Celebrity Life

The acclaimed fashion photographer and founder of jewellery brand Francis de Lara, John-Paul Pietrus talks about what inspires him these days, his colourful career, shooting during a pandemic and the endless beauty of the Italian Renaissance.

The post In Real Life: Fashion Photographer and Jewellery Designer John-Paul Pietrus appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Take a peek behind the curtain with photographer Joanna Vestey’s photo series that features historic venues and their caretakers.

The post Custodians for Covid is Joanna Vestey’s ode of appreciation to unseen caretakers of London’s theatres appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Take a peek behind the curtain with photographer Joanna Vestey’s photo series that features historic venues and their caretakers.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Twenty years after working on Wong Kar-wai’s seminal movie In the Mood for Love, photographer Wing Shya talks to us about capturing the essence of that film, and his own career as a director.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wong Kar-wai’s In theMood for Love, arguably the Hong Kong film -- and certainly the one that exported a romantic, nostalgia-tinged vision of our city to a global audience.

This year’s Cannes film festival, though cancelled due to Covid19, was expected to celebrate the movie, on which a relatively inexperienced photographer, Wing Shya, captured still photographs of protagonist lovers Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung under moody lights and dramatic shadows.

[caption id="attachment_208567" align="alignnone" width="1388"] Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in In the Mood for Love[/caption]

“We worked day and night on that film," says Shya. “At that time we just worked like that. It was a small team and not a big budget ... And we really didn’t know the film would become so huge and famous."

Twenty years on and the man who subsequently became Hong Kong’s most famous photographer is fast becoming an established film director in his own right, with some of his movies - like the ones he’s been shooting lately - being produced by Wong Kar-wai’s film company, Jettone. The tight-knit duo have been working together on-and-off in some capacity for 25 years.

“When I started taking photos for Wong Kar-wai on his films,"Shya says, “the first film job was for Happy Together with Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung, in Argentina. I didn’t really know anything about photography ... and it was kind of the same with being a film director. I learned so much on the job just on my first movie, Hot Summer Days, with Tony Chan.

“It’s so different from doing photography - when you’re a photographer you can be very emotional. You take the picture and it can be very focused. As a film director you always have to think about all these different elements - the visual, the actors, the dialogue, the mood - constantly thinking every second of shooting. It’s hard work and so difficult."

[caption id="attachment_208569" align="alignnone" width="1384"] Leslie Cheung[/caption]

Acclaimed writer and film director Tony Chan teamed up with Shya for Hot Summer Days, after asking him to help direct a script that he’d been working on. Shya says it involved almost a year of sitting down with each other in Starbucks to work on the film. Remarkably, especially for directing newbie Shya, it became the first Hong Kong

Chinese film made by the giant 20th Century Fox “We went for a five-minute presentation with the guy from Fox, as he was about to go to the airport. It was so rushed but he loved it, and three months later they decided to fund the film. It was really crazy, they met a lot of other directors in Hong Kong and China but decided to choose us."

Now Shya is in the midst of directing his third and fourth feature films (in addition to a few shorts) - shooting in Shanghai was temporarily stalled because of the virus, but will resume shortly. All his films have been quirky romantic comedies set in Hong Kong or mainland Chinese cities.

[caption id="attachment_208566" align="alignnone" width="1398"] Angelababy and Jing Boran in Hot Summer Days[/caption]

Along with Hot Summer Days (2010), his second film Love in Space (2011) really established Shya’s nostalgic, witty and light-hearted style and genre. When I ask why he chose comedy, he says it’s something that he always wanted to do. “I love comedy," he says. “I want to go to a movie theatre and laugh out loud."

In terms of stars and celebrity, Shya has worked with almost all of them, capturing images of the late golden era of Hong Kong stars, such as Leslie Cheung, Shu Q, Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as they acted or waited on set. Shya was a deft hand at shooting these stars off-guard, a style so different from the glossy, cultivated looks of Hong Kong celebrities that the media had previously been used to.

In the last 10 years as a filmmaker, he’s directed the likes of Aaron Kwok, Eason Chan, Nicholas Tse, Angelababy, Barbie Hsu, Daniel Wu and Rene Liu, and continues to work with some of China’s biggest rising screen stars.

When I ask if he has any favourites, since there are a few names that regularly come up, Shya diplomatically replies, “Sometimes I don’t choose the stars, actors and actresses ... Jettone is producing my films now and sometimes they’re chosen by the producers. Sometimes there are so many investors to take care of, and they also have a say in casting the stars," he says with a laugh.

