This week’s post is another photography book review and again it’s more of a recommendation. I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite photographers of all times. Fan Ho. I own three of his books which are all simply amazing and this week I’d like to give you an in-depth view of the first of the series: Hong Kong Yesterday.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again (and again): Next to actually taking pictures yourself, the best way to improve your photography skills is looking at great photography, analyzing the composition and trying to understand what makes these pictures so great. Well, at least that’s my opinion. It’s something I’ve done for a time now and still enjoy doing. So getting a good photography book is always a good investment – getting a great photography book like this one is a great investment. Let’s start: Who was Fan Ho, what makes him special and what should you expect from the book.
Who was Fan Ho?
Fan Ho was a man of many trades. He was a Chinese photographer, director and actor. He was born in 1931 in Shanghai, China and unfortunately passed away just about a year ago in San Jose, California. Although being born in mainland China, he moved to Hong Kong with his family in his early years where he spent some very productive years photographing the Hong Kong of the 50’s and 60’s. For some reason (I don’t know why), all the photographic work we see today was created in that time period. I haven’t come across any pictures created in the later years, I assume he simply focused on directing films.
In almost anything Fan Ho did, his genius was quickly remarked (and rewarded): During his career Fan Ho won a total of around 280 photography awards. His photographic works earned him the nomination as one of the Top Ten Photographers of the World by the Photographic Society of America eight times between 1958 and 1965. In addition he was elected Fellow of the Photographic Society of America, Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, England and Honorary Member of the Photographic Societies of seven other countries. It’s the same story for his work as film director: Some of the films he directed were chosen as “Official Selection” in international film festivals such as Cannes and Berlin. In short, he was a very, very gifted individual and people noticed.
What makes Fan HO Special?
Obviously, Fan Ho was a very accomplished individual and that alone makes him a very special photographer. But to me, there’s more to him than simply his genius and success. To me, there are three reasons why Fan Ho is a very special photographer and also one of my favorite: First, when it comes to photography, he was entirely self-taught. Second, Fan Ho had a very different approach to composition and third, his entire photographic work is very much focused on one particular genre / time period.
Fan Ho, the Humble self-taught photographic genius
When you look at Fan Ho’s work, it’s hard to believe he had no formal education in photography. His pictures demonstrate such a deep understanding of composition and aesthetics that it’s hard to believe that a person could acquire such expertise all by himself. But Fan Ho did. The story goes like this (he described this early time in an interview in a very entertaining way): When Fan Ho was 13 years old, his father gave him a Rolleiflex which later became the only camera he would ever use. With the camera in hand, he wandered through Shanghai harbor (at that time his family had not yet moved to Hong Kong) when he “accidentally” (as he put it) came across a scene he liked. He fiddled around with the camera and “accidentally” (again his own words) pressed the shutter. The picture below was the result – unfortunately this picture is included in a different book “The Living Theatre”.
When his father saw the picture he was immediately impressed and encouraged Fan Ho to send the picture to an art competition. Sure enough, Fan Ho won the first prize. From then on out, he would wander the streets, take pictures and develop the pictures at night in the family bath tub. Fan Ho never enjoyed a formal education in photography. When asked how he taught himself about photography, he named three sources: First, photography and art books. Second, participating in photography competitions and third, fellow photographers.So here we are with a person who has gathered almost 300 photography awards and who has never taken a single photography class. This is the stuff movies are made of – you know, the really cheesy ones. In addition (and that’s what impressed me the most with Fan Ho) he remained a very humble, down-to-earth man, far off from bragging about his talents or showing off. This mix of being entirely self-taught, very successful and extremely humble as a person is deeply impressive to me.
Now, although Fan Ho didn’t have a formal photography education, he did study Chinese literature, and literature or poetry plays a significant role in some of his photography (especially in some of his other books). When asked what his favorite picture of all times was, Fan Ho quickly pointed to the photograph below, called “As Evening Hurries by”.
