Dock of the Bay (7 photos)

[Don Ellis]

A couple of weeks ago we went down to Sai Kung, a seaside town in Hong Kong’s New Territories where we used to live, and I took a few photos of the dockside fish sellers. They keep their catch alive in aerated basins and people on the pier call down for what they want. The fishermen and women display it, agree on a price, and prepare it before handing it up in a long-handled pole. The seller tosses the money into the net and presumably heads home for a fish dinner.

One of the female sampan tenders laying out rugs to dry and looking over the harbor...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung01.jpg

Adding fresh water (ok, salt water) to fresh fish...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung02.jpg

Nodding off until summoned by a serious buyer, instead of a stupid photographer...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung03.jpg

Preparing an octopus (US$2.50)... took about 20 seconds... must have done it before...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung04.jpg

Alleyway butcher behind one of the seafood restaurants...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung05.jpg

Some animals are fed...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung06.jpg

And some animals are food... this is a crop of the third photo, just in case you thought your day couldn’t be worse...

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/fm/saikung07.jpg

Don

They’re all G1 infrareds, B+W 093

[xuxu1]

Hi Don!

Excellent photos.... all of them! #2, #3 and #4 remind me of the boat people i´ve seen in Thailand some time ago. Looked very similar.

Have´nt been to Hong Kong yet but planning to visit in the near future.

Keep on the excellent work Don.

Regards
Ed

[Laziferous]

From the perspective of these shots, I'm assuming they were shot handheld? With the hot mirror removed on your G1, what shutter speed and aperture are you using here?

Great shots. I really like the first and second. Beautiful composition as usual. I'm always a bit intimidated to start taking pictures of people I don't know. Kudos on seizing the moment.

[BCdives]

Hi Don,

What a neat story your pictures tell, very nice indeed. Please tell me, nobody took the dog for a WOK!

BC

[Don Ellis]

Laziferous wrote:
From the perspective of these shots, I'm assuming they were shot handheld? With the hot mirror removed on your G1, what shutter speed and aperture are you using here?

Great shots. I really like the first and second. Beautiful composition as usual. I'm always a bit intimidated to start taking pictures of people I don't know. Kudos on seizing the moment.
Hi Chris,

Yes, they're all handheld. Here are the stats...
1 - 1/160th, f4.0
2 - 1/160th, f4.0
3 - 1/250th, f4.0
4 - 1/500th, f4.0
5 - 1/50th, f3.5
6 - 1/6th. f2.5
7 - 1/500th, f4.0

As for taking photos of others, a lot depends on the country you're in and the people you're photographing. I'm also reluctant to be a nuisance, but many people don't seem to mind in Hong Kong as long as you're not in their face.

The tilt-and-swivel viewfinders on the G-series cameras allow possibilities that other cameras don't -- you can put the camera waist-high so you look like you're staring at your belt buckle (which has its own problems, I suppose) while you snap away. Or frame with the viewfinder, brace yourself, look away and fire when ready a few seconds later. Finally, there's always "blind" firing where you shoot without using any viewfinder -- a little practice and you can get pretty good, although you should use a wider zoom than the photo calls for to give yourself some leeway.

Good luck.

Don

[Don Ellis]

BCdives wrote:
Hi Don,

What a neat story your pictures tell, very nice indeed. Please tell me, nobody took the dog for a WOK!

BC
Very cute... but you're thinking of Guangzhou (formerly Canton) across the border. We don't legally eat dogs in Hong Kong any more.

Thanks for your comments.

Don

[Don Ellis]

xuxu1 wrote:
Hi Don!

Excellent photos.... all of them! #2, #3 and #4 remind me of the boat people i´ve seen in Thailand some time ago. Looked very similar.

Have´nt been to Hong Kong yet but planning to visit in the near future.

Keep on the excellent work Don.

Regards
Ed

Hi Ed,

Thanks very much... very kind. You'll love Hong Kong... very cosmopolitan and very ethnic. I know you'll have a great time.

Don

[CyberDyneSystems]

Just coming back to this thread after seeimg it earlier,. I love the photos,. but I wanted to add that for some strange reason I have had Otis Redding playing in my head all day... :D (it was Otis Redding wasn't it? I'd be so embarrased otherwise)

[marie]

they are wonderful clear shots don
and certainly not taken by a 'stupid photographer'

beautiful to see,
its hard to believe these people actually get a living out of this lifestyle every day.

" Alleyway butcher behind one of the seafood restaurants... "

those veins are so clear in the picture they look painful (on the mans legs )

the dog and mops shot is lovely also.
they all are wonderful. and show a lot of whats going on.
(both my son and daughter holidayed in hong kong)

thanks for the shots :D



best wishes
marie

[LegMaker]

Don,
Awesome shots...I particularily like the the shots from above of the fisherman cutting the octapus ( the zoomed out one) -it's great how you can see all its legs.
And the second -3rd shot..the contrast of the boat and the dark water....
They all tell a story...really nice...

PS...someone need sto tell the guy with the vericose veins that he has been standing too long and needs some compression hose!
If he were to cut himself on his leg...I'd be afraid he bleed out with all that pressure built up in there! Ouch!

[BobG3]

Very good shot here! beautiful work don!! The perspective of the first photo works great and that's my favorite picture of this serie. It's stunning what you did here.

Cheers,
Bob.

[tenerife]

The compositions of all photos are perfect - masterclass....

But i think this are great spots for color.....

Regards from Tenerife
Klaus

[Laziferous]

Don Ellis wrote:
Hi Chris,

Yes, they're all handheld. Here are the stats...
1 - 1/160th, f4.0
2 - 1/160th, f4.0
3 - 1/250th, f4.0
4 - 1/500th, f4.0
5 - 1/50th, f3.5
6 - 1/6th. f2.5
7 - 1/500th, f4.0

Thanks for the reply Don. I guess I need to start looking for a used G1. My G2 (with the hot mirror) forces long exposures, which in turn, loses valuable detail. I'm envious of your IR shots.

