August 2012

Eye to Eye Social Documentation Project

It was an exhausting/ time consuming  but meaningful and challenging experience. During the hot weather in Hong Kong from April to September this year, I was the ” mentor ” of 4 participants from the Eye to eye social documentary photography project ( there are total 36 ). It was a project aiming to show the public that people from different class or race in Hong Kong to tell their life/ story by means of photography.

As a ” mentor”, I get to know them, I drove my car with them to the place they wanted or ought to go out to, I accompanied them on some of their photo- shooting, and I discussed with them again and again ( including those photography needless time about the project’s public affairs or media coverage). After all, I hope we both learnt and gained owing to this project.

Just a matter of fun to myself, I bought a new fisheye from Madoka to my Sony Nex7, the 360 panos here were shot with this combo during the final interview with my friends, the project’s participants.

Except for the 360, all images seen below are the participants’ works which will be exhibited in the Eye to Eye: Jockey Club Social Documentation Roving Exhibition starting at 9 Oct 2012

張寶麗/ Cheung Po Lai and her works

Eye to eye documentary photography project participant 張寶麗

53 yrs old Po Lai Cheung had no experience or idea with photography before she joined the workshop by this event. Her occupation is a part time domestic cleaner and she is living with her husband and daughter in a public housing estate for almost 30 yrs. She’s a typical housewife in Hong Kong and that is one of the reason why she was selected  for the project. Her story is about her loving relationship with the neighborhood and she did her job brilliantly.

上水官立中學/ students from Sheung Shui Government Secondary School and their works

Eye to eye photography participant 新來港學童

They were selected from the Eye to eye community photography workshop. Actually there are 2 groups here. One by a category named ” New immigrate students from China” with  members comprising 牛存糧, 李裕珊, 譚佩珊 and 龔俊妮. Another one is 陳偉寶, a local born student who his school art teacher said he is so a young talented painter. 陳偉寶 will join a supplementary exhibition to the main ” Eye to eye ” exhibition.

 Natasha Chak and her works

Eye to eye photography project's participant Natasha Chak

Natasha Chak is a student from one of the international school in Hong Kong. She joined this project by open submission. She is raised from a middle class family and her father is an old classmate of mine since secondary school. Anyway, I’m sadly I’m not a middle class 🙂 and her acceptance to join the party was nothing about my relation with the event or her father.

 教友/ The Believer and his work

Eye to eye photography project's participant 教友

I called him 教友/ The believer ever since we knew each other at my Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate 2008 project. One of 教友’ leg was removed due to drug addiction before. He’s now a firm believer of Christianity and he preach by example. Of course I refered him and he was selected due to his tremendous story. His vision is about a positive way of life after adversity.

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