Dawn, Hong Kong Island, China, 2004 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Dawn, Hong Kong Island, China, 2004

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03-JUL-2004

Dawn, Hong Kong Island, China, 2004

In striking contrast to my early morning shot of Shanghai, in this image the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island's Central District vividly stand out against a backdrop of fog-shrouded Victoria Peak as they catch the dawn's first light. From these buildings come Hong Kong's power as one of the world's major trading and financial centers, and this image speaks of that power with a detailed display of sleekly burnished architecture, new buildings under construction, and contemporary pastel colors that imply modernity, wealth, and elegance. A small boat churns across the river in the foreground, giving the scene both scale and depth.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/320s f/4.0 at 28.8mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	03-Jul-2004 03:51:06
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	28.8 mm
Exposure Time	1/320 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias	0.33
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	shutter priority (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		30-Jul-2006 18:18
Glad you see all of this in this photo, Emi. I've tried to give you a fresh look at what must be a common sight for you, as a resident of Hong Kong.

Guest		30-Jul-2006 08:37
I see the past( the old style boats), the present(the tall business buildings) and the future(the uncontruction building) of Hong Kong. Emi

Phil Douglis		08-Oct-2005 01:51
One of the great strengths of photography, Gamson, is its ability to help us overcome the limitations of our memories. This scene of Hong Kong at dawn has obviously triggered thoughts of your own visit here, and made them come to life for you.

gamson-east africa		07-Oct-2005 11:41
its wonderful to see how photography can bring vivid memories of places i have beeen to...hong kong is my all time greatest destination... big up man...

Phil Douglis		07-Apr-2005 20:10
You are right, Benchang. It is the variation in lighting here that brings the image to life. If the entire photo was evenly illuminated, its impact on the eye and mind would be much less. And yes, the spirit of Hong Kong was very much in my mind when I made this photograph. It is a city virtually exploding into the light of a new era, and that is what this variable lighting best expresses.

Benchang Tang		07-Apr-2005 08:39
I love this picture so much! It really show the spirit of Hongkong. I noticed that the buildings in the back is better lit and that makes the picture more lively.

Phil Douglis		27-Feb-2005 07:08
They are, Ian. Have you been to Hong Kong?

Ian Clowes		26-Feb-2005 21:32
Super shot! Like the buildings are rubbing shoulders!

Guest		20-Feb-2005 13:52
nice pictures!!! i would like to share my travel photos to you about Hong Kong travelling!! please visithttp://www.hongkongtong.net thanks

Phil Douglis		12-Dec-2004 20:40
Thanks, Edouard, for your kind comment. Yes, Hong Kong is one of the most dynamic cities on earth, and its architecture reflects that. I tried to make point in this image.

Edouard Lomont		12-Dec-2004 16:36
A summary of peasure. I did not remember that Hong Kong was such an architectural success. Thank you for your glance. Edouard.

Phil Douglis		10-Dec-2004 03:12
Thanks, Hina, for your reply to my comment. You are entitled to enjoy pictures any way you like -- that's what makes photography such a wonderful medium. As for the location of this picture, I was staying at the Mirimar Hotel on Nathan Road in Kowloon. I walked down Nathan Road until I came to a promenade running along the water, and made this picture from there. Hope this helps. And please come back soon! Phil

Guest		10-Dec-2004 01:05
hello professor :) thanks very much for your detailed explanation .... (personally, i like photos that express happiness more than others) do you mind telling where you took this photo? i can't seem to find a spot from this angle unless you are on a boat or using really long lense ..eek.. i think, there must be another place i dunno hehehe... yes, i must come back and browse other galleries, and the new added photos.. Hina

Phil Douglis		09-Dec-2004 19:58
Hi, Hina, What a thoughtful comment. (I knew this picture would eventually get a rise out of you.) Glad you found the inclusion of the boat and the fog added meaning for you. And I really liked the way you began by criticizing the picture for lacking the spectacular color found at other times of the day or night, and then gradually, you really got into it, and realized that the "dull" colors of the morning made you "feel" the picture. It is perfectly all right for you to see this image as not "happy," Hina. I did not intend it to be a joyful celebration. This image is about the "promise of a new day for Hong Kong" and by the dawn's early light, its colors are subtle and glowing. In her discussion of this picture down at the bottom of the thread, my "resident critic" Cecilia Lim says that "the early morning sun lights up and paints the buildings in wonderful warm hues." Another suggestion from Wayne Huang, was to use Photoshop to enrich contrast and strengthen coloration. He even posted his own version of it below, which I rejected because it changed the meaning I intended here. I know this picture is not a "happy" one, Hina, but there are many ways to express ideas with a cityscape such as this. It all comes down to what you are trying to say. These soft, pastel-like muted colors give Hong Kong at dawn a wonderfully fresh, new look, and freshness is what I am trying to say. You live in a fresh, new, vital city, one that has great promise. I wanted this picture to express that feeling, and that is why I chose to photograph it from this spot, at this time of day, and in this soft morning light.' I hope I do get to back to Hong Kong again someday. If I do, we'll go out and shoot together! Keep up the improvement, Hina. Best, Phil the "Professor"

