Photography
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Fan Ho's Inspiration and Influence
Fan Ho's rich photographic oeuvre is unique. Inspired by his Asian artistic culture, and as a self-taught photographer, Ho created a unique social document of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. His photographic vision allows him to create distinctive images. His unique signature use of backlighting, elaborate framing, expert compositions, and cultural sensitivity make his work easily recognizable. Through the quality of his artistic work, he inspired a generation of photographers who continue to create powerful and meaningful images today. As an example, Stephen Cosh's body of photography demonstrates the enduring appeal of Fan Ho's work.
His beginnings
Fan Ho (1931 – 2016) was born in Shanghai during a tumultuous time. In 1949, a few years after the end of World War II, his family moved from China to Hong Kong. It was there that he discovered his interest in photography. Self-taught, he was interested in urban life; he explored the narrow alleys, public markets, and main streets of Hong Kong. From the beginning and throughout his photographic career, he used a single camera: a Rolleiflex K4A.
Fan Ho took these photographs during the 1950s and 1960s, making them a work of his youth. He later moved into the film industry, where he had a successful career as an actor and production manager.
End of his years as a photographer
In 1995, Ho retired from his filmmaking activities in Hong Kong and emigrated to San Francisco to join his family. He lost interest in shooting with modern equipment. Thus, he chose to reinterpret his Hong Kong negatives and began exhibiting his work in local galleries. Following this approach, he attracted the attention of several influential galleries in the United States.
In 2015, Ho embarked on a major project to review his archive in search of previously unseen works. This project is an extension of the photographic work he described in his 1959 book "Thoughts on Street Photography." Although Ho produced it when he was only 28, he was already keenly aware that some of his favorite photos had yet to be given the chance to shine.
In 2017, a retrospective of his work was published: "Portraits of Hong Kong." Before his death, Ho had completed a selection of 500 photographs.
Following the publication of the book "Portrait of Hong Kong," the world is able to see the Hong Kong that Fan Ho knew in his twenties. His incredible documentation shows a city in the throes of change, with no hint of the skyscrapers that would soon transform the urban skyline. Although black and white film was his preference, we also see surprising bursts of color, as Ho experimented with all the technology available to him at the time.
Interpretation of Fan Ho's work
"Approaching Shadow," 1954, his most famous photograph, taken with his cousin as a model against a wall at Queen's College in Causeway Bay. The diagonal shadow line was added in the darkroom, a symbol of youth that is quickly disappearing.
The influence of Ho's photographic work is profound. The richness of his subjects, his technical mastery of image capture and darkroom processing, his imagination, and his unique early influences drawn from the art of Asian painting make him a leading creator. But above all, his ability to compose an image and capture the intensity of the moment place him in a category of his own.
He was able to extract an abstract dimension from his images. His work documenting Hong Kong during the 1950s and 1960s is referred to as "the Cartier-Bresson of the East."
Group 1: Traditional Inspiration
High-key images inspired by traditional Asian painting . High-contrast image, highlighting certain aspects of the scene, with foreground components to amplify the effect of depth. Sensitivity to the geometry of the image. Mountains disappear into the horizon. High-key processing makes elements of the image disappear, highlighting those that are more important. Too much detail transforms the scene into a simple landscape. Ho seeks to compose a minimalist scene.
Check out these examples , including paintings by painter Bada Shanren, a source of inspiration for Ho.
Group 2: Social documentation
Social documentation of Hong Kong , before the arrival of skyscrapers. Light plays a key role in the composition of Ho's photos, often backlit, using shadows with strong contrasts. He is distinguished by framing within a frame, framing with light. He seeks to include complementary elements: smoke, fog, morning scenes. He favors scenes with symmetry and the use of elements of depth. He uses a disciplined approach to ensure a balanced composition with control of depth of field.
With the frequent use of high-key composition, Ho challenges himself to maintain interest in the photo. Midtones are blurred, and many details disappear. His approach allows him to highlight the important elements of his composition and blur distractions.
Fan Ho's influence
Ho's influence on modern photographers is significant. Although less well-known than his European and American colleagues, his body of social documentation is an essential collection.
Fan Ho's Portfolio
Stephen Cosh : A photographer inspired by the work of Fan Ho
As an example, here is a portfolio by Stephen Cosh : In the style of Fan Ho, a selection of photos published on Flickr, street scenes in old Jerusalem. The images on Flickr are in high resolution and downloadable. All of Fan Ho's composition techniques are reflected in these images. However, the important difference is that Cosh's images are captured with a digital camera, a Leica M10. This camera produces a hyper-precise print in terms of resolution and contrast.
On the left, Fan Ho, on the right, Stephen Cosh with post-production processing to get closer to Fan Ho's photos (contrast reduction, sharpness reduction).