Welcome to our fourth interview on our CiHK blog – where we get up close and personal with movers and shakers in Hong Kong who are proud to call themselves Canadian. Justin’s colorful neon IG feed captured my attention and as well as 83k other followers – so today we are here to learn more about the man behind the camera!
1. Hi Justin! Can you tell us a bit about your background and profession?
Hi Lilly. As you can gather from my IG, I’m a freelance photographer / videographer. In terms of my background: I studied at the University of Waterloo. I lived in Canada for 8 years and returned to Hong Kong in 2016. When I returned to the city, I noticed that a lot of LED-lit signage prevailed over the classic neon lights that Hong Kong was known for. Along with the soon-to-be distant facades of Hong Kong architecture, I wanted to capture these views before it’s too late.
2. Who are your biggest non-photography artistic influences?
Interesting question. I would say Jay Shetty and Steven Bartlett as both of them are influential entrepreneurs. I enjoy listening to their podcasts.
3. How do you define success as a photographer?
For me, everyone has a different definition of success. I relish the process of creating my art. My motto is: if you you enjoy what you do, you will most likely achieve success through passion, output, and satisfaction..
4. How do you develop your art skills outside of your actual works? How do you “practice” in ways people might not expect?
There’s no shortcut or accidental progress without the art of practice. Practice makes perfect. Quoting from well-known photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson: “Your first 10,000 photos are your worst”. Go out more to shoot, read books and learn from other artists. For me – it’s a straightforward process.
5. Tell us about your NFT collection!
It was a great experience to launch my NFT’s featuring HK’s neon heritage. It’s so innovative to convert conventional art into a digital art form. I may consider creating a new NFT sometime in the future, stay tuned.
6. Describe how photography is important to your personal community and social life.
I think photography has a sort of majestic power in documenting people’s daily lives. Seeing the different landscapes and lifestyles we are all a part of makes us feel a sense of uniqueness and togetherness. It’s a magical feeling.
7. What is one post you are quite most proud of?
This one. I love being chill and sitting down for a beautiful sunset – especially in a place like Hong Kong, where the sun can nestle between mountains or tall skyscrapers.
8. Has your photography style changed over time between being in Toronto and HK?
While both places have different things to document and capture; you can always find the beauty in the day-to-day life. There’s definitely more variety in subjects that can be photographed in Hong Kong. Canada’s landscape tends to be more homogenous. That said, I think Canada is such an enormous place to explore!
9. What is the most common criticism of your photography or genre of photography?
I always welcome constructive feedback. Funny story time: I once received a hateful DM from an artist about one of my works – a three-layer format video. He argued that he created this style and I should stop posting content in this format. I told him that no one actually owns this style and that him making a video about Hong Kong does not mean that he owns Hong Kong. I made a video about Hong Kong because I ******* love Hong Kong. I encourage more people to create art or content in their own way, their own style, and their own form. Feel free to derive inspiration from my art. I don’t mind. Keep dreaming, creating, and inspiring others!
10. After being back in HK since 2016, what’s the ratio percentage of how Canadian-HK you feel? i.e. 60-40? And why?
Hmm I feel it’s too hard to define a ratio. Hong Kong has changed lots in recent years and I believe the future remains bright. Especially with more people shuffling back and forth between Canada and Hong Kong.
Thanks for sharing your bio with us Justin! You can check out Justin’s dizzying and spectacular photography on his Instagram.