Guest		09-Dec-2004 07:49
Hello Phil the professor!! hi, i'm finally here ! hehehe sorry!! ok, what i think about this photo.. - i really like how you included the fog, it makes it a Dawn shot!!! - em.. although personally, i think this photo lack some colors.. it gives us a packed atmosphere with all the buildings.. my favourite building is the HSBC, and why i say "lacking colors" was because these building have beautiful lights at night, especially the HSBC building!!!!!!!!!! - i love how u included the little boat!! hehe thats what i am always doing and trying to improve.. look at the surroundings and include it if it can make the photo look cooler.. - personal point of view, i think because of the "dull" colors in the morning, this pic gives me some feelings.. i dont know how to describe it, but i reckon this pic is not a happy shot to me.. -.- am i too emotional... hehe.. thanks for all your messages on my photos too!! hope you will go to hongkong soon again! :D from Hina :)

Guest		21-Nov-2004 01:08
Hong Kong is one of the most fertile places for photography. It's unfortunate that, in my eight days there, I was unable to accomplish nearly as much as I would have liked.

Phil Douglis		13-Nov-2004 04:40
Thanks, Kenneth, for giving us an insider's look at Hong Kong's spectacular growth. I felt its dynamism when I visited, and this picture expressed it best for me. I like the symbolism of the dawn here, because I feel that Hong Kong, as wealthy as it has become, is only just beginning its climb towards a world class city. It is like a very rich infant -- its greatest growth is yet to come. And that is what I wanted this picture to symbolize.

Guest		13-Nov-2004 04:29
it's a very nice shot, and I am glad to hear there are so may talk about HK in this picture, actually I travel everywhere for more than 5 years because of business, with as few as only 5 days in HK every month, actually this is the way how people/business is changing in HK, more dynamic, expanding outside into all Asia ( and occassionally I do take pictures of other cities), but I do believe HK is still as of a place with special characteristics, and one of the wealthiest cities of China (if count in SAR)

Phil Douglis		09-Oct-2004 18:40
Thanks so much for this comment. It's always good to hear from people who live in the places I shoot. And thanks for clarifying the fact that we are looking across Hong Kong Harbor, not a river here. Correction noted and appreciated. Phil

Guest		09-Oct-2004 18:18
Very nice shot for my hometown. The only thing I want to clarify is that the boat is crossing the harbour not a river, although sooner or later our government will turn it to a river. LOL

Phil Douglis		19-Sep-2004 03:48
This what makes photography such a valuable voice of expression, Wayne. It is infinitely flexible, and meaning changes as our intentions change, and as our context change as well. I am thrilled that you took the time to make this suggestion. And that you came to the same conclusion i did once you knew my intentions and saw Celia's comment. Celia might have a few comments to make your image as well. So check back here once in a while to see if she does. Thanks, Wayne. Phil

Guest		19-Sep-2004 02:32
ahh...I just noticed Celias and your comment at the bottom. I didn't pick up on the boat reference. I guess you'd have to know that part of the world to understand the significance of it. I assumed the emphasis was on the architecture, it being in focus. Knowing your intentions for this picture now, I would have left the boat and water alone.

Phil Douglis		18-Sep-2004 19:02
Thanks, Wayne. I am thrilled that you cared enough to do this for me, and more importantly, for others who might come to this image. I regard this cyberbook as a teaching device, and you are helping me teach here. Just as Celia Lim did just below your comment. I am glad you did what you did here -- I welcome all suggestions, comments, and criticisms with open arms. And yes, I like what you've done to it aesthetically. It is now a stronger, bolder, somewhat clearer image than mine ws, with more pop and sparkle to it. But you have also changed its message somewhat by abstracting the boat and taking the color out of it. Celia found the boat to be a reminder of Hong Kong's humble beginnings and a reminder of how far it has come. I waited for that boat --actually any kind of a boat - to give the picture another layer of depth, as well as as sense of size through scale incongruity. I consider that tiny boat as a major player in this picture, both aesthetically and symbolically, so I can't agree with your point that the "boat is not the subject of the picture, the buildings are." I think the boat helps make that skyline what it is. I also think that it is somewhat incongruous that the little boat is more vibrant in color than the billions of dollars of real estate behind it. Meanwhile, Celia saw the boat as a symbol for Hong Kong's growth. So while I marvel at the beauty you have added to my image with Photoshop, it is no longer the picture I set out to make. And it's no longer the same image that stirred Celia's imagination, either. By reinterpreting my photograph and then posting it here, you have given a gift to all us, Wayne. You show us how easy it is to change the meaning of a picture with only a few adjustments in Photoshop. By making that boat a more abstract symbol, and the city brighter and clearer, you chose to stress the vibrant colors of the city. I preferred to use that boat as way to show how big Hong Kong has grown, and I liked the soft effect the early morning haze has on the skyline -- it glows softly in my version, and sparkles strongly in yours. I generally use Photoshop to enhance the meaning I intend to project in my imagery, not to change it. With this photo, I chose to keep things pretty much the way I saw them through the morning haze. My photo represents the Hong Kong I saw, not the Hong Kong I wanted to see. Others will use Photoshop quite differently. Post processing is really a second chance to make a photograph say whatever we want it to say. Thanks, Wayne, for reminding us of this. In the end, I value a photo for its meaning, not its form. I always make my own adjustments in terms of the meaning I am trying to express.

