何藩 (1931-2016)

1931年生於上海。自14歲獲父親所贈柯達布朗尼，便在同年贏得人生中的第一個獎項。1949年與家人移居香港，18歲的他購買了一部 Rolleiflex 雙鏡頭相機，與攝影結下不解之緣，繼續追尋攝影夢，並用此相機拍下他所有的著名作品。

何藩被譽為「東方布列松」。拍攝中，他常以極大的耐心等待「最佳時機」，等待人物形象與幾何結構和線條精心構建的背景不期而遇。他喜歡用背光效果或結合煙霧與光線來營造戲劇感和氛圍。海上或街頭生活、黃昏時被太陽拉出細長斜影的巷道和市場是他最愛的取景點。

何藩對香港民生的熱愛讓他的攝影作品充滿人文氣息。在他的照片中我們可以看到苦力、商販、沿街叫賣的小販、在街上玩耍的孩童等等。他努力捕捉的是香港的魂、香港人的苦難和堅韌。

他的青少年時代到二十八歲前是最多產時期，作品在當時已獲得廣泛關注，通過參加畫廊比賽贏得近 300 個地區和國際性大獎。他的才華對電影業亦產生了不少的影響。他曾參演多部電影，之後轉作導演直至 65 歲退休。

何藩是英國皇家攝影學會及英國皇家藝術學會會員，亦是多國攝影學會榮譽會員。過往曾到多國大學教授攝影及電影製作。其作品獲本地及海外眾多私人和公共機構收藏。

Fan Ho (1931-2016)

Fan Ho’s (born in Shanghai in 1931) photographic career started at the early age of 14 when given his first Kodak Brownie from his father. Within the first year he won his first award in 1949 in Shanghai. At the age of 18, he acquired his twin lens Rolleiflex with which he captured all his famous work after he moved to Hong Kong with his parents and continued to purse his love for photography.

Dubbed the “Cartier-Bresson of the East”, Fan Ho patiently waited for ‘the decisive moment’; very often a collision of the unexpected, framed against a very clever composed background of geometrical construction, patterns and texture. He often created drama and atmosphere with backlit effects or through the combination of smoke and light. His favorite locations were the streets, alleys and markets around dusk or life on the sea.

What made his work so intensely human is his love for the common Hong Kong people: Coolies