Opening Ceremony of Hong Kong International Photo Festival
Date: 27 Nov 2010, 3pm
Venue: Former Central Police Station Compound, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Opening Exhibition “First Photographs of Hong Kong”
Date: 27 Nov – 27 Dec 2010
Venue: Former Central Police Station Compound, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Nowadays, digital photography is so advanced that taking photographs is just a matter of a “click”. You can see everybody is trying to capture their favorite images and moments with their mobile phones, digital cameras or single lens reflex cameras. Although taking photographs has now become part of our lives and people are pursuing the most advanced technologies and latest equipment, does this translate to better quality in photographs? What about our attitude towards photography?
Curator Dr. Edwin Lai from Hong Kong comments, “The photographs in this exhibition were taken in Hong Kong during the period from 1858 to 1875 which, as French curator Dr. Régine Thiriez aptly designates, were the formative years of Hong Kong photography. Although photography was introduced to Hong Kong more than a decade ago, the earliest activities had been limited, intermittent and generally insignificant. It was only in this period that photographers firmly established their footholds in Hong Kong, and more importantly, contributed to the development of a set of subjects and styles that have immensely influenced the photographic and visual representation of Hong Kong for many years to come.”