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One Hour on Wellington Street

By Stasia Fong 8 January 2015

When Christian Mushenko stepped out of a business meeting and onto Wellington Street nearly a year ago, he picked up his camera and didn’t stop shooting pictures for the next hour. The result would be a series of powerful photos, proving that in photography, timing is everything.A prolific photographer in the advertising world for the past 20 years, Mushenko’s clients range from American Express and Apple to dozens of public relations agencies around the globe.“I had just been speaking with a creative director about a series of real people cameo portraits for a potential campaign. Upon leaving the meeting, the beautiful light, the myriad of faces, and the story everyone carries struck me.”For Mushenko, he was merely lucky to have the bonus of perfect, natural lighting to achieve the dreamy mood to his shots. “I love flare and mood in photographs, and for this project, the natural lighting and reflections off buildings worked and created the mood that I wanted.”His series Hong Kong Street People, features beautifully shot images of Hong Kong commuters oozing with character. To ensure an element of naturalism, all of the photographs in the series are candid, as Mushenko wanted to truly capture the raw personality of his subjects.[masterslider id="7"]“To me these are portraits of everyday people, and part of the charm of the project was not knowing what they were thinking or their story. This left it up to the viewers to imagine and relate to their own inner dialogues. In this way we can share in the collective humanity.”Despite being a photography aficionado, it may surprise you to know that Mushenko was originally a geologist in a Gold Mine in West Australia. Thankfully, the treasure of good photography was enough to entice him away. “I think the lure of the camera and telling a story visually was too strong. In my earlier pictures, I remember getting inspired about images that captured a moment.” Hong Kong Street People does exactly that, as with each photograph, one immediately wonders what kind of life each subject lives, where they were on their way to, and so on.Ultimately, he wants viewers to takeaway the concept of self-awareness and compassion from his series. “I hope that my images would clue the viewer into a recognition of the greater human spirit. We too often think of ourselves and our issues or desires. Love and acceptance sometimes gets lost in the living of our own lives.”Spurred on by that perfect hour along Wellington Street, Mushenko continues to update Hong Kong Street People whenever he returns to our city. Check out the evolving series and the rest of Mushenko’s inspired photography on his website or blog.

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Born in Singapore and raised in Hong Kong, Stasia Fong is a freelance writer with dreams of breaking into the television industry and executive produce her own television show.

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