Hong Kong’s Lens Crafters

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

From food to people, weddings to babies- Meet some of Hong Kong’s best photographers who have given thousands a reason to smile. They share with us a little about themselves,their work and most importantly, their weapon of choice.

Jill Carter

American photographer Jill Carter began her love affair with Hong Kong a decade ago. In that time, she’s photographed hundreds of families in both studio and vibrant street settings. While family and wedding photography is her primary passion, she enjoys working with businesses, both small and large, to create custom stock art imagery and professional business portraits.

www.jillcarterphotography.com

Two of her most popular offerings are her “Scenes from Hong Kong” family portrait session — utilising iconic Hong Kong locations as backdrops – and her “Photography for Mummies and Daddies” private photography lesson. When she’s not behind the “big camera”, Jill can often be found filming TikTok videos with her two daughters Grace and Olivia, walking her two rescue dogs Elsa and Tasha, hiking our vast green hills, and wandering little backstreets in search of cool walls.

What got you started?
My passion for photography started at an early age with my first camera, the Kodak Instamatic (with flashcubes — remember those?). The hobby grew until I was taking loads of photos for friends and family, of their babies, kids, dogs and eventually weddings.

I did this on weekends and holidays while working in marketing/ communications. Eventually, I realised that photography was where my heart was, did some training and second-shooting for a few professionals, and then made a move into a full-time career.

Do you have a particular style?
My style is generally minimalist, relaxed and natural-looking, but I use poses, angles and great lighting to highlight my client’s best features. I want people to feel great about themselves when they see the images. They still look like their true selves (no dodgy filters!), but on their best day.

What cameras do you use?
For professional work, I use Canon equipment. I use a 1DS as my primary and have a 1DX and a 5D as my backup cameras. For travel, I use a Fuji X100T. And for snaps of my kids and dogs, I use my iPhone Xs. The best camera is the one you have with you, and I believe that you can get great results with any camera.

What do you enjoy taking photographs of the most?
I like to have a variety of subjects to keep the work creative and fun, but in my heart, I always get the biggest buzz working with families and capturing their unique stories and connections.

Advice for budding photographers
Before you go pro, volunteer as much as you can to assist and second-shoot for a seasoned professional. This will help you build your portfolio in a less stressful environment while learning the ropes. And always have backup equipment for paid jobs. If anything can go wrong, eventually
it will!
[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5013,5014,5015,4863″ img_size=”medium”]

Please click on the photo to see the full size image

 

Asmita Bharadwaj Das

Food Stylist & Photographer

Asmita is the founder and the face behind OneWholesomeMeal, her food blog which she lovingly calls her third baby. She is a passionate Home Chef, Food Stylist and Photographer.

https://asmita-bharadwaj-das.format.com
https://onewholesomemeal.com
https://www.instagram.com/onewholesomemeal/

What got you started?
It was not a premeditated and wellplanned decision. I bought my first DSLR back in 2011 but never went beyond the manual mode for the longest time. A few years back, when I sat scrolling through my Instagram, I chanced upon a famous food blogger’s feed, and I was besotted! At that moment, I knew blending my two passions- food and photography was my calling.

Do you have a particular style?
Experts say it takes decades for a photographer to develop a style that can be his or her hallmark and I am only a few years into this profession. I do not have a style per se, but I do naturally gravitate towards images with strong shadows which instantly generate an emotional response. That said, I do have my bright and airy days (pun intended)

What cameras do you use?
My iPhone X and Canon 6D Mark II

What do you enjoy taking photographs of the most?
Food, of course! However, ever so often, I enjoy taking a break from food photography and do some candid shots for family and friends.

Advice for budding photographers
My only advice to budding cophotographers (or all entrepreneurs for that matter) like me would be to turn a deaf ear to all advice! No matter how well-meaning a person it comes from, no one knows and understands you, your strengths and weaknesses and goals like you do. So, work hard & persist and good things will follow.

I love motivational quotes, and this one by Dr Seuss is one of my favourites- “you have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who will decide where to go.”
[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5003,5004,5005,5006″ img_size=”medium”]

Please click on the photo to see the full size image

 

Ali G

Ali G is a professional wedding, celebrity and VIP photographer in Hong Kong. His romance with photography began in 1989 when his uncle gave him a 35mm camera as a birthday present. At the age of 16, Ali began documenting one of the modern world’s most important events: The fall of the Berlin Wall.

www.aligstudios.com
www.youtube.com/c/aligstudios

Witnessing this unique event filled with emotions, colours and cultural diversity shaped Ali’s photographic style. Since then, Ali has travelled the world in 30 countries and homed in 6 of them, with the privilege of working in the United States, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Brazil, France, and the Philippines.

