When I started black and white photography many years ago, Fan Ho was my inspiration. I just love the way he presented his simple images bathed by side or back lighting. The relationship between light and lines have been his signature style. His photographs of the 50’s and 60’s Hong Kong are now published in the book, Fan Ho: A Hong Kong Memoir. It reaches back in time and space and bring us what life was like during that period in Hong Kong. Ever since moving from Shanghai to Hong Kong in 1949, he has been documenting intimate daily street scenes in Hong Kong with his favourite Rolleiflex.

Often he encountered situations where his subjects were not happy with his photography.

“With a knife in his hand, a pig butcher said he would chop me,” the 83-year-old Fan recounted recently for the South China Morning Post. “He wanted his spirit back.”