Recently I had the privilege of visiting Hong Kong during Lunar New Year. My partner lives and works in South Asia and I’m out of Texas, in the United States. Every few months we agree upon a meeting point and we spend several days together. It’s the dynamic of our relationship and this time it brought me to one of the places I’ve wanted to visit the most. 

I’m not a Hongkonger. Hong Kong was never home. But what I experienced during my visit was a sense of familiarity that I don’t get at many places I go to. I felt at home, despite the language barrier and sometimes even the cultural ones as well. It felt good to be in Hong Kong and photograph there. Maybe its because I’ve grown up as an outsider these feelings feel novel to me. It’s often the way I interpret the world around me, for better or for worse. It’s what allowed me to have empathy for the people and topics I photograph. 

My partner and I roamed the streets taking in the city and I snapped pictures along the way. Truth be told I didn’t know what to photograph. I could never set out to make a comprehensive document of Hong Kong or even the totality of what I saw on my trip there. I think what I wanted to photograph was Hongkongers (and her visitors) going about their daily lives along the main arteries of the city. That was the familiarity I felt and what was impactful to me. It wasn’t the spectacular views from Victoria Peak, the bustling boulevards of Hong Kong Island or even the historic buildings in Kowloon. It was the romance of the mundane that drew me in. It was feeling of being at home in my environment. 

I treasure any and all chances to visit East Asia. This visit to Hong Kong wasn’t long enough, but it was nevertheless special to me. I can’t wait to come back.