Honkey Kong: Photography Series Transforms Hong Kong's Streets into a Real Life Video Game

Team Localiiz has fond memories of our favorite video games. For many of us it all began with our first Playstation or XBox but for some of the, let's say senior (over 30) members in our office, a joystick and an Atari bring a childlike grin to their faces. For them we share the work of Swedish photographer Christian Åslund who turned our streets into real life 8-bit glory in his 'Honkey Kong' photography series.

Commissioned as a project by shoe brand Jim Rickey, the project aimed to serve as a tribute to classic 2D platform video games, including throwback titles such as Donkey Kong or Pitfall. After visiting a friend in Hong Kong with access to a rooftop, Åslund knew the shoot had to take place in here. "I'm based in Stockholm, Sweden, which is a fairly small city for being a capital without any major tall buildings. Being amazed of the view from up there and seeing daily life from birds eye view inspired my idea for the project," Åslund told Localiiz.

Gaining access to Hong Kong's rooftops, Åslund and his team shot photographs from as high up as possible, using a telephoto lens to flatten their subjects for the 2D effect. Using good ol' walkie-talkies, Åslund communicated with his models on ground level to achieve the perfect perspective for his photographs.

Take a stroll through the wonderful photographs from the series here.