Fan Ho
Fan Ho was born in Shanghai, China in 1937 and developed an interest in photography at a young age. His style developed in the classical street photography tradition that was common in Europe at the time so he was influenced by photographers such as Robert Doisneau and H C-B. His style of photography though influenced by western composition techniques was culturally very different, as his images were taken of the day to day life on the streets of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 60s so therefore had a traditional Eastern outlook on life in the social behaviour, customs and ideas of his subjects. During his career Fan Ho produced an extensive body of photographic work and won hundreds of awards and competitions and was considered to be one of the most influential photographers in Asia. He additionally went on to be a successful film director and actor. In his photography he had a fantastic ability in composing his images perfectly, using different techniques to capture and draw the viewer’s attention to where he wanted it. These included using narrow depth of field to blur parts of the frame, sub framing using various geometric shapes and using perspective and contrasting scales. He was also particularly skilful in making use of light and shadow to create dramatic images using high contrast and creating interest with light such as by using mist and reflections in water. His black and white images have a surreal feel to them depicting a simplified traditional view of life in Hong Kong. Many of them capture the subject in lonely or isolated positions and it is his dramatic use of light and shadow that help develops the mood and atmosphere in his images and make them captivating and dramatic. I have selected a number of his images that I especially admire.
In this image Fan Ho makes expert use of light as well as a narrow depth of field in the composition of this image. In doing this he focuses attention onto his subjects and makes the image more interesting to the viewer. The image shows a boat with two occupants traveling along the water heading towards some buildings in the background. The boat with its occupants and the water towards the bottom of the frame are clearly in focus. The image shows great detail in the water with both highlighted and shadowed regions caused by the ripples the boat has made. This detail draws the viewer’s attention to the foreground area of the frame. The building in the background are a little blurred due to the cameras aperture being set to give a narrow depth of field, which makes the buildings in the background slightly out of focus. Fan Ho has done this to prevent the background from distracting the viewer from the main subject in the foreground. In addition to this the smoke or mist to the top left of the buildings while adding atmosphere to the image also obscures the buildings to some degree. These techniques as well as focusing attention to a part of the frame also add interest, atmosphere and drama to the image. As well as creating a captivating image for the viewer they are left to wonder where the boat and its occupants are heading.
In this image Fan Ho makes use
of hi key photography, which he was an expert in. With this technique the image
looks over exposed, and you lose the details of parts of it, however in
contrast the main elements are revealed more clearly, allowing the viewer to
focus on them. The image shows a close up of the bare branches of a tree which
overlooks a lake. At the top of the frame you can see the peaks of the mountains
in the background but the bases of the mountains are obscured by the white mist
that surrounded them. Then framed through a gap in the branches there is a boat
with an adult and a child on board. The details of some of the elements in
the image are lost but these are the not the important ones, rather the
main elements are, in contrast, revealed more clearly. This image is therefore one
of high contrasts as the mid tones have been lost. This technique allows the
viewer to focus on the important part of the image, which is the subject in the
boat which are shadowed and are set against the high lit area of the lake. This
juxtaposition of contrasting tones creates drama in the image and draws the
viewer’s eye. Also the natural framing of the subject created by the branches
make it appears as though the subjects are unaware of the photographer/viewer
looking out through a gap as they are concealed from view among the branches. This
gives the image a more intimate feel as the viewer feels they have been allowed
to witness this moment of a father and child taking a boat out together without
disturbing them.
In this
image Fan Ho makes use of the geometric shape produced by the man’s legs as he
strides along and this allows him to create an interesting triangular feature
in his image. The man is the dominant subject in the image yet he is mostly in
shadow due to the rectangle of light that comes down from above and behind him.
This use of light and ground level perspective creates a high contrast area
where the dark form of the man meets the bright high lit area of light. This
contrast draws the viewer’s attention and creates atmosphere and drama in the
image. The viewer may wonder who the man is and where he is going walking in
such a striding manner. It is as if he is eager to be somewhere else. This contrasts
with the other people present in the background of the image, they are almost
casually dawdling along and this highlights the difference in their movements adding
to the intrigue in the image.
In this image Fan
Ho has used light and shadow juxtaposition to create a vivid image. He
has captured a man in his boat as he rows it along a narrow canal in Hong Kong.
Geometric shapes have been used in his composition to frame the man and his
boat within the narrow band of light contained within the shape created by the
shadowed buildings on the left and the pole on the right. The intense light
highlights the outline of the shadowed man and his boat, and creates this high
contrast which draws the viewer’s attention to him and forms a dramatic image.
This adds to the atmosphere and mood of the image as the darkness and isolated
form of the man makes him appear very lonely in a deserted location. I also
like the way the band of light focuses attention onto the man even though he is
a small part of the image and little detail can be seen of him as he is
completely in shadow. Using his expertise with working with light, geometric
shapes and framing Fan Ho has created a dramatic image which captivates his viewer’s
attention.
