Hidden photo spots that capture the essence of Hong Kong

Sheung Wan often gets dismissed as 'that middle place between Central and Sai Ying Pun', or 'that neighborhood where Soho House is'; but, if you take some time to walk around there, you’ll see that it’s also a place where you can capture Hong Kong in it’s best light. Local shops, gridded roads that channel the sunset, trams, taxis – everything you need is here to get some fantastic street shots.

Now, a lot of photographers assume that the best time to visit for street photography is around sunset, but the reality is that if you wait that long, the sun will dip behind the buildings and you miss all of that lovely, contrasting light. To get the best results, make sure you visit here around 2pm to 4pm. There will still be people out delivering goods, usually pushing palettes on trolleys, trams shuttling back and forth, and a general flurry of activity that is worth committing to your photo collection.

The hustle and bustle of the Ladies Market doesn’t have anything on the markets outside Sham Shui Po station, a place that offers much more immersion than many other areas of Hong Kong. You can spend a morning here walking around the stalls, snapping pictures of shop owners peddling their goods, and checking out some of the more unusual trinkets that the stalls have to offer.

If you head to the Noon Day gun in Causeway Bay, you’ll be able to descend down the steps of the harbour and hop on a Sampan that, for $20 per person, will take you out to a long pier with a lighthouse at the end. This spot is perfect for those sunset pics. With a wide-angle lens, you’ll be able to get shots of both the IFC and the ICC and, depending on the time of year, you can capture the sunset bang in the middle of the two.

After the sunset, you can either go back via the Yacht club or flag down another Sampan to take you back to where you got on. This location is definitely a hidden one - not many people head here and it’s never as packed as places like the Victoria dockside. Enjoy!

For beautiful sunsets, take a bus or a cab to Sai Kung and hike to one of the many beaches in the area. Whilst it can get busy on the weekends, they’re much less crowded than beaches in Repulse Bay and offer a variety of hikes that allow for great views and good sunset shots. If you have a drone, Sai Kung is the perfect place to fly – you can cover a fair bit of distance and get some photos of the surrounding greenery.