Artist Lens｜Fan Ho: Capturing the Essence of Old Hong Kong Through Photography
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- While much of the Hong Kong of the 1950s and 1960s captured by Fan Ho no longer exists, it can still be experienced through his photographs of the time.
In this interview from 2014, we sat down with the artist during his final trip to Hong Kong to learn more about his photographic method and the inspiration behind his iconic images. Fan Ho was a multi-talented individual - a photographer, film director, and actor - who captured the essence of everyday life in Hong Kong with his striking photographs. M+ is proud to have twenty-eight seminal photographs by Fan Ho in our collections, providing a unique window into the past. Join us to discover the art and soul of Fan Ho’s photography and experience the Hong Kong of the past in a new way.
‘Truly good photographs are not taken with the camera. They come from inside you, your eyes, your brain, your heart, not some cold piece of equipment.’
- Fan Ho
The Early Years
Fan Ho (American, b. China, 1931-2016) was a photographer, film director, and actor. He spent his early years in Shanghai, where he began taking photographs after receiving his first camera at the age of fourteen. He moved to Hong Kong in 1949, and from the 1950s onwards gained considerable attention for his striking photographs of everyday life in Hong Kong.
From Photography to a Career in Film
Fan Ho’s skills in image-making in photography made him a natural fit for the emerging Hong Kong film industry. From the 1960s to the 1980s, he became better known for his work in film, in particular with the famous Shaw Brothers studio. In addition to his role behind the camera as a director, Fan Ho occasionally appeared in front of the camera, debuting as an actor in ‘Love Without End’ (1961).
Fan Ho’s Legacy
Fan Ho’s style of photography exemplifies what the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson dubbed the ‘decisive moment’. This method-of waiting for the perfect moment to click the camera shutter-is today considered a rather old-fashioned and even purist approach to photography. It remains a practice that is widely adopted by street photographers and photojournalists alike.
Fan Ho in M+ Magazine
10 Facts about the Photographer Who Captured 1950s and ‘60s Hong Kong: mplus.org/10-f...
捕捉舊香港──鏡頭背後的攝影大師何藩: mplus.org/10-f...
捕捉旧香港──镜头背后的摄影大师何藩: mplus.org/10-f...
English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese closed captions are available in the player.
Transcript: mplus.org/en-f...
影片謄本: mplus.org/tc-f...
视频文稿: mplus.org/sc-f...
#FanHo #Photographer #DecisiveMoment #OldHongKong #Art #Artist #Photography
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"Truly good photographs are not taken with the camera. They come from inside you. Your eyes. Your brain. Your heart. Not some cold piece of equipment." So eloquent. What a legend!
Not being afraid to crop heavily and develop non-standard formats is really an eye opener. I always box myself in the classic formats when there's really no need to. He's an inspiration on many levels.
Final words are golden words ... Legend
What an eye.
To interpret a world of colour in monotone shades.
To discern line and rhythm in a sea of movement.
To see beauty in urban ugliness.
What an eye!
The English captions are amazingly accurate! Whoever translated this, well done!
50,60年代香港擁有相機的人絕對少有，拍攝照片非常珍貴！一張好的相片，不是一部高性能的相機，是靠個人觀點及眼睛取的視角創作，呢一點絕對說得正確
As an animator, the discovery of Fan ho was the turning point for me, where I gained great, great respect for the art form of photography. The first time seeing his photos I was actually frozen from awe. I was unaware photography could be so beautiful, so wonderfully grand a majestic yet so intimate and personal. Fan Ho truly is a legend.
A Real Master! A legend of Street Photography!
Many thanks for posting - knew of him but have never seen an interview broadcast before. Me 72 years old, photographing for 60 years and still feel like a beginner when I look at work like this:)
It boils down to exposing your own film with limiting factors/broken into controllable steps as well as layering the image. Yet I am 30 n am very versed in Chemistry and Physics. I will never use computer programs to enhance my work.
A wise & beautiful man with a wise & beautiful mind. Salute to the MASTER.
So precious to find a live interview of Fan Ho! And it is in Cantonese !
Wow I just learned of Fan Ho and his incredible work, Rest In Peace. What an amazing man.
thank you for the effort and the sharing. it is rare to hear the actual voice and thoughts of a Master. thumbs up.
Большой мастер. Прожил долгую жизнь. Спасибо ему за творчество. Это классика.
In these days of color the black & white image allows the viewer to see more than a documentation of an event. It cues the viewer to see the inner meaning of the composition.
My favourite photographer of all time.
0:54 now that is a breathtaking piece of life. I had to pause.
Thank you for sending me this. I just put this on my iPad system. I plan to study this man's art intensivly, and exclusively for some time to come. I am going to shoot B&W street photography, on my Fujifilm system for the next 6 months. This guy has opened my eyes to B&W again. I started in photography when I was 10. I've always liked B&W the most. I feel very inspired. Like some one threw a glass full of cold water I'm my face. All I can say is: Thanks I needed that!
How wonderful! Thank you very much! Fan Ho was a true Master and one of my favorite photographers, I'm in awe of his work and I still learn from him every day. Also he was so humble and honest and true to his word. A giant!
He was a master of humanity.
What an amazing master. Such beautiful work.
impressive work. Fascinating photographer and human being. Thanks for sharing
I understand his fascination for B and W.
The issu is that too often photographers think that their banal pictures are a piece of art because they present them in B and W... Not everybody is an artist. And not everybody is humble with his pictures and lucid with his lake of talent.
Salutes to you sir !!!
Cool video ,to the Great Photographer Fan Ho
Thank for sending me this. I just put this on my iPad tablet ip
Makes me feel depress. His photos are frozen in time while he got older.
life flys by to fast even if you live in the moment.
Dont be depressed Engage in the wonders of the B&W world :)
Thank you for sharing Ho Fan's modus.
Beautiful simply.
一代大师，敬仰！
thank you so much he is an inspiration
Hi I am very happy for you. You have very good work.
Great video, I haven’t seen this interview before.
不祇是攝影大師，老者的智慧，留言！
Wise man.
Thanks for sharing
Outstanding. Thank you.
Words of Wisdom.
What a great master, inspiring and lovely work .....Thank you for posting this....
講得太好啦
Brilliant man
Legend
Genial. Arigato!
大師把黑白發揮得比彩色還要精彩
very wise words!
Inspiring
Thanks for sharing, so powerful 💪
Is it possible to watch somewhere the whole interview with him? Or is it just a short video?
Muy fan de Fan Ho
不知道要等多少年之後再出現這樣的人才
第一次看到何藩先生作品印像深刻！他的影像構圖別具一格！是攝影圈的絶頂高手！
💡🎥🎬🎤💯
A Chinese Henri Cartier-Bresson?
01:49 The haircut police
Well Fuck, I don't speak Japanese 😔. Trolled 👏