I was in Hong Kong for a week in December and a friend told me that a movie that I love, Accident by Soi Cheang (Milky Way production) with Louis Koo, was shot near the wet market of North Point. For those who know the movie that’s the famous scene when they kill the pawn shop owner at the tramway station. Last year I went to this market, without knowing this anecdote, and I shot pictures with my Sony A7R2.
So I decided this year to go there again to check if I would recognise the scene from the movie. And this time I was shooting with the Leica M6, Noctilux f/0.95, and Kodak Tri-X 400. I was not disappointed. The atmosphere is really special in this neibourhood and I understand why they shot a scene there. For example, he famous tramway “ding ding”, is passing through the market and people have to step aside every time they hear it…
Street Photography is much easier in this neighbourhood compared to the rest of the city ; people don’t mind when you take their picture. it’s not the case in Central or Kowloon…
sometimes I regret that I didn’t shoot this one in colour ….
only locals are coming to the wet market. we’ll see very few tourists here, that makes it very authentic.
I edited very lightly in Lightroom : I played with the shadows and highlights to get some details back.
I went there a Saturday, it was very busy
here is the famous tramway “Ding Ding” that makes the charm of this place.
I didn’t see this man when I shot the picture. When I got my pictures back from the lab, I was amazed about it : it looks like the film poster of Accident, the movie that I was talking about in the introduction :
another tramway came later, this one is older, it looks much better…
we always get a great contrast from Tri-X, the king of black and white !
I wish I shot this picture with Portra 400 or Cinestill 800
there is a set of 4 pictures which are underexposed… I don’t know why. probably a mistake in the aperture or shutter speed.
this one is underexposed but I like it this way…
here I followed what Robert Capa said : “If Your Pictures Aren’t Good Enough, You’re Not Close Enough”
I love the sharpness and the details of this picture. probably the combination of Tri-X and the Noctilux
as a conclusion, the wet market of North Point is a great place to take pictures and to have an impression of the traditional life of Hong Kong. People are very nice and there is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It is easy to reach with the subway, just a few stations from Central.
check out my other articles about film photography !
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