The V.I. Image Gallery
Wong Yin Fook's Favourite
Black and White Images
Wong Yin Fook
The pictures below were taken by Wong Yin Fook aka Yin Wong. His photographs are usually humorous, witty and sometimes surreal.
He enjoys taking pictures of people and seeks out unusual subjects walking in London or at re-enactments in the Britain.
He is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society, holds a distinction at Platinum level at FIAP (Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique) and also a distinction of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain.
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How it all began
by Wong Yin Fook
I was in my early teens in 1955 then a pupil of the Victoria Institution. I was wandering one afternoon along the school corridor. Chung Chee Min appeared from a small room beneath the staircase leading to the school office and saw me.
He excitedly beckoned me into this room. He told me he was just about to develop a black and white print and would I be interested to see it happening. Curious, I said yes and entered the darkened room. It was the darkroom of the school’s Photographic Society, dimly lit by a red photographic safety light.
I watched as Chee Min submerged the paper in the developing tray containing the photographic developer. I saw a faint misty image on the paper as the photographic process started to take effect. The image got darker and sharper. Within a few minutes, the process was complete and Chee Min proudly showed me a fully developed wet print which he left to dry.
That episode has been etched in my memory. It sowed the seed of my interest in photography.
But it set me on a journey to take up the hobby of photography in later life.
The rest, as one can say, is history!
1. Behind the cow.
This image was taken in a gallery of contemporary art. I had just walked into one of the galleries and noticed this visitor peering at the back of one of the exhibits. It was one half of a sculpture of a cow which had a video playing at its rear end. The visitor was intently watching the video and did not notice me when I took this shot. In the background was a picture of a woman which I think added to the composition. I love to capture this sort of image. This particular image was accepted in the London International Photographic Salon and gained me awards in international exhibitions.
2. Spaceman walking dog.
On a visit to Somerset House in London for an art exhibition, I saw this person dressed in a spacesuit wandering in the open courtyard. He was about 100 yards in front of me. At the same time I noticed a man next to me walking his dog on a leash. I asked the man with the dog if I could photograph his dog with the person in the spacesuit. He willingly complied. So I took his dog and approached the “spaceman” who was only too willing to be photographed walking the dog! The minute I took this picture, a number of people followed my example and started taking pictures of the spaceman and dog.
3. Family picnic.
I was walking along the ridge overlooking the Bedfordshire Downs, England which I spotted this family and their dog enjoying the summer’s evening. They were 10 yards in front of me and did not notice me. Only one of the girls took a quick look behind. A minute later the children had run down the slope with their dog to play in the fields. This was one of my “decisive moment” images. This image has won me awards (plus a couple of gold medals) in international exhibitions.
4. Before the service
I was visiting Westminster Abbey one Sunday evening before the start of the evening service. I had entered through the rear entrance. As I was wandering around the large cloisters in the Abbey, I noticed this group of choir boys from the renowned Abbey Choir and some of the clergy assembling for the evening service. In order to enhance my composition, I sat on the floor by the doorway to get this shot. I took this picture just before they were about to enter the Abbey for the service.
5. Don’t do this at home.
On Saturdays, Portobello Road in London is usually busy with tourists. I was walking with a friend when I noticed this man with his head in a pail. He was a street artist and to the left of him was a collection box (not shown) which had “donations” from passersby. I captured this photo just as the family was passing and were obviously amused by what they saw.
6. Any more lollipops
I was taking a picture of the boy on the right when I noticed the smaller boy walking with his mother. I asked her if I could “borrow” her son to get his picture taken with the older boy. It was when the older boy was eyeing at the lollipop of the smaller boy that I got the shot I wanted.
7. Bunny and two girls
At a Comic Con event I noticed this boy dressed in a bunny outfit seated on the bench with his girl friend. Both were watching the girl on their right walking by with a dummy “gun” in her hand. This was a candid shot. It would not have worked if they were posing for me.
8. Hey, that’s my girl
I saw these three people when I was at a Comic Con event in London. The lad on the left was dressed to re-enact a Star Wars role armed with the so-called “Light Sabre”. The man in the middle of the bench was re-enacting Indiana Jones. The girl was supposed to be Indiana Jones' girl friend. Notice she has only one shoe.