He currently resides and works as a professional photographer in Hong Kong, and he travels for international assignments.

What got you started?
My uncle gave me my first camera when I was 16 before my family travelled to Berlin, Germany, in 1989. It was the fall of the Berlin Wall!

Do you have a particular style?
The best types of photos are the ones which you don’t see the photographer. Therefore, I try to be unobtrusive and as organic as possible.

What cameras do you use?
I use Nikon for my professional work, and I also use Apple’s iPhone and Huawei for my personal photography. I have actually started my own YouTube channel to share tips & tricks for mobile phone photography! You can check it out here:
www.youtube.com/c/aligstudios

What do you enjoy taking photographs of the most?
I’m a people person, and I’m passionate about photographing weddings, families, corporate portraits and dancers.

Advice for budding photographers
Know your camera inside out, work on your craft and photograph what you’re passionate about. Ask yourself, ‘What would I be willing to wake up at 4:30AM to photograph?’
[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5007,5008,5009,5010″ img_size=”medium”]

Please click on the photo to see the full size image

 

Sakshi Verma

A winner of multiple people’s choice awards, Sakshi Verma, has been shooting professionally for 8+ years. Sakshi’s strong imagery and portraits are built around her love for capturing the simple beauty of children, and the love within families.

https://www.sakshiverma.net/
https://www.facebook.com/SakshiVermaPhotography/
https://instagram.com/imagesbysakshi

Sakshi specialises in natural light photography and prefers to shoot in natural surroundings. She creates photojournalistic stories of her clients – highlighting precious details such as loving glances between siblings or the extra folds behind newborns’ knees. A lover of all things “art”, apparently you just need to mention “travel” to catch her attention. A proud dog parent, she is a mother to 2 boys, who are the light of her life, and very often the subject of her photographic experiments.

What got you started?
Photography was a hobby since I was a teenager, but it definitely got more serious when I was on a maternity break after the birth of my first child.

Do you have a particular style?
Others have frequently described my work as Emotional and real. I do press the shutter when I catch a look or expression, not essentially when the shot is pretty and perfect.

What cameras do you use?
I use Canon gear for my work. However, a lot of my personal favourite shots also come from my phone camera (which is always at hand).

What do you enjoy taking photographs of the most?
A big chunk of my portfolio is families with young children. But I also love the challenge of working with small business owners where we plan and create images to go with their brand requirements.

Advice for budding photographers
Keep clicking. Don’t buy too much equipment just yet. Quite often, we are underutilising the gear we have. Take your time to learn everything about the gear and equipment you already have. Try not to copy other’s pictures. It will take time, but you shall find your style.

[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”5020,5021,5022,5023″ img_size=”medium”]

Please click on the photo to see the full size image

 

Sonali Devnani

Sonali Devnani is a sought out portrait photographer in Hong Kong and India. With over 26,000 Instagram followers, her talent for capturing emotions in their raw natural form has gained her thousands of fans. Her photography depicts reality, and emotions and the culture every city represents with the mundanities of daily life.

www.instagram.com/sonalid3

With an insatiable hunger for travel and discovering new and old places multiple times, she captures her experiences and the people she meets through her lens and on canvas.

 

What got you started?
As a person who never owned a camera, the curiosity of taking images that looked professional took over, and I purchased my first DSLR in 2009.

Do you have a particular style?
After taking numerous images of friends and family, I realised I loved taking pictures of people over landscapes.

What cameras do you use?
My first camera was a basic canon 500d canon with just a 50mm lens and now I have upgraded to a 5d mark iv with various Canon lenses.

What do you enjoy taking photographs of the most?
Portrait photography is very close to my heart and taking images of people and capturing their emotions is what I love most. Being behind the lens also gives me an insight into their personal lives and struggles as there is never an opportunity that I miss when it comes to interacting and speaking with the subjects I photograph. So, in a nutshell, I like to take images of emotions candidly.

Advice for budding photographers
Passion for travel and seeing the world behind the lens is a very different experience, and I always suggest budding photographers to be patient and create their unique style. It’s only with time that you can finally start creating images that you were once inspired by.

[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”4997,4998,4999,5000,5001″ img_size=”medium”]

Please click on the photo to see the full size image

 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Leave A Comment