Today I received a "Best Photo Award" as an international winner for one of my recent dessert photographs. Lyan van Furth, a photographer himself, approached me a few weeks back about being considered for the award. He expressed that there are so many great photos in the world that go unrecognized, and it is his mission to generate exposure internationally. I am happy to be one of the very first winners in the category!
Check out the page and see some of the other winners here.
Visiting the Mongkok Goldfish Market, Flower Market, and Bird Market were some of our last stops in Hong Kong before wrapping up exhibition presentations and heading back home to Georgia. These markets, which open to the streets throughout the city, span quite a distance and attract both tourists and locals. The goldfish market was remarkable, it included an array of goldfish spanning from the size of a thumbnail to half a foot across. The smaller fish were displayed hanging in water bags along Tung Choi Street in the entrances to the shops, with the larger fish in tanks in the exterior. Aside from just goldfish, reptiles, crustaceans, and any other kind of aquatic species you can think of can also be found here, as well as numerous shops solely dedicated to aquarium care. The flower market, easy enough to find with it's location on Flower Market Road, was full of locals buying flowers for graduations and summer weddings. The quantity of florals to choose from was impressive as well, ranging in every color and texture you could imagine. Our last stop, the bird market, was located in a garden adjacent to the flower market. Here, vendors sold not only birds but exquisite cages, food, and toys.
#HKX15
Tung Choi Street vendor arranging fish for sale
Interior of a shop selling goldfish, guppies, and aquatic plants
Interior of a shop with koi fish for sale
A Tung Choi shop entirely dedicated to aquarium decor
Turtles for sale at the Goldfish Market
Dogs, cats, hamsters, and rabbits are also easy to come by in Mongkok, but are often rather expensive
Fruit and vegetable vendor between the Goldfish Market and Flower Market
Interior of a shop in the Flower Market
Birds and cages for sale in the Yuen Po Garden
The neighborhood that we are staying in, Sham Shui Po (which is on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong), is definitely one with color. Now that our group has had a chance to explore the area a bit and venture outside of the comfort zone of tourists, we are better able to make observations and comparisons about the different neighborhoods. Sham Shui Po is definitely one of the poorer districts, and with some online reading I found an unusual article by CNN that describes this neighborhood as the "murderous psychopath" to the more sophisticated Hong Kong Island. Far from the tourist's eye, Sham Shui Po provides some interesting insight into Chinese culture that is lost in the more polished areas of the city. The specialty markets and food in this area are some of the best examples. The food is inexpensive, often no more than a few USD, and the variety ranges from traditional Chinese cuisine to Vietnamese and Taiwanese. One Chinese Dim Sum restaurant that is within walking distance from our hotel even has a Michelin star, an honor reserved for only the best restaurants throughout the world. Along with the Michelin star there are also numerous food carts out on the street, and with careful guidance from a friend who has much experience picking out the trustworthy stalls from the suspect, we are able to try a few new dishes. A few favorites so far include BBQ Pork Buns (of course), Lo Mai Gai (a rice cake stuffed with meats and spices, steamed in a lotus leaf), and Stir Fried Ho Fun (a rice noodle dish).
Aside from exploring the city, our team continues to work hard to put together our group exhibit. Our days are split between studio hours in the morning and afternoon, and excursions into the city later in the day. After a morning of printing in the photo lab, our excursion today was to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. While ten thousand seems like a steep number, after visiting the monastery this estimate seems quite generous. The temples are elevated with life-size golden Buddha figurines lining the entire staircase that leads to the top. My pedometer reads that I've climbed the equivalent of 40 flights of stairs today. The interior of the temples were of course filled with Buddhas as well, these ranging from a few inches to what had to be about 40 feet high, all covered in glittering gold.
#HKX15
Kowloon street meat vendor
Sham Shui Po markets are open late into the night
The first Hello Kitty Dim Sum Restaurant just opened in Hong Kong
Hello Kitty custard bun and Ho Fun rice noodles
(From left to right) Almond, walnut, and pork buns from Red Cherry Bakery in Sham Shui Po
Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
Incense lit outside the temples
Recently I was lucky enough to be selected for an exclusive artist's trip to Hong Kong, somewhere that throughout all of my previous travels I had never set foot in before. The beauty of the city instantly hit me. I had imagined that although larger in scale, it would be more or less similar to the experiences I had in other cities such as New York or Berlin (like the overwhelming traffic on the streets and in the subway and general city grime). I was surprised to discover that this was barely the case- what struck me first was how outstandingly kind and polite the people were and how clean the city was by comparison, as well as the ease of getting around. All of my expectations immediately went out the window, leaving room for refreshing new impressions to take their place. After being here just under a week, I can confidently say that I've only become lost once!
