Teresa

I’ve chosen these two photos to present as not only both portray shapes that represent Hong Kong’s impressive architecture and the beauty of our city, however both have their own components that tell a story. One can tell a story about Hong Kong’s unappreciated workers and the other illustrates a more personal story to myself.

CLEANER

This photo, taken in Tsim Sha Tsui, captures a street cleaner dwarfed by towering buildings, highlighting how these essential workers are often overlooked despite being the backbone of the city. The image evokes a sense of solitude and calm rarely seen in Hong Kong’s busy streets, while also drawing attention to the underappreciated and challenging nature of the cleaner’s work. To respect privacy, I photographed the cleaner from behind, ensuring their identity remained hidden, and was initially inspired by the striking geometry of the buildings before recognising the deeper story within the scene.

DOG
This second photo, titled ‘Dog,’ captures a peaceful, intimate moment of my sister holding our dog on our balcony in Ho Man Tin. While it doesn’t feature Hong Kong’s famous bustling streets or towering skyscrapers, it offers a glimpse into the quieter, personal side of life in this crowded city-reminding us that moments of calm can be found even in the busiest places. The beautiful pink, grey, and white tones of the sunset create a soothing atmosphere, and the bamboo scaffolding-a uniquely Hong Kong detail-frames the scene and subtly grounds it in local culture. I didn’t set out with a specific message or inspiration; rather, this photo is simply an appreciation of finding tranquility with loved ones amid the city’s fast pace. To ensure privacy and ethical street photography, I kept the lighting low and photographed from behind, making my sister unidentifiable.

My 'Almost made it' was one of the photos I was contemplating on submitting considering how it similarly portrays Hong Kong’s stunning architecture with its impressive skyscrapers and components to illustrate its history of Britain’s colonisation. Although stunning in my perspective, the main reason why I decided on the other two photos was because I could focus on the people of this city that is present in my two other photos. No point of a city’s existence if there’s nobody to live in it. Adding onto that, this shot is a very conventional portrayal of Hong Kong that many existing photos already illustrate.