The difference could not be more stark, after 2 months of being surrounded largely by nature, mountains, forests, the ocean, deserts and mostly small towns, I find myself thrust into the third largest city on the planet, São Paulo. Where there was the silence of the night, occasionally punctuated by animal sounds, now police sirens and the low mechanical drone of twenty four hour traffic are omnipresent. Where there used to be mile after mile of arid bush, now people fill every square inch of available space, all going about their separate chores. This was supposed to be familiar territory for me, having grown up in Singapore and living in London, but someone, it seems strangely alien, perhaps what the prodigal son might have felt when he first arrived home, a sort of reverse culture shock perhaps.
I know my mind will switch modes to accomodate The City but for now, the African bush is a temptress in my head.
The largest city of the largest country in South America
A contemplative moment in the city
I left my job as an advertising Creative Director in August 2012 to travel Africa and South America for a year with my wife, documenting these beautiful places with my Fuji X-Pro1. View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.
X-Pro1 Diaries: Things I See When I Am Out And About (May 2012)
View the rest of my ongoing X-Pro1 experiences and photos or the rest of the photos on Handcarry Only
Oh to be invisible in a sea of humanity, in the sprawl of the city, a little whisper in a roaring wave. I wander, looking, observing, recording. For what purpose am I doing this? For whom is this photographic record intended? I don’t exactly know. Something compels me. Perhaps it is the most obvious way to share my view of the world around me, one that is at once beautiful and grotesque, serendipitous and staged, symmetrical and chaotic.
For now, I am merely the record keeper.
The lion
Looking over
Synchronised shooting
Queuing for fortune
The man in the alley
Delivering Ya Pear
The new and the not so new
Zero emissions
Hmmm… I wouldn’t mind a yellow Porsche either …
View the rest of my ongoing X-Pro1 experiences and photos or the rest of the photos on Handcarry Only
Everything for sale in Aberdeen | Hong Kong 2011
As far as street shooting goes, Hong Kong presents itself as an excellent candidate. With over 7 million people crammed into a tiny space, it is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, and at all times of the day and night, there are people out and about, and due to the lack of space, much of private life is also somewhat ‘public’, lives are lived out in the streets. There are photo opportunities around every corner and real life dramas playing out all around.
View the rest of the photos from my Hong Kong series.
‘Ding Ding’ Tram by Night | Hong Kong 2008
Originally laid over a 100 years ago, the tram tracks are not unlike an ancient artery in the heart of Hong Kong, snaking from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east. The trams with their distinctive ‘ding ding’ bells warning pedestrians of their impending approach are a cheap and picturesque mode of transport within the city.
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Anonymity of the City | Hong Kong 2011
The sun has long since set, its warmth replaced by the cool of nightfall, in place of its radiance, a million lights burning away, gaudy neon flickering in unison. The city glows.
View the rest of the photos from my Hong Kong series.
