Saturday, April 5, 2008

Glass (This week's Photo Hunt theme)




There is a Hong Kong movie called City of Glass whose story takes place in London along with Hong Kong. A look at the photo at the top of this Photo Hunt entry, among other things, should leave one will little doubt that the film's title refers to the filmmakers' beloved home town rather than the British capital. For while I've spent many entries of this blog trying to show that Hong Kong isn't just filled with soaring concrete and glass super structures, it's also true enough that this East Asian territory possesses its share of such.

And so much so that it can feel too ordinary for the most part to take pictures of the admittedly beautiful skyline like that which can be viewed from the promenade near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier on a clear (air) day. Instead, as can be seen by the two other photos in this entry, I often derive more fun and satisfaction these days from taking what I hope are interesting photos of reflections on the glass fronts and walls of buildings (be these prominent landmarks like the famous Bank of China Tower in Central or a neighborhood skyscraper!)... ;b

25 comments:

Liz Hinds said...

Wonderful photos. The second one is absolutely stunning!

Melli said...

But isn't the world made just a little more interesting by HAVING such skylines as these? No, I wouldn't want the ENTIRE world to be taken over by concrete and glass -- but I do think that BIG cities have a place not only in the world - but in our hearts as well! I live in the country - but love the city as well! GREAT shots!!!

Anonymous said...

My favorite entry is #2, too.
You did a great job on the theme.

Happy Hunting!

Rainier & Katrina said...

great photo you have here. Sure a lot of glass! haha!

Mine's up as well!
http://rainier-katrina.blogspot.com
http://photography-and-me.blogspot.com

Bengbeng said...

u can b sure the pic of the high rise cannot b found in my little home-town :)

Hootin Anni said...

Stunning pictures. I like the first one most I think...can't decide....wow.

My 'glass' is shared, I sure hope you can find time to drop by for a visit if you haven't already.

Happy Saturday to you, and happy hunting!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Hong Kong! And you have photos of two of my favorite buildings too - the Bank of China Tower and 2 IFC.

Gattina said...

That's a paradise for window cleaners !!
The glass boats I showed on my post were in Egypt. The floor was out of glass so we could look through into the water to see the beautiful colored fishes.

Carver said...

Those are great shots of the buildings and perfect for the glass theme.

Anonymous said...

I like the third shot - the older buildings with air conditioners and clothing reflected in this modern glass building - quite a contrast - like the poor verses the rich or the modern verses the old

I saw City of Glass on dvd and didn't think much about the title until you refer to it here.

Sarge Charlie said...

very nice, when you run out of land you must build vertical, the story of Hong Kong

YTSL said...

Hi Liz --

Thanks! And BTW, hope you noticed the Bank of China Tower in the first photo as well as the second... :b

Hi Melli --

Agree with your comments and thanks! :)

Hi Sanni --

Ooo, another vote for photo #2! ;)

Hi Rainier & Katrina --

Yep, have to say this was an easy theme for me to find photos for! :)

Hi Bengbeng --

Sorry, for some reason, I visited your blog but couldn't open up the entry and also leave a comment. (I may live in a first world city but I have an over 4 year old computer. So... ;S)

Hi Hootin' Anni --

Yep, did visit your blog; actually, before you came over to mine! ;b

Hi Monaco --

You sure like your buildings tall, huh? ;b

Hi Gattina --

Teeheehee, sure enough! And ah, figures that you'd manage to squeeze in another photo from your Egypt trip on to your blog... ;b

Hi Carver --

Thanks! :)

Hi Lissa --

Yay, a vote for the third shot -- which, actually, is my favorite of the three too. :)

Hi Sarge Charlie --

Hong Kong actually has a lot of land still. It's just that a lot is very hill and/or designed protected countryside. So, yes, the tendency is to build vertical and also do a lot of land reclamation.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Amazing shots, I wouldn't know which one to choose as favorite. Fine work as usual!

Have a great weekend.

Katney said...

My recent city visit is full of images of reflections in glass buildings. I chose a different glass for my Photo Hunt, though.

CRIZ LAI said...

Beautiful skyscraper shots. I always like the reflections on those glassy windows :)

http://crizcats.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I personally love your first shot because at one glance, all the buildings look as if they were built with glass. Hohooho... Happy weekend (=

jmb said...

Those are very clever photos YTSL, outstanding. It is a great skyline and one I'd like to see in person some day. Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

No, that first one doesn't look like London UK at all :)

the second and third shots are superb. Wonderful reflections!

jams o donnell said...

Great shots! Happy weekend

Dragonstar said...

Beautiful. I love reflections!

Colin Campbell said...

I used to love to work in Hong Kong during my short stays there. A unique and interesting place. Singapore where I was living seemed very spread out compared to Hong Kong.

Unknown said...

Wonderful photos. Well done for the theme.
Happy weekend.

Andree said...

That's a beautiful building there. It's not ugly like I envision most city buildings, but inspiring.

peppylady (Dora) said...

We sure don't have any building like that around here.
Thanks for stopping earlier

YTSL said...

Hi SnoopytheGoon --

Thanks for being a regular Photo Hunt visitor and hope you have a fine weekend yourself! :)

Hi Katney --

Yes, you certainly did choose something different for your Photo Hunt entry. ;b

Hi Criz Lai --

Yep, yep! And too bad the tallest building in Penang seems more concrete than glass covered, right?

Hi Pelfy --

Come to Hong Kong, go stand in front of the HK Cultural Centre looking south to Hong Kong Island and you'll easily be able to get a picture of your own of this skyline. :)

Hi jmb --

When you come to Hong Kong and I'm still around here, let's meet up! :)

Hi A. --

Yeah, figured you'd agree re the first shot not being of London. And thanks for appreciating the second and third shots. :)

Hi jams o donnell --

Thanks! :)

Hi Dragonstar --

Thanks to you too! :)

Hi Colin Campbell --

Actually, Hong Kong's bigger than Singapore. Sounds like you didn't enough exploring on your Hong Kong business trips... ;b

Hi John --

Thanks, glad you like the photos.

Hi Andree --

Yeah, some of Hong Kong's modern architecture is actually quite interesting, if not exciting and magnificent!

Hi peppylady --

Hope you get the experience of living in a city some time. There's nothing like living in the middle of a city to make me feel like I'm living in a place that's truly alive... :)