Obviously this is a beautiful picture but the reason why Fan Ho considered it his favorite is the connection it made to a certain Chinese poem in which the line "as evening hurries by" plays a significant role. Although I don't know that poem, I can relate to that.I imagine this poem created a certain picture in Fan Ho’s mind. When he encountered a scene in real life that came very close to that imaginary scene it must have been a very rewarding experience.
Fan Ho, the creator of the “second decisive moment”
The “decisive moment” is a well-known term in photography, coined by no lessor than Henri Cartier-Bresson. In short, it’s the idea of that perfect moment where simply everything falls into place (and you’re there to press the shutter). It’s the climatic event when all the elements in your composition line up perfectly, just the way you want it, and you take the perfect picture. When looking at Fan Ho’s images, one can’t help but think that his work captures exactly that, the decisive moment and Fan Ho has often been heralded as the “Asian Cartier-Bresson” or the “Cartier-Bresson of the East”. This comparison is certainly merited, although these two men had vastly different approaches to composition and if you ask me, I prefer Fan Ho's approach (I know, it’s such a heretic thing to say).
For Fan Ho, Henri Cartier-Bresson was a great idol and he admired his work. Many of Fan Ho’s pictures reveal that hunting for that right moment was a large part of the creation process for Fan Ho. He would visit a location, revisit the location, wait for hours for the light to change or people to come and go and then finally (if he was lucky) capture that one perfect moment. But when it comes to creating the final picture, his approach was vastly different. Henri Cartier-Bresson was obsessed with creating the final picture in camera – he would at times even hand off the development of his pictures to others because he had already created the perfect photo in camera. There was only one “no go”: cropping. It was frowned upon. For Fan Ho however, the picture taken in camera was only the starting point: He would take a picture, dodge and burn parts of it during the development process and crop the picture to eliminate any distracting elements or adjust the composition. For Fan Ho, creating an image was a twostep process.
This becomes evident when considering the film Fan Ho used: He deliberately used square film, knowing that this would give him enough freedom to crop the final picture. Henri Cartier-Bresson’s interpretation of such a procedure might have been a lack of talent as he was adamant about never cropping his pictures (exactly for the reason to demonstrate his incredible skill in composing pictures). For Fan Ho however, this was simply a different approach to creating pictures: He never wanted his pictures to be a “mirror of reality” as he put it. His pictures were meant to create journeys together with the viewer: The image would be the starting point, only a glimpse of reality. The rest would be left to the imagination of the viewer. In a way, there were two moments of composition for Fan Ho: One in camera, when the shutter was pressed and one during the development of the film, when the final crop was made. In a sense, he was capturing two “decisive moments” or composing his pictures twice.
Fan Ho, the archivist of a time long lost
The last aspect I find so immensely fascinating with Fan Ho is his body of work. It’s not so much the impressive quality (which by itself is fascinating), it’s more the restriction that fascinates me. As stated earlier, Fan Ho created all of his images with one camera, in one (geographic) place and within two decades. He used his Rolleiflex until the end of his career and the pictures we now admire were almost all taken in the Hong Kong of the 1950’s and 60’s. I guess it’s the ability to create such a varied, impressive body of work with such restrictions in place that baffles me.
Through Fan Ho, we are able to witness a society which is long lost: I guess there are few places on Earth in modern history that have changed so significantly: The Hong Kong of today has little to no resemblance to the Hong Kong of Fan Ho’s days. But through his body of work we can still witness that long lost time and that alone makes his work special.
How's the book?
I purchased my copy at the modernbook shop over two years ago for $65 (regular edition) which to me is a good bargain. I believe the prices are still at these levels and if you have the money to spare I highly recommend you get a copy, you won’t regret it. At 24 x 28 cm the format is perfectly sized to sit back and flip through it. The book is clothbound and generally very well made, the paper quality is without fault. My only concern is that some pictures are spread out over two pages (we’ll get to that below), but that’s certainly a question of preference. In total, you will find 70 pictures spread over 112 pages.