9. Feline audience
During a Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England I noticed this large bill board advert for cat food. I waited until a man and his dog was walking past to get this shot.
10. Street hair demonstration
Walking along London’s Portobello Road one Saturday, I came across this group of Japanese hairdressers who were demonstrating the art of preparing the hair of a Japanese bride. The model was dressed in the Japanese traditional kimono. I was told that the hair dresser (not in the picture) had just won the prestigious Vidal award a few weeks previously. She was travelling around Europe and the United States to demonstrate her hair dressing skills. The woman with the greyhound was a passing tourist. That she had a dog and was taking a picture with her smart phone of a group of Japanese hairdressers in a London street made the picture somewhat surreal!
11. Waiting
I was strolling along Portobello Road in London with a friend when I took this picture. I had just spoken to the girl who was waiting for her friend. I asked her if I could take her picture. I was focusing on her and it was only after I had taken the shot that I noticed the man in the corner looking at her!
12. Ginger Pig
On Saturdays, London’s Portobello Road is usually busy with tourists. Some shopkeepers display clothing and sometimes food at their shop front to entice the customers. This girl was paid to be seated outside the shop named “Ginger Pig”, with a blackboard and some plates of cookies on the table. She would answer questions from passersby and offer the cookies as tasters of the food in the café.
13. Caught busking
This picture was taken in London’s Brick Lane. A group of buskers, who were probably not allowed to perform on the pavement, were giving their details to the local community officers.
14. Kitty, Emola and baby Jane
I was walking along Brewer Street in Soho, London when I spotted these two girls. I asked them if I could take their picture and posed them again a dark background. After I had taken some shots of these girls, a mother with her baby came and stood next to me. I asked the mother if I could borrow her baby (Jane) for the two girls (Kitty and Emola) to hold while I took a few more shots. This is one of the photos that I liked.
15. Evening shadows
On a walkabout in London’s Camden lock I noticed these shadows of a person texting on his phone and the lamp.
16. Admiring the giant egg
At London’s South Bank was one of the two hundred giant fibre glass eggs produced by a variety of artists and designers for the Fabage Big egg hunt during the Easter of 2012. I took a few shots of the giant egg but was not happy with the result until I saw an American girl walking by and asked her to pose in front of the egg. She did an excellent pose admiring the face of the egg. These eggs were located around various locations in London. At the end of the event, each giant egg was auctioned off from £1000 plus. One egg fetched a sum in excess of £40000!
17. Nun on a motorised piano
Walking along London’s South Bank, I came across this man dressed as a nun driving a piano and travelling at a fast walking pace. It was blaring hymn music as it went along and the so-called “nun” was blessing amused onlookers as he passed them. He “blessed” me as I took this photo.
18. Children on a bus
It was one of the old type double decker buses with the entrance/exit at the rear. It was parked in South Bank, London and I noticed some children were playing in the bus. I took this photo in 2018 but felt it has a sort of retro look of the sixties period.
19. French bulldogs versus the drone
I was visiting some friends who have five French bulldogs. One of their fellow guest wanted to test the drone he had just bought. As he flew the drone the dogs took an active interest, barking, jumping and following the drone as it flew around the garden.
20. Selfie with a tortoise
I had gone to London Zoo in Regents Park to meet some friends. While passing the tortoise enclosure, I spied this keeper taking a selfie with the tortoise. She had just given the tortoise a wash and I guess this was to show it how clean it was.
21. Reflections
I saw this white suit dummy in a shop while walking through Camden Passage in Islington. The reflection of the white suit against the framed picture of Big Ben and street lights conveyed a ghost-like image which was quite surreal.
22. Akita dogs
It was the dogs that first caught my eye when I passed these two men drinking outside a pub in London. I approached them and asked if I could photograph the dogs as I suspected they were Japanese Akita dogs. The owner (holding the leash) confirmed that these dogs were of the Japanese Akita breed and were his dogs and, yes, I was welcome to photograph them. Notice the triangular form that this image takes.
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