As a teenager, Chinese photographer and filmmaker Fan Ho received a Kodak Brownie camera from his father marking the beginning of a lifelong interest in and passion for the medium. His black-and-white images of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 60s parallel the street photography of his American and European contemporaries with a highly stylized aesthetic that is uniquely his own.
Taken in 1947 when he was just 16 years old and still living in Shanghai, Back Alley Shine, China showcases the hallmarks of his photographic style. From the tranquil scene of the urban marketplace to the dramatic play of light and shadow that places the central figures in silhouette, it is an image that celebrates and immortalizes the daily lives of the city’s inhabitants.
