YAU LEUNG 邱良 | AFTER THE RAINSTORM, GLOUCESTER ROAD 告士打道

Yau's street photographs are often a nostalgic look into Hong Kong of the past. In Gloucester Road, taken in 1961, an antique vehicle and a motorbike are at the moment passing each other, set amid a backdrop of low-rise buildings bedecked with neon signs. Graced with ethereal lighting, Yau's unique composition offers a true glimpse into life of the 1960s Hong Kong.

Yau Leung is one of the most prominent photographers in Hong Kong's postwar era, dubbed "Bresson of Hong Kong." He was best known for his street photography, capturing with authenticity the lives of people in the city. Yau Leung's eye was drawn to Hong Kong's least privileged residents — children and laborers from the lower social classes. His compositions are minimalist yet thought-provoking, documenting everyday life and stories of old Hong Kong.

Yau's documentary photography witnesses Hong Kong during a time when the Chinese and Western culture were intermingled. The way he captured the subtle details of the everyday affords the viewer a contemplative and deeper understanding of life from the 1960s to 1990s. Moreover, the angle and composition of each of his photos showcase his subjects within the context of life and time in all their fluidity, while also externalizing personal emotion.  

Image reproduction courtesy of Photo Pictorial Publishers Ltd.

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邱良的香港街頭照片總能帶給觀者一種如顛倒沙漏般的舊日情懷，攝於1961年的《告士打道》，捕捉老爺車與電單車擦身而過的瞬間，在四層高樓房及霓虹招牌的背景襯托下，構成舊日香港別具標誌性與時代性的畫面。攝影師細膩的取光與別具心思的構圖，如實記錄上世紀60年代的草根面貌。

邱良是戰後香港最具代表性的攝影師之一，被譽為「香港布列松」，堅持以寫實風格，拍攝以香港普羅大眾的生活為題的作品，他偏愛拍攝孩童和基層的生活點滴，以簡潔深刻的構圖，紀錄生活真情，道出老香港的軼事。

邱良的寫實攝影見證香港華洋共處的時代，透過鏡頭勘視1960-90年代間的社會真情，當中記錄的不單讓觀者對於時代的人生百態有更深廣的觀照和理解，其所採用的拍攝角度和對主體人物的表現方式，更充分體現其對世態流動的細膩感知，進而外化的情感。

此作品蒙 攝影畫報有限公司俞允授權。