Hong Kong - Shops
Before COVID, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time shooting in Hong Kong. The energy of the streets, the density of life, and the contrast to my home city of Brisbane created an extraordinary sense of visual tension. Where Brisbane is spacious and open, Hong Kong is layered, intimate, and overflowing with character. Over time, I found myself drawn again and again to its small shops and the people who ran them: craftsmen, traders, makers, and keepers of a rapidly changing world.
What began as casual street photography slowly shifted into a personal project. I started noticing the tiny workshops tucked behind metal shutters, the fabric stores stacked floor-to-ceiling with colour, the repair shops humming with one fan and one fluorescent tube. These places weren’t just businesses; they were living archives of skill and tradition. Through my lens, I wanted to capture the rhythm of these spaces and the quiet pride of the people who kept them going.
The images from this series highlight the textures that define Hong Kong’s commercial heart—oxidised metal, sun-bleached signage, lacquered wood, neon reflections, and hands worn from decades of work. Each photograph aims to draw viewers into a world that feels both urgent and fragile. Much like the editorial work I create here in Brisbane, I focused on mood, detail, and atmosphere, allowing the environment itself to tell the story.
Many of these shops, especially after the pandemic, face uncertain futures. Some have already disappeared. The photographs serve as a record of a community built on perseverance, craftsmanship, and the kind of resourcefulness that rarely survives the pressures of modern redevelopment. There is beauty in their imperfection and an honesty in the way these spaces function—nothing unnecessary, nothing wasted, everything with a purpose.
As a commercial photographer in Brisbane, projects like this inform the way I approach client work. Whether I’m shooting headshots, portraits, or commercial campaigns, I’m always searching for the details that reveal character—the textures, tones, and quiet moments that help a brand or subject tell its story with authenticity. Hong Kong taught me the power of environment and context, and that influence continues to shape how I build visual narratives for the businesses and creatives I work with here at home.
If you’d like to explore how commercial photography can bring your brand’s story to life, whether through atmosphere, detail, or emotion, I’d love to chat.
