Street Photography in Hong Kong

Nathan Road runs about 3.6 km north through Kowloon from the harbor, and the Inspired Eye called it the one street you must walk. It is a stream of shoppers and buses under signs and towers. It is best at night. Stand at the crossing outside Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui and shoot people as they cross, a spot Jared Poole recommends. Composition idea: a red taxi streak behind a sharp pedestrian at a slower shutter. Caution: pavements are packed, so step into a doorway before you stop to shoot.

Mong Kok is one of the densest places on earth, and it shows. Ladies' Market on Tung Choi Street runs from around noon to late evening, with stalls of clothes and trinkets. Nearby streets specialize in goldfish or sneakers. Night is the time. Climb the footbridges over the junctions to look down on the crowds, and use the upper floors of shopping centers for a higher view. Composition idea: one face lit by a stall bulb among a sea of shadowed heads. Caution: some vendors do not want their stock photographed, so move on if waved off.

Sham Shui Po is one of Hong Kong's oldest districts, with fabric stalls, wet markets, cha chaan teng diners and an electronics street market on Apliu Street. Start at 6 to 7 am as trucks unload and shutters go up. In winter, golden hour light runs straight down the streets. The Pei Ho Street market building has a wet market with moody shadows on the lower floors. Composition idea: a shopkeeper framed by a half-raised shutter. Caution: some stalls on Tai Nan Street operate informally and do not want photos, and a lot of residents are elderly, so be gentle.

The Central to Mid-Levels escalator is an 800 meter chain of covered escalators climbing the hill above Central. It runs downhill from 6 to 10 am for commuters, then uphill until midnight. Ride it and shoot down onto the streets it crosses, or stand at street level and shoot up at riders. Around it you get office workers and the Graham Street market. Composition idea: a line of commuters on the escalator, stacked by a long lens. Caution: do not block the narrow walkway, and step off at an exit before you stop.

Eric Kim names Tsim Sha Tsui as his area in Hong Kong. The waterfront promenade gives you tourists and fishermen in front of the Hong Kong Island skyline. Golden hour and blue hour are the times. The Star Ferry to Central takes about ten minutes and the open sides make great frames of passengers against the harbor. Composition idea: a silhouette at the ferry rail with the skyline soft behind. Caution: the promenade is a tourist magnet, so watch your gear at the busiest spots.

The double-decker trams have run along the north shore of Hong Kong Island for over a century, and a ride costs a few dollars. Sit at the front of the top deck and shoot down into the streets of Central and Wan Chai as you pass. From the street, the trams make strong colorful foreground shapes. Late afternoon light down the east-west tram line is best. Composition idea: a passenger in the upper window as the tram passes, framed by the window edge. Caution: shooting through glass needs a lens hood pressed to the window to cut reflections.

Temple Street in Jordan fills with stalls and fortune tellers in the evening. It is busiest after about 7 pm. The bare bulbs over the stalls give warm pools of light and deep shadow, which is perfect for dramatic faces. Stand at the end of a row of stalls and shoot along it for layers. Composition idea: diners at plastic tables in the foreground, the lit market behind. Caution: fortune tellers and some vendors expect a fee or a purchase before photos, so ask first.