A Serendipitous Encounter

Hong Kong, a city that vibrates with an unparalleled dynamism, serves as a canvas for many photographers. Yet, nobody captures its essence quite like Chan Wai Kwong, a name synonymous with the city's photographic representation. Born in 1976, Chan has an intimate connection with the city. His journey into photography, influenced by his father's career as a news photographer and his own tumultuous path through various odd jobs, is a testament to his deep-rooted love for the craft despite his self-declared "good-for-nothing" approach to it.

Walking through the bustling streets of Hong Kong, I stumbled upon Chan Wai Kwong, a serendipitous encounter that any photography enthusiast would dream of. Chan, entirely self-taught and self-reliant, has a unique perspective on photography. His black and white, film-based work captures the city's soul, portraying scenes that, as he humbly puts it, "already existed." Chan's background is as fascinating as his work. Dropping out of New Method College after just one year in 1988, he drifted between various odd jobs, from working in a restaurant to being an office errand "boy." Yet, it was photography that captured his heart, a craft he began exploring in his teens, casually at first, before delving deeper into its world.

What makes Chan stand out is not just his undeniable skill with the camera but his philosophy towards photography. "If you ask me about photography, I will categorize myself as a good-for-nothing," he remarked in September 2013. This statement might seem self-deprecating to some, but it reveals Chan's profound understanding of his art. For him, photography is not about creating something new but about capturing what already exists in a moment of pure chance. "To be honest, even without photos I won't die, I can live without photos at any time," he asserts, underlining his belief that the act of taking a photo is trivial in the grand scheme of things.

Despite his nonchalant stance on the importance of his work, Chan Wai Kwong's photographs tell a different story. They are a vibrant chronicle of Hong Kong's streets, capturing the essence of the city in a way that feels both timeless and fleeting. His work is a reminder that beauty and significance can be found in the everyday, the ordinary, the overlooked – and that sometimes, it takes a photographer's eye to reveal the extraordinary within the mundane.

As I walked with Chan through the streets of Hong Kong, I couldn't help but feel inspired by his humility and his approach to photography. In a world where the value of art is often measured by its novelty or the fame of its creator, Chan's perspective is a refreshing reminder of the purity of capturing life as it is. There is, indeed, no city like Hong Kong, and there is certainly no photographer quite like Chan Wai Kwong.