sai_seto Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Saw these photos in the link below (it was posted on a HK photographic forum). The photographer has been titled as a master in Hong Kong. From the forum he put up these photos, he seems quite happy that he has done a great job in capturing a decisive moment. However, I honestly don't know how to appericate these photos. Just wondering how do people from the other parts of the world think about these photos, are they good and I'm only be the odd one that don't know how to enjoy them? What interested me the most is that he has even pointed out that photo by Robert Capa taken on the D day are not pin sharp and blur due to camear shake, what's important is the concept on image and photography. But I really think that was a completely different case between capa and his situation. http://www.sendpix.com/albums/05032805/t2gmqz75i8/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.d. steward Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I'm with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmo Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Soft focus doesnt bother me, actually like it in the right shots. What puzzles me is, what's he a master of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anupam Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Why are there 4 decisive moments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai_seto Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 what i mean by the 'master in Hong Kong' is many people here in HK do admit him as one of the very best photographer in HK. He's currently the editor of several photographic magazine in HK (including photographic magazine, DC photo, DIGIT Weekly, etc). And he has very recently interviewed by the DCphoto magazine, HK for the 'Pro Talk' session I believe he has writen at least 1 or 2 books to teach basic photographic skill as well. I have just finished my study in the UK and start my work in HK for half a year, and when i saw these photo by the 'master', this really disappointed me about the photographic standard in HK. I would strongly doubted if Garry Coward-Williams (editor of the Amateur photographer(AP), UK), Bob Aylott (Features Editor of the AP, UK), Ailsa McWhinnie (editor of the Black and White Photography, UK) or Mike Maloney would put up anything like that to the public?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmo Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Anything else out there that he's done? Hard to say really just looking at those four what he's about at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takaaki Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Could you possibly share the name of this 'master', please? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marco_buonocore Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I'll side with Anupam. I reckon he's a better editor than a 'master of the decisive moment.' Capa was being shelled, risking his bloody life and limb, while this fellow held his shutter release down in a train station while some backpackers hugged. Rubbish, I'm afraid. Even if they were sharp, they wouldn't be interesting. The fact that they're not sharp makes them... Well... Less than interesting. IMHO, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshchapman Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 These don't seem special to me in any way. Poor composition, and the soft focus/shake don't add anything, either. And like Anupam pointed out: if he's a master of the decisive moment, why 4 of them? On a side note, don't you find this is so common? A lot of hyped photographers (those acclaimed in the art world, or those charging big money in the commercial field) don't impress. I've come to the conclusion that it's more about how the photos are sold, than the image itself in many cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takaaki Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I'm sorry, but isn't that a little harsh? I'm rather interested in seeing more of his work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Somehow, sendpix is not jiving with my webbrowser, firewall b.s. so I can't see them. Just as an aside, I was told the blurriness in Capa's D Day photos was not camera shake, was instead caused by the lab tech in England who jacked the drying cabinet up too high in eagerness to get the photos to the editor. Life hid the disaster by blaming it on Capa's camera shake due to nerves. Something like 11 photos were rescued from the meltdown and thus they look like they do. Which, I happen to dig as they are. But wouldn't that be a bad day.. go in on the first wave in Normandy with people getting blown away all around you, risk your life, several times over and then have several rolls of your film, the key footage while still in the water destroyed by an over eager tech. Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 . . . and then get blamed for a case of nerves?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai_seto Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Takaaki Okada I would strongly agree with you. However, the problem is I can hardly find any other of his photo on the internet. And the only 3 other photos I've seen on his interview is hardly mean anything to me. Perhpas, I should scan these photos and post it up later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugene_scherba Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan_dzo Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 The only thing he seems to be a master of is camera shake, except one which is nearly sharp but hardly decisive. Emporer's new clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 what's his name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varjag Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I think his interpretation of decisive moment is.. umm quite different. My understanding was that it is when the scene presents itself in the most visually striking aspect and beautiful arrangement, not this sentimental stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Does he have a name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai_seto Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 a couple of photos i've scanned from his interview on DC Photo magazine, Hong Kong. Hope that's help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai_seto Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 here's the 2nd one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_. Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 from what i can make out, they call him mr. wu. the last one really require an eye for decisive moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_sidlo Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 This guy is not doing anything for me. That last img002 is pretty, but not "masterful" - img001 is probably a competent advertisement, but nothing exceptional. In the first 4 images, there's nothing decisive or engaging, in my opinion...more like bad images that someone might describe as masterful to see how many people they can put on. It is possible, of course, that the photog is a master, and I'd agree if I saw more photos. But they wouldn't look anything like this selection. So Sai, I also "don't know how to appreciate these photos". I just go with my gut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takaaki Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Thank you very much for uploading the photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 On a similar note, here's a guy, <a href= "http://www.modernbook.com/fanholp.htm">Fan Ho</A>, from Shanghai and Hong Kong that's been photographing street in China for 50 years, and now lives in California. I met him a month ago - a really nice guy and his photos are super. www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 well.......and I could be completely wrong on this.....but isnt the term "Master" in Chinese basically a teacher? Which would be slightly different than what Western Master means...an expert? Don't really know, just an impression I have. Not saying a teacher can't be an expert, just the cultures may consider a master in a different light. Anyhow, he's no hack. He's holding a very loose composition solidly together in all of the pics. He knows color schemes....exposure....etc........all the tech stuff is pretty solid. I dont know about his decisive moment claim, but the sequence of those train station blurred pics work as a group. Especially if you let each load into your browser first and replay them rapid fire......looks pretty neat that way ;o) As far as being a master, I'd have to see even more....none of these whack me over the head................well, maybe the tree/leaf one, the more I look at that, the more impressed I am. Somebody has got to be able to read that stuff on the boat pic.......Googling Mr. Wu did nothing in finding more stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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