With these boring facts out of the way, let's dive into the pictures. The book includes a wide array of pictures which makes it difficult to categorize the different themes and motifs in terms of compositional elements. Nevertheless, I’m a “structure and order kind of guy”, so we’ll give it a shot. To me, the pictures included in the book fall into four categories: First, there are pictures that seem to be taken out of a theater scene – everything included in frame is perfectly aligned and in the exact spot it should be. Second, there are pictures which heavily rely on lines and create journeys for the viewer. Third, many pictures display that perfect “decisive moment” – the shutter couldn’t have been pressed at a more perfect time. And finally, fourth, there are pictures that display an unusual perspective which creates a very interesting effect. Now most of the pictures we will discuss don't necessarily fall into just one category – in fact Fan Ho uses all of these four elements together in most of his pictures. But for the purpose of discussing these categories, I'll point out the elements that constitute the specific category.
Creation of immaculate scenery
Some of Fan Ho’s pictures seem to be taken directly out of a theater screenplay. The elements are so perfectly lined up and framed that it seems that the picture wasn’t created in the buzzing streets of Hong Kong, but rather on a stage. The pictures are authentic of course but this just shows Fan Ho’s genius. Consider the example below and be sure to take a closer look at the edges of the picture.
This picture is simply gorgeous: The stairs run through most of the picture and the different elements frame the stairs so perfectly: There’s the dark shadows at the bottom, contrasted with the light at the top. The right side is dark again (the wooden construction hanging into the picture) and on the opposite (left) side, there is the house illuminated by the sun, again in stark contrast to the right side. Then you have the actual subjects, the people walking down the stairs, backlit by the sun – just enough to recognize what they are doing. To me, this is pure perfection.
The next two examples are shown below. Again, it seems like we are looking into a carefully created screenplay in which every subject is placed strategically at the exact right spot in order to create a perfect ensemble.
On the left, the individual people sitting and walking create a magnificent journey of points of interest for the eye to wander through the picture with almost no obstruction through overlapping. On the right, it’s all about framing again. The dark parts form such a perfect frame for the light to break through from above and illuminate the man with the suitcase – this is what stirs your imagination as a viewer: Where is he going to? Is he in a hurry? Does he want to be seen?
Exemplary use of lines
Another recurring theme in Fan Ho’s pictures is the use of lines – tram or train tracks in particular. We’ve talked about the use of lines in a different post (check out the brief guide to using lines in composition) and Fan Ho demonstrates that he is a true master when it comes to using lines in his pictures. Consider the example below.
Again, light is the key ingredient in this picture as the evening sun makes most of the picture seem dark but at the same time illuminates the tracks which adds a beautiful contrast. The curved lines lead you directly to a group of men walking by. Again, all three of them are perfectly aligned and it almost seems as if they were told to walk exactly in that way. In the next example, we can see how Fan Ho uses lines to convey a certain feeling.
The idea of this picture is very similar to the one before, but it seems a bit more dynamic: The tracks form a diagonal through the image and lead the viewer towards the little girl running across the picture. The diagonal lines imply movement which is underscored by the little girl running across the picture.To me, this picture would have a different feel to it if she was just walking. Also note how the shadow of the little girl is almost perfectly aligned to the tracks – this is awesome stuff.Other pictures, like the one below, create lines that lead up to the subject by aligning multiple elements.
In this case the reflections of the sun on the water surface form a line that leads us directly to the subject: The beautiful boat. This is simply unbelievably well executed.
Although all of the pictures mentioned so far rely heavily on the right timing, there are some pictures which exemplify the idea of the “decisive moment” even better – that’s what the next category is all about.
Capturing the decisive moment
Some of the images in the book were taken at the exact perfect time – the decisive moment. A second earlier or later what have dramatically changed the picture (and made it worse). Consider the example below – a man walking in front of a wall (I stopped trying to figure out what the pattern on the wall is or how it was created – but it’s pretty cool).
The timing is simply perfect: Not only is the man right in the middle of the picture, but his position vis-à-vis the pattern on the wall is also perfect – he is surrounded by a bright patch of wall, including the basket / cage he is carrying over his shoulder. Pressing the shutter a moment earlier or later would missed that perfect position.