Thanks again.

[getg3]

Don,

Great series!!! Did you have Cantonese seafood lunch after taking those photos :)?

[phili1]

Don, I am in awe. Ansel Adams would envey your pictures, just a super job.

You made a statement that they are infared with A Canon G1, how is that possable. I like the effect.

[Don Ellis]

First of all, my apologies for taking so long to response to all your nice messages. I’ve actually had real work to do the last couple of days... :p

Just coming back to this thread after seeimg it earlier,. I love the photos,. but I wanted to add that for some strange reason I have had Otis Redding playing in my head all day... (it was Otis Redding wasn't it? I'd be so embarrased otherwise)
CDS
Yes, it was Otis... Mamma always told be the only thing to be embarrassed about was misspelling the word. Great song... thank for your comments, CDS.

Don


those veins are so clear in the picture they look painful (on the mans legs )

the dog and mops shot is lovely also.
they all are wonderful. and show a lot of whats going on.
(both my son and daughter holidayed in hong kong)
marie
Hi Marie,

Not to worry too much about the man’s legs. You could hardly see the veins in real life... it’s the infrared and my darkening the photos that make him look like he needs an ambulance.

Hope your son and daughter enjoyed Hong Kong. Did they stay longer than the average three days? I hope they managed to see more than Nathan Road while they were here.

Don


Awesome shots...I particularily like the shots from above of the fisherman cutting the octapus ( the zoomed out one) -it's great how you can see all its legs.
And the second -3rd shot..the contrast of the boat and the dark water....
They all tell a story...really nice...

PS...someone needs to tell the guy with the vericose veins that he has been standing too long and needs some compression hose!

Christopher
Thanks, Christopher,

I’m glad you enjoyed them and I always appreciate knowing what people like best. As I mentioned to Marie, it’s the infrared that makes the man look like a medical case. He was really fine.

Don


Very good shot here! beautiful work don!! The perspective of the first photo works great and that's my favorite picture of this serie. It's stunning what you did here.
Bob

Hi Bob,

Thanks a lot for your comments, your favorite pick and your exclamations. :p Much appreciated.

Don


The compositions of all photos are perfect - masterclass....

But i think this are great spots for color.....

Regards from Tenerife
Klaus
Hi Klaus,

You would think that color would be better here but I took a few and quickly switched to infrared. Color just didn’t do it for me in this case. But I’ll return to the pier some day and try again... different day, different technique.

Thank you for your very kind remarks.

Don


Thanks for the reply Don. I guess I need to start looking for a used G1. My G2 (with the hot mirror) forces long exposures, which in turn, loses valuable detail. I'm envious of your IR shots.

Chris
Hi Chris,

You’re welcome... good luck with your search. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find a used G1. The major problem with long exposures, besides the necessity of a tripod, is the movement of people and foliage. Makes it look like you didn’t get good focus. Hope you find what you’re looking for.

Don


Great series!!! Did you have Cantonese seafood lunch after taking those photos ?
get3
You would think so, wouldn’t you? But Leela is vegetarian, so we only go to seafood restaurants when we’re with a group of people, so everyone gets something to eat. Maybe next time. :) Thanks for your comments.

Don


Don, I am in awe. Ansel Adams would envey your pictures, just a super job.

You made a statement that they are infared with A Canon G1, how is that possable. I like the effect.

phili1

Even half a world away, I can feel Ansel spinning... but I don’t care -- I’m pleased that you like the photos so much.

To take infrared photos with any of the G-series cameras (although the G1 is the best of the lot), buy a Lensmate 49mm adapter and a Hoya R72 near-infrared filter. You’ll also need a tripod because the fastest shutter speed you’re likely to see, even on a sunny day, is 1/10th of a second. Shoot RAW mode and convert using Breeze Browser with a custom white balance (before you convert, you click in any medium gray area with the eyedropper). Because the R72 allows some visible light (hence, the “near-infrared” designation), you will often get some lovely pastel green color on foliage.

These pictures, on the other hand, were shot with a modified G1 in which the hot mirror that blocks infrared has been replaced with clear optical glass. The result is faster shutter speeds which make handheld infrared photography possible. Rather than using the Hoya R72, I’m using a B+W 093 true-infrared filter which produces nearly pure black-and-white images. I’m then post-processing them to make the photographs darker.

Don

[marie]

Don quote :
"Not to worry too much about the man’s legs. You could hardly see the veins in real life... it’s the infrared and my darkening the photos that make him look like he needs an ambulance.

Hope your son and daughter enjoyed Hong Kong. Did they stay longer than the average three days? I hope they managed to see more than Nathan Road while they were here."
unquote



thank you very much Don

yes, can understand about the veins :)
they don't always be as bad as they can look anyway but the infrared really really helped the gory look :D :D
good idea for a blood thirsty shot sometime, without showing red blood ???

son went on business and was not too long there but loved it.
you can bet they saw more then what you mention as they would venture a lot.
doughter went with a friend before that
on a 2 weeks trip far as I remember.
she loved it a lot also.
I remember soon as was home she mentioned staying in accommodation in a very high area looking over the city and that the view was spectacular.
among other things.
its a few years since both were there .
I will get more up to date information as they were so many places I may have lost track
I will have to get up to speed as they say :D

thanks again Don

best wishes
marie
ps
the first shot here is wonderful
looking at them again
and again :)
all are

[new girl on the bloc]

don, great shots, especially the boat shots - wow! but my stomach feels a bit upset after seeing the butchering shot (i'm a veg girl;))