It’s Shya’s laidback attitude, wit and sense of humour that have made him such a unicorn in the world of photography, fashion and film. There are no airs nor graces, despite his having achieved cult fame in Hong Kong and China. He’s exhibited in London’s V&A and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, and has shot for the likes of iD Magazine,Vogue Italia and Numero. Today, Shya remains one of the most down-to-earth talents I’ve met in this city. Even when talking about his remarkable reputation and success, his take is very typically Shya. “Everything that happened in my life and career has been partly luck ... All the moves and new directions have been natural and organic ... I didn’t really plan it, I just kind of go with the flow and how I feel."

As for that instantly recognisable signature mood, aesthetic and style, Shya says that meeting Terry Jones of iD and shooting for the magazine early on was a defining moment in his career. “Terry was kind of my mentor in establishing my style. When I met him, he just gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted; that creative freedom was amazing and not something that I could find easily in Hong Kong. I could shoot naked people, or blurry pictures - it was the freedom that gave me the inspiration to create my style."

[caption id="attachment_208570" align="alignnone" width="1383"] Shu Qi opposite Du Juan[/caption]

In late 2017, the Shanghai Centre of Photography held a retrospective exhibition of Shya’s work, titled Acting Out - a collection of personal work as well as broad selection of images from his time as Wong Kar-wai’s on-set stills photographer - curated by noted Chinese art critic and curator Karen Smith from his entire image archive (outtakes and mistakes included). The opening, attended by Shya’s family, was an emotional event for him.

Today, the once-prolific fashion photography has mostly stopped. He still shoots for a select few clients and magazines, but is kept increasingly busy by film protects. But that doesn’t mean Shya doesn’t still keep an eye on the photography and fashion scenes, and the many young photographic talents coming out of Hong Kong, China and Asia.

“My style is already vintage style, a bit nostalgic, and honestly I’m not really up to date any more, but I love what the young photographers are doing -- it’s so exciting. It’s not the same stuff that I can do -- but I love it."

The post Photographer Wing Shya on Light and Shadow appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

If you're anything like us, your Instagram feed may have a few too many cute puppies and delicious-looking food pics.

No worries, we're here to help you freshen up your feed with this list of 7 amazing Hong Kong-based photographers, whose sole purpose is to document the world through a lens and share their inspirational images. From the world's most stunning natural landscapes to atmospheric urban scenes and perfect portraiture, ahead is our pick of the best local photographers to follow on Instagram today.

Above image: Vivien Liu @vdubl

Harimaolee

Followers: 373k

Freelance photographer Harimao's Instagram is best for travel inspiration. In fact, you'll start noting down your travel wish list immediately after viewing his photos. His silhouettes have also inspired us to turn our back to the camera and let the lens do the work.

 

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A post shared by Harimao Lee | Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (@harimaolee) on Jun 23, 2020 at 4:49am PDT

2.25c

Followers: 30.1k

Like a moth to a flame, we just adore images full of bright colour, and that's where Samuel's Instagram comes in. This young photographer and filmmaker captures light like no other, and what would normally be a plain static image is brought to life because of it.

 

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A post shared by Samuel Chan | Hong Kong🇭🇰 (@2.25c) on Feb 21, 2019 at 5:42am PST

Hurtingbombz

Followers: 34.7k

Justin Lim's style of photography is very fine-art-meets-documentary. But what we love the most are his striking portraits and his ability to capture emotion within the shot. Intimate and almost always sultry, the photographs feel a little Wong Kar-wai-esque to us.

 

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A post shared by Justin Lim (@hurtingbombz) on Feb 25, 2020 at 8:47am PST

Veeceecheng

Followers: 163k

You may recognise some of Victor's shots from another well-known Instagram account --his fiancée's Samishome-- who often features in his shots. What you'll find here is a colourful grid of pastel-hues that feel like they belong in a Wes Anderson film. And with many of them taken in Hong Kong, it really does make you fall in love with our city every time he posts.

 

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A post shared by Victor Cheng (@veeceecheng) on Mar 14, 2020 at 6:40am PDT

Vdubl

Followers: 250k

Vivian's shots look like they're straight out of a glossy magazine, so it's no wonder brands such as Audemars Piguet and American Express have worked with her. A background in architecture lends a distinct urban style in which clean lines and building patterns are heavily featured, but it's when she uses them as her backdrop in portraits that it is most impressive.

 

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A post shared by Vivien (@vdubl) on Feb 8, 2020 at 5:15am PST

Kelvin_yuen_

Followers: 45.8k

As the winner of a National Geographic photography award, Kelvin's images are the unbelievable kind of scenic snapshots that tell the story of our natural world. Think misty mountain tops, cascading waterfalls, northern lights and more that inspire us endlessly. So much so that we're inclined to save a few as our desktop wallpapers.