Guest		18-Sep-2004 18:10
This is more of what I had in mind Phil. Hope you don't mind. Couldn't resist :)

Guest		18-Sep-2004 17:42
Hi Phil, I just stumbled upon your gallery. Good work. Good straight composition, except I would post-process it more to make more a contrast of the light shedding upon the building. Everything takes on kind of an even tone due to the thick humidity and atmospheric haze. Do you notice the color in the boat of the foreground is much more vibrant than the color in the building? Obviously because it's closer, but the boat is not the subject of the picture, the buildings are. Perhaps playing around with levels, hue/saturation, and curves in photoshop would boost the effect of this picture. i also find the new shadow/highlight feature in CS works magic for photos needing a boost in those areas. Wayne

Phil Douglis		13-Sep-2004 01:55
Thanks, Celia, for illuminating this photograph as effectively as the dawn light has illuminated the city itself. You thought of everything I had thought while making photograph, and much, much more! I had intuitively brought the very tip of the Bank of China building to the top edge of photograph and left the others reaching for sky next to it, but had never really considered the symbolism of the tension that edge produces in terms of Hong Kong's spectacular growth as a world financial center. And while I did wait for a boat to come into the frame to convey a sense of scale incongruity, I did not even think about that boats age until you mentioned it, and how that little old boat reminds us of how far the city has come. As for the role of the light in this picture, I say in my own comments that these buildings speak of elegance and modernity, but I failed to note that the lovely colors are as much a creature of the light as they are of man. You have also emphasized the symbolic value of that light, seeing it as a beacon of hope in response to recent political and economic events. You have, in effect, provided an analysis here far more substantive that I could have come up with myself. This is one of my favorite cityscapes, Celia, and now, thanks to your additional insights, I know why. Thank you again for your critique. It is very valuable to me, and I hope it will be to anyone else who reads your words. You are making all of us better photographers. Phil

Cecilia Lim		08-Sep-2004 12:00
If there's any one picture that describes Hong Kong the best, I think this would be the one! Everything about the way you shot this photo perfectly captures its essence. First and foremost, you've shown us three very important elements about Hong Kong: 1) You feature the modern skyscrapers that represent Hong Kong as a powerful and dynamic global financial centre 2) You feature water to hint that it is an island, where the very same waters are also an integral part of its culture and history 3) You feature an old boat to show us contrasts and the co-existence of the old and the new in Hong Kong. I personally feel these symbols are perhaps the three most important and appropriate elements to describe this amazing place. Apart from your selective eye, you've also pulled them together wonderfully within the frame. You've filled almost the whole frame with Hong Kong's skyline to accentuate its position as an active, dominant and dynamic financial power. The buildings very near and even touching the top of the frame suggest tension and energy as if it was bursting out, growing and forging on as a global economic power. The boat serves as a reminder of the island's humble beginnings and its contrast against the modern city only shows us how far Hong Kong has come along. In the context of scale with the tiny boat in the foreground, the buildings look even taller which also helps to stress the high achievements and ambitions of this small island. Shooting at dawn also took the image to a different level. The early morning sun does light up and paint the buildings in wonderful warm hues, but most importantly, I think it helps to send a message that Hong Kong is determined to rise up from any challenge or difficulties. This, I feel, is particularly an appropriate reference to Hong Kong's contraversial handover to China and recent coming out of the economic gloom that the devastating SARS brought to this island. I love this image very much and I can certainly see why it is one of your favourite building pictures too: There's energy, there's beauty, there's hope. What a wonderful portrayal of this tiny island!

Vlada Marinkovic		24-Aug-2004 12:19
Wonderful picture, Except light, I could feel humidity Best regards, Vlado

Phil Douglis		22-Jul-2004 00:04
Thank you, Wendy, for being first to comment on this shot -- one of my favorite building pictures. The key to it is the morning light that brings out those delicate pastel-like colors you speak of here.

Wendy O		21-Jul-2004 23:55
I love the color in this one.

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