One of the treasures I value most about the city is the balance of the urban bustle and serenity. While this is something that can be found in many places across the globe, I find that in Hong Kong this balance does not have to be sought out, and instead it presents itself minute by minute. A 7-Eleven can be found on most any street corner, busy or not, but gardens and temples are also nestled throughout those same streets. The beaches are beautiful, peaceful, and tropical, but even on the surrounding islands there is still free Wi-fi to be found in local cafes and cityscapes that can be seen in the distance.
To see what my teammates are doing search #HKX15 (Hong Kong Experience 2015)! Check back soon for more photos and updates.
View looking back from Star Ferry, about to cross the harbour
Cityscape view from Star Ferry crossing Victoria Harbor
A mother and daughter wait for the Symphony of Lights to begin
Architecture at the Chi Lin Nunnery
Koi Pond, Chi Lin Nunnery
Ferry ride to Lamma Island
Lamma Island is exceptionally dog friendly, most everyone we saw during our hike throughout the island and into town had one. The island even had their own vet.
Sights from Lamma Island Beach
Amber shop on Lamma Island
Seafood here is essential
Grub Street, New York Magazine's blog usually dedicated to just the New York food scene, recently completed a project about some of the most beautiful dishes across the country. Atlanta had two dishes on the complete list of 103. These dishes were from Restaurant Eugene and Gunshow, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph them.
You can view the complete slideshow here, more photos coming soon!
This year's 100 Dishes Project from Creative Loafing has been one of my biggest food assignments and accomplishments so far to date. Shooting 23 dishes at 14 locations, this project has given me more knowledge of Atlanta's food scene than the rest of my years here combined. The variety of dishes span across five star restaurants with pressed linen napkins to hole-in-the-wall cafes where you would be lucky to find a chair. While this project was a huge undertaking, at the end of it, I realize that I've only barely scratched the surface of this diverse foodie city.
Check out the complete list of dishes here.
This image of mine, previously featured as a Time and Place photo for Creative Loafing, was chosen to be included in Creative Loafing's December cover story- The Year in Photos 2014. I take this as a very high praise, and am so proud to be included and published next to such talented photographers!
12:15 A.M. AUG. 10, 2000 MORELAND AVE. S.E.: This photo was taken at the Starlight Drive-In, Atlanta's only drive-in movie theater. That night it had been pouring, a steady summer rain, but there was a brief moment when it lifted and people began to get out of their cars. I immediately grabbed my camera and started taking pictures, trying to capture the unique quality of the place. Everything came together at the right moment. I saw a woman's silhouette was framed in a doorway at the same instant that a light came on inside the car in front of me, illuminating the figures of the two men inside. The movie playing to the right, adding a third source of light amid a dark background, completed the shot. It was a passing moment, there only for a second before everything shifted.
Link to the full story here.
This month I had the pleasure to photograph a cover story for Creative Loafing featuring Chef Jarrett Stieber from Atlanta's Eat Me Speak Me. I always enjoy these types of assignments the most, both for the diversity of images and because it feels almost like a collaboration between me and whoever I am photographing. For this story, Jarrett prepared a full dinner for under $20 with food purchased from a local farmers market.
Check out the story, including the recipe to his "Yummy Sauce" (my personal favorite) here.
Working for Creative Loafing this summer I've gotten to interact with some really creative minds, both inside the office and out! Check out this article I shot for about the Lucid FC twins, full story here.
Also, keep an eye out next week for our upcoming Atlanta City Guide. It's been a huge project that's taken many months to complete- but well worth the result! You will never again be at a loss for Friday night plans.
The Goat Farm Arts Center has an unmatched quality for putting on events, and Friday night was no exception. The musical duo Yip Deceiver started off the night with a fantastic set, followed by Atlanta’s own Indianapolis Jones, who celebrated their new CD release. Food, beer, and great music, all for $10- what more could you ask for?
Check out their Facebook page to see more great events coming up-
I've been experimenting more with color schemes lately, which led to the creation of this mini-series of portraits. This was also a retouching exercise- these photos are of my lovely roommates, taken in our kitchen against a blank patch of wall.
FLUX NIGHT is an annual arts event that happens one night only in Castleberry Hill, a neighborhood of Atlanta. It is described as a night of art and experimentation, including everything from performance pieces, art installations, and parades, to King of Pops and other great local tastes. This year, a couple of us went to document the event and published a photo book of the various projects. Here are some of my shots from the evening-
Check out their website! http://fluxprojects.org/
