Hong Kong Life in Black and White

  For Hong Kong based photographer and Instagram snapper Michelle Chan (aka Little Rice), a picture speaks a thousand words, and even more when it lacks colour. She shows us how in her collection of black and white photos which capture authentic moments of Hong Kong life. As one of my muse Elliott Erwitt says, “The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don't have to explain things in words”. I have always had a passion for photography and finally got my first DSLR when I returned to Hong Kong from England in 2008. I was totally intrigued by the ability to manually adjust and capture photographs. Later on, I was exposed to film photography and the darkroom where I grew my passion and started to specialise in black and white photography. What really touches me about black and white photographs is that without colours as distractions, our vision draws much closer to the message portrayed. It gives an entirely different and unique perspective to how our eyes see – it's totally fascinating and what I'm truly enthusiastic about.

Although I am born Chinese, my knowledge of Hong Kong is minimal as I stayed in UK for a very long time. It gives me an impression of fast-paced and busyness. Central3viFive project was how it came about for me to get to know and have a deeper connection with my home town. It's a project hopefully to inspire others to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy the moment. Through exploring in streets and hidden treasures of Hong Kong, my photos capture authentic moments of interactions between people and the environment in black and white. The work I do is definitely heavily influenced by decisive moment masters Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, and Robert Frank.

This project has brought me a lot of insights and stories of people and places in Hong Kong, plus opportunities for learning and improving my photography skills. It also brought me to knowing Irene (gallery owner of Flanhardt Galerie und Atelier) who supported me and got me started on publishing my photos and participating in exhibitions. The photograph Commitments was exhibited in Central Landmark in 2014 and Tic Toc is currently being exhibited there as part of a group exhibition Markets around the world until May 2015. See more of Little Rice's work on her website, and Instagram page. [masterslider id=65]

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