The next two examples below show how tough it must have been for Fan Ho to capture exactly these moments – I can only imagine the time he spent waiting, hoping and probably often being disappointed when the decisive moment was missed by the blink of an eye or foiled by a subject suddenly changing course.
On the left you see a lonely silhouette all by herself on the sidewalk – something which is probably very hard to achieve in such a busy place as Hong Kong I would imagine. On the right, again perfection in its purest form: The little boy looking into the camera is framed by two others (left and right) who are both not looking into the camera. His face is still (but barely) lit by the sun so the viewer can tell that he looking at the camera. And finally, as the main subject he’s right in the middle of the whole composition which is beautifully framed by the diagonal lines on the left and the bright areas on the right – I could go on forever with this one…
The final example for capturing the “decisive moment” is shown below, it’s my favorite picture in the entire book. Needless to say, timing is everything with this one too.
I admire this picture for its simplicity, it has a very minimalistic style (for a brief guide on minimalist photography, click here). However, there’s an interesting story to this one. According Fan Ho himself, this picture was designed (the only one he actually designed, the others were candid shots). The woman leaning against the wall was his cousin who he asked to stand there for the shot. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I heard about this, but still, the pure simplicity makes up for it.
Use of unusual perspective
The final compositional element that Fan Ho masters in this book is the use of perspective. For some pictures in the book, Fan Ho uses a rather unusual perspective. This creates a very interesting effect, just like in the two examples below.
On the left, the entire picture is shot at an angle that seems to be at eye level of the child – to a certain degree that’s an unusual perspective that creates an interesting effect. Although we don’t see the entire adult next to the little girl, we see enough to realize the difference in height. On the right, this effect is taken to the extreme: The perspective is even below the eye level of the little boy and the use of the sunlight, the boy’s backlit head and the seemingly glowing dolls create a very interesting composition.
Another group of images just creates confusion (in a good way), like the picture below. I’m not sure how Fan Ho created this picture (I would assume some form of double exposure maybe), but the result is astonishing: We realize what we’re looking at (some form of construction work), but it’s hard to tell how these different levels work out. The pattern or grid created by the wooden beams seems to suggest some kind of order, but then these different layers of silhouettes completely counteract the order and one is left wondering how this picture was created (or what exactly is shown). I’m a big fan of these subtle contrasts that only reveal themselves when looking long and hard at a picture.
Unfortunately, this picture is printed over two pages and unavoidably there’s a big crease in the middle. I still don’t understand why this is sometimes done in photography books but alas, that’s just how things are (and to be fair, that’s my only complaint about the book).
Another way Fan Ho likes to play with perspective is through the use of shadows, like the two pictures below. On the left, the shadows cast by the wall form a perfect “W” and make you look twice to recognize what exactly you’re looking at. It wouldn’t be Fan Ho if he didn’t include a couple of people who are perfectly placed in the composition to create a perfect picture (just imagine the patience you would have to have for waiting on this decisive moment). On the right, it’s pure shadow play: The actual people are cut off and at first sight one might mistake the shadows for actual humans – again, simply great stuff.
Finally, there’s one picture that seems to pull it all together: A perfect scenery, the use of lines, pressing the shutter at the decisive moment, and the use of an unusual perspective. The picture below has it all.
First, there’s the upside-down perspective which immediately strikes you. Then there’s the diagonal lines that give the picture structure and emphasize the movement of the people involved. In addition, the arrows at the bottom of the picture add to the confusion as they seem to be the only thing which is not upside-down. The scenery is closely related to the lines used – again it seems like everything is exactly where it should be. Finally, the decisive moment seems to be captured: Only during that time of day would the shadows be as long to actually create the confusion and it seems unlikely that in such a lively, buzzing place like Hong Kong all the people would walk within the marked pathways – well, at least that’s my opinion.
DISCLAIMER: All of the pictures included in this blog entry were taken by myself. However, the photos in this book are of course copyrighted by the respective author. The information presented in this blog entry was either obtained through public sources (e.g. Wikipedia) or was included in the book. I have no interest (financial or otherwise) in the photographer, publisher or others mentioned above.
