Garret Clarke, a talented young photographer I’ve had the pleasure of shortly studying with at Taiwan, has recently visited Hong Kong. I’ve been meaning to try and promote some of his work and the artistic side projects I saw him do across Taiwan’s Tainan, but it’s only after I came across some of the recent Hong Kong photos he took on his trip to Hong Kong that I finally decided to take the opportunity.
Garret M Clarke
www.garretmclarke.com ; http://garretmclarke.blogspot.com/
Here’s some of Garret’s perspective on Hong Kong … (click on the images for the full-size photo)
I was lucky enough to spend my New Years Eve in the illustrious city of Hong Kong. Having never been there, and most ideas of the place coming either from Hong Kong Kung-Fu films or the latest Batman flick, I only slightly knew what to expect; the Skyline and Dim-Sum. What waited was far greater than any expectations I could have conjured up.
A quick one-hour flight from Kaohsiung and a twenty-minute easy train from the airport I found myself meandering from Central MTR station towards Wan Chai, where I would be storing my bags for the weekend. Aside from the immaculate skyscrapers all around me, I was astonished at the cleanliness of the city. It got to the point where my friend and I played a game of spot the piece of trash, neither of us scored very high.
Many hours were spent lost amongst the labyrinth of second story passageways zigzagging above the city streets. Although I was lost, it was the sort of lost that encourages you to walk further in a direction that you are certain will not take you where you need to go. The constant barrage of incredible views, the diversity of the population and the generally cool vibe of the city kept me walking for my three-day stint.
Hong Kong is a city famous for its skyline, what is left out, is the incredible park that sprawls through the city and up into the hills behind the buildings. I walked through what I guess was central park, and was blown away by the vegetation and beauty of a park nestled deep in the shadows of the modernized financial buildings. After walking through an incredible aviary filled with birds from Borneo and Indonesia, and up a very very steep hill we arrived at the summit. Which unfortunately is a mall in a very beautiful area. You can simply take any road away from that mess and quietly enjoy the best view of one of the most amazing cities in Asia.
If you enjoy his style, be sure to check his websites : www.garretmclarke.com ; http://garretmclarke.blogspot.com/ . All comments welcomed and appreciated.
Great post, Fili. Garret is one of my favorite photographers AND he's a friend of yours. That makes him 100% cool in my books! 🙂