In this image Fan Ho again shows his expertise in
working with light to direct the viewer’s attention onto the subject. He uses the
square of light that is shining onto the road to frame the young child as she
sweeps the street with a broom. The light also highlights the top of her head
and shoulders and allows the formation of the girl’s shadow that is contained
within the square. This shadow creates a high contrast area which is
framed by the square. There are also a number of other people within the frame
but as they are more shadowed our attention is not drawn to them as our eyes
are naturally drawn to highlighted areas in an image. The lighting in this
image therefore directs the viewer’s attention onto the charming image of a very
young child trying to be helpful by sweeping a street in Hong Kong with a broom
that is twice her size.
Influence
In this image I was inspired by Fan Ho and his skill with using light/shadow and geometric shapes in composing his images. A viewer’s eye is naturally drawn to light in an image and Fan Ho uses this to great effect to direct attention and create mood. I was inspired by his work to make my image of a routine task being performed at Mutts more captivating and interesting to the viewer by using light and shadow. I used the natural light coming through the hatch from the outdoor run attached to the kennel to highlight the dog as they are given their dinner by the worker. The shadowed interior part of the kennel surrounds the highlighted rectangle of the open door hatch creating an interesting geometric shape as well as framing the dog about to eat from its bowl. This focuses attention on the task being done by the worker. The use of juxtaposition of light and shadow also produces a high contrast area which draws the viewer’s attention and makes the image more dramatic and interesting to them. I think the task of showing the dogs being fed is important to capture being done at Mutts as it is something that people would expect to see as a routine task at a rescue centre. It also shows the workers taking care of one of the natural needs of the dogs and so is a positive thing to show.
Summary
Fan Ho has been a great inspiration to me in this project as he has a fantastic ability to compose his images perfectly, so that they capture and draw the viewer’s attention to where he wants it to be. I particularly like his images where he uses the contrast between light and shadow, and how he uses this to frame his subjects with various geometric shapes. Additionally I think that his dramatic use of light and shadow helps to develops mood and atmosphere in his images and make them even more captivating. I likewise will make use of light/shadow to make my images more captivating and to direct the viewer’s attention by framing the subjects with light or creating a high contrast area of light and shadow. As some of my images will be taken outside I can use naturally highlighted areas created by sunlight to focus attention on my subjects. Fan Ho also used smoke and mist in his images to create atmosphere and this is something I would also like to make use of too. Most days at Mutts a fire is burning to dispose of the old bedding and the smoke from this could add interest to the image of the task being performed. Fan Ho took his images in black and white and this helped to add drama to his images, however, I want to capture a more natural documentary type of image so will be taking my photographs in colour. Another aspect of Fan Ho’s work that I like is that most of his images have a genuine feel, taken as if the subjects were not aware of being photographed. This helps the viewer to connect with the subjects and relate to the images reflecting true to life moments of the subject’s lives. I am therefore inspired by his work to make my images appear as if the subjects are not aware of my presence so they will be asked to ignore me and not look directly at the camera.
Influence
In this image I was inspired by Fan Ho and his skill with using light/shadow and geometric shapes in composing his images. A viewer’s eye is naturally drawn to light in an image and Fan Ho uses this to great effect to direct attention and create mood. I was inspired by his work to make my image of a routine task being performed at Mutts more captivating and interesting to the viewer by using light and shadow. I used the natural light coming through the hatch from the outdoor run attached to the kennel to highlight the dog as they are given their dinner by the worker. The shadowed interior part of the kennel surrounds the highlighted rectangle of the open door hatch creating an interesting geometric shape as well as framing the dog about to eat from its bowl. This focuses attention on the task being done by the worker. The use of juxtaposition of light and shadow also produces a high contrast area which draws the viewer’s attention and makes the image more dramatic and interesting to them. I think the task of showing the dogs being fed is important to capture being done at Mutts as it is something that people would expect to see as a routine task at a rescue centre. It also shows the workers taking care of one of the natural needs of the dogs and so is a positive thing to show.
Summary
Fan Ho has been a great inspiration to me in this project as he has a fantastic ability to compose his images perfectly, so that they capture and draw the viewer’s attention to where he wants it to be. I particularly like his images where he uses the contrast between light and shadow, and how he uses this to frame his subjects with various geometric shapes. Additionally I think that his dramatic use of light and shadow helps to develops mood and atmosphere in his images and make them even more captivating. I likewise will make use of light/shadow to make my images more captivating and to direct the viewer’s attention by framing the subjects with light or creating a high contrast area of light and shadow. As some of my images will be taken outside I can use naturally highlighted areas created by sunlight to focus attention on my subjects. Fan Ho also used smoke and mist in his images to create atmosphere and this is something I would also like to make use of too. Most days at Mutts a fire is burning to dispose of the old bedding and the smoke from this could add interest to the image of the task being performed. Fan Ho took his images in black and white and this helped to add drama to his images, however, I want to capture a more natural documentary type of image so will be taking my photographs in colour. Another aspect of Fan Ho’s work that I like is that most of his images have a genuine feel, taken as if the subjects were not aware of being photographed. This helps the viewer to connect with the subjects and relate to the images reflecting true to life moments of the subject’s lives. I am therefore inspired by his work to make my images appear as if the subjects are not aware of my presence so they will be asked to ignore me and not look directly at the camera.
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