Asia by iPhone: Hong Kong

[Kilgore Trout]

A few months ago I finally gave into the cult of Apple and replaced my weatherworn Android smartphone with an iPhone 5. Though I have a few reservations (what kind of a sadistic company doesn't let you change batteries?) it's an impressive piece of hardware.

The biggest change it has made is that I rarely take my SLR out anymore. Though there's a big tradeoff in quality, the convenience and flexibility makes it that much easier to take photos. So yeah. Here's some shots I've taken around Hong Kong since I got my new phone. As you can tell, many have been Instagramified. I'm definitely not a #nofilter kinda guy. If you can stomach that sort of thing, follow me @dewolfleloup.









































































































































































































































































Thanks for sticking around.

[SignalHillHiker]

Wow, so many fantastic shots!

This one is probably my favourite:



Great set!

[KevinFromTexas]

Great pics.

I love all of Hong Kong's nooks anc crannies like this one.

What was the deal with the no walking and no cycling signs?

[Coldrsx]

Killer set.

[ColDayMan]

I dig.

[Architype]

Very nice variety of photos. I'm sure the convenience of the iPhone is a great trade off enabling more candid and unexpected shots. Quality is not bad, but I hope people don't give up the DSLR just yet. Loved the shot of the boom boxes and records. Also, many shots reminded me of Vancouver in some way. Thanks for sharing.

[Kilgore Trout]

Thanks!

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I love all of Hong Kong's nooks anc crannies like this one.

What was the deal with the no walking and no cycling signs?

That's a wholesale fruit market. It's buzzing late at night but all closed up during the day. Pretty cool place to wander around.

The no walking sign was outside some road construction where pedestrians had been diverted. The no cycling signs are an unfortunate product of official hostility to cyclists, despite many people getting around by bike in the New Territories. There are lots of well-used bike paths in some areas but they're disjointed and cycling outside the paths is not well accommodated.

[Travis007]

Loving the vintage nostalgia effects.

[Tom Servo]

wow! that was fucking awesome! i'm glad i clicked on this!

[giallo]

Quality thread, Kilgore.

The camera phone certainly has its draws with its small size and light weight, but I'm just too much of a pixel/clarity/RAW nerd to give up my regular camera anytime soon. The minute they have a light weight, full frame, multi lens camera phone, I'll convert, full stop.

[Kilgore Trout]

Yeah, it's pretty subjective. I'm more in the emotional school of photography -- I'll take a technically imperfect but striking photo over a well-executed but dull one every time.

Still, not saying I don't use my SLR anymore. There's a time for iPhone photos and a time for using a real camera.

[giallo]

Funny thing is, besides the night shots, I wouldn't have even known that these were from a camera phone.

[alps]

Great shots! you've inspired me to drop my misgivings and try instagram.

Is this Mei Foo? My friend who lives there told me a secondary purpose of these skylights is to permit fire department ladders to reach the inner blocks:



You get around...my home and desk are within 30 metres of these photos respectively:

[jcchii]

bravo
great photo quality considering it's a phone

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by alps

Is this Mei Foo? My friend who lives there told me a secondary purpose of these skylights is to permit fire department ladders to reach the inner blocks:

Yep, it's Mei Foo. Never knew that about the skylights but it makes sense given there isn't street access to many of the blocks. Makes me wonder about some of the huge newer podium developments though.

You get around...my home and desk are within 30 metres of these photos respectively

So you live in TST and work at CUHK?

[alps]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

So you live in TST and work at CUHK?

Yup (well, student at the architecture school across the street)

This thread makes me excited to go exploring if the weather ever clears up. Where is this funny building?

[AJW]

Best phonecam set I've seen. Some killer shots in there!

[FrAnKs]

Just simply awesome wow! ... Thank you Kilgore trout !

What kind of effect it give you to come back in Montreal after travelling there?

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by alps

Where is this funny building?

That's a church not far from Lok Fu MTR. The photo was taken from Morse Park.

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

What kind of effect it give you to come back in Montreal after travelling there?

Actually, I've always stopped over in Vancouver or Calgary for a bit before going back to Montreal, so by then I've gotten used to being outside Hong Kong. Compared to those cities, Montreal always seems big and lively.

There was one time I went straight from HK to Montreal. As you'd expect it felt strangely quiet and the buildings were a lot shorter than I remembered. It's not necessarily a bad thing. There's a certain silence you can get right in the middle of the city that you appreciate after being in HK. That's not to say there aren't quiet neighbourhoods here but somehow they feel different.

The funny thing about living in Hong Kong is that it makes pretty much every other city feel quiet and relaxed. Both times I've been to Tokyo, it felt super chilled out compared to Hong Kong, which of course surprises anyone in Tokyo, since they're used to foreign visitors telling them how intense it is.

[kool maudit]

great photos, and great scenes.

i wonder sometimes if i will ever get a dslr. i like taking photos, but i do so in an impromptu fashion. i don't know whether i'd like to commit to carrying this whole other thing around when traveling - especially once i upgrade my old galaxy s2.