 

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A post shared by Kelvin's Landscapes (@kelvin_yuen_) on Jul 5, 2020 at 5:57am PDT

The post The Hong Kong Photographers to Follow on Instagram Right Now appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Love photography or just love your instagram feed? Whatever the case, I’ve got the goodies for you. It has now been 8 years since I…

The post 10 of the Best Photo Locations in Dubai appeared first on World of Wanderlust.

Being in a lockdown has never stopped art. Here’s proof that human ingenuity and the love for expression are limitless.

The post Art in the time of Covid-19 appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Being in a lockdown has never stopped art. Here’s proof that human ingenuity and the love for expression are limitless.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Coravin, the wine lover's dream device that lets you pour wine without uncorking, is back with brand new models.

As fans of the smart wine preservation system, we have observed Coravin for some time and seen the brand expand with new technology every year. Now, they have extended their product lineup with the launch of new systems -- Models Three and Six. What's more, all new and existing models have been equipped with SmartClamps™, which, prior to the launch, was only available on Model Eleven. The new easy-on and easy-off clamps are designed to go over the neck of the bottle and push down firmly on the handle in one fluid motion, making the system even easier to use.

Coravin's wine access technology is all down to the hollow needle that is inserted through the cork, before the system pressurises the bottle with Argon (an inert, colourless and odourless) gas, to pour the wine out. Once poured, and the Coravin is taken off the bottle, the cork reseals naturally -- allowing wine to stay fresh for months on end, and years if needed.

The new systems also comes with a Coravin Screw Cap which allows users to enjoy new world wine (with screw caps) the same way as old world wine (cork) bottles, preserving them for up to three months.

So, with four Coravin Models in total, Model Three, Five, Six and Eleven, which model is the right one for you? Well, let's find out shall we.

Coravin Model Three

Details: Model Three is an upgraded version of Coravin's Model One and features a clean and simple, user-friendly and functional design in matte texture.
Perfect for: the everyday wine drinker.
Price: HK$2,080

Coravin Model Five

Details: Model Five is not available for retail as it has been made specifically for trade. The design is simply elegant but durable.
Perfect for: those in the industry who favour classic design with metallic accents.
Price: email for trade price

Coravin Model Six

Details: Model Six is the upgraded version of the popular Model Two Elite edition, it also features vibrant colours with chrome accents.
Perfect for: luxury style and fashion lovers.
Price: HK$3,580

Coravin Model Eleven

Details: Model Eleven is the smartest device of the Coravin family. It is the first bluetooth connected and fully automatic system. It comes with LED display, glass pour optimisation, and connection to the Coravin Moments app, which tracks system statistics and advises on wine pairings with food, music and more.
Perfect for: technology and gadget enthusiasts who love a varied wine experience.
Price: HK$6,880

The post Catch SCoP’s “Beyond Fashion” Exhibition in Shanghai appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

For the last quarter of a century, the bespoke New York-based publishing house of Assouline has served as what's appropriately been called a "librarian of luxury". Although starting out with compact, hand-size volumes devoted to famous names in fashion and luxury goods that sold for a mere handful of dollars, the company quickly moved on to specialise in huge, lavishly photographed, printed and bound tomes that could cost upwards of four or, in the case of limited editions, even five figures.

Still a family business today, the company was founded in Paris basement by a couple with extensive experience in the luxury ecosystem: Prosper Assouline headworker in an advertising agency, while his wife Martine had served as head of communications for the house of Rochas. So it was perhaps inevitable that when they began their own publishing venture they didn't stray too far from terra cognita, with a catalogue of beautiful books devoted to the grand maisons of French fashion and luxury, names such as Cartier, Chanel and Dior -- one that's expanded in magnitude along with the physical dimensions of the publications themselves.

[gallery ids="206677,206678"]

In addition to fashion and luxury -- subjects with which the company has served as several brands' semi-official biographer -- Assouline explores other subjects likely to be of interest to a readership that is by definition affluent and globally aware. Art, design,  architecture, automobiles and high society naturally figure prominently, but at the other end of the scale the publishing house is perfectly happy to engage with elements of  culture that are less obviously elevated.  So far it's produced five monumental collaborations with Coca-Cola, while a 2008 enquiry from the toymaker Mattel resulted in a pair of equally enormous publication, one devoted to the Barbie Doll and the other to Hot Wheels.

[caption id="attachment_206680" align="alignnone" width="1927"] The Beachside Bar Le Club 55 in St Tropez, France[/caption]

The post Assouline Takes Us on a Journey of the Imagination appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.