ideal moment.


3.等待画面的瞬间

每日随身携带拍摄器材,无论在任何地方都能够拍摄,纪录有趣的画面。想要拍出满意的画面,就必须要耐心等待适当的瞬间。通常拍摄一幅满意的作品,都需要反覆来回同一个地方,虽然有时可能只是单纯想得到不同变化的景象,却也是等待值得的一刻,并在瞬间来临时按下快门,拍摄出不一样的画面。

4. Find balance.

Give your images a sense of hierarchy, balance your composition on the screen, and find a balance between your foreground and your background. When composing two subjects in one image, consider their proportions and adjust their placement in your frame in order to get different results. To avoid confusion, don’t draw too much attention away from the focus of the photo.


4.平衡画面

为主体寻找前景或背景,不但可以令画面更丰富,提升层次感,更可以平衡画面的构图。平衡目的主要是把两样物件平均地放在相片,不论大小新旧,互相的衬托能调整视觉上的轻重,产生不一样的效果。但要注意主体最好不要过多,相片亦不能东歪西倒,以免产生混乱。

5. Smartly make use of light.

Photographs are like paintings drawn with light – even if the frame is the same, a change in the light’s direction can produce an entirely different result. Experiment!


5.光线的利用

照片是用光线所绘制的画作,即使拍摄同个目标,随着光线的方向不同,拍摄的结果也不同。

Bonus tip:

You aren’t what you shoot with. Good equipment, of course, can aid your photography endeavours to some degree, but high-end tools are not essential. What is more important is having a solid foundation in understanding how to use your camera and developing an eye for creating images. 


后记

装备并非绝对。好的装备当然能够给予某些程度的帮助,但只是辅助并非绝对,比起装备,更重要是理解相机的基本功能,以及懂得善用角度将目标拍的漂亮,日以继夜的观察与锻炼。

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Contributor: Whitney Ng


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供稿人: Whitney Ng

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