Aberdeen floating village, Hong Kong

Posted by on Mar 6, 2011 in Essays, Photography, Travel | 6 Comments

Located in the Aberdeen Harbor in the southern district of Hong Kong, a varied collection of junks, sampan and other water vessels are home—and work—to nearly 6,000 Chinese fishermen and their families. During the 19th Century, Aberdeen was one of the primary fishing ports in Hong Kong. Today, the boat dwellers have steadily declined as nearby fisheries have put pressure on the small fishing community. An active tourism economy brings visitors to these calm waters for dining (e.g. Jumbo Floating Restaurant) and great photo opportunities.

The Tanka people mainly inhabit the harbor that also serves as a typhoon shelter during raging storms in the South China Sea. While sometimes referred to as the boat people, the Tanka are in fact marine boat dwellers and unrelated to the Vietnamese refugee boat people of the 1970s.

Photography commentary
These images are standard, single exposure photos taken with my Canon 50D using a 28-135mm lens. No HDR processing was used in these photos. I shot most of these with a wide aperture (f4.0 – f5.6), fast shutter and auto ISO setting. I performed the processing with onOne PhotoTools and Photoshop. I used Nik Silver Efex 2.0 to create the monochromatic image with selective colorization—a great new feature! Check out more of my photos from Aberdeen on Flickr.

Sampan owner swabbing down the deck, Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong


Various fishing vessels, Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong


Fishermen, Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong


Fishing vessel, Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong

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6 Comments

  1. Chris Kenison
    March 7, 2011

    Great job, Chris! It’s good to have you back!
    Chris Kenison recently posted..The Way HomeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Chris Wray
      March 7, 2011

      Thanks, Chris. It’s good to be back and following my favorite #photogs once again. Twitter is blocked in China. 🙁

      Reply
  2. Toad Hollow Photography
    March 7, 2011

    Top drawer, my friend! I am really looking forward to more of this series. Great captures, all of them are just perfect, you’ve really brought a sense of what it was like to be there here to us.
    Toad Hollow Photography recently posted..Whippletree JunctionMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Chris Wray
    March 7, 2011

    Many thanks, Toad. Your comments mean a lot to me. I look forward to sharing more photos. So many images…so little time (to process)!

    Reply
  4. Nathan Schepker
    March 7, 2011

    Wonderful captures! You really get a sense of the energy of the place.
    Nathan Schepker recently posted..The Lunch Break Series 7My Profile

    Reply
  5. Jan Winther
    May 13, 2011

    I really dig the first two shots in your mini series. I think they capture the environment, the people and the craft of being a fisher man really well. Nicely done!
    Jan Winther recently posted..The paper mill…My Profile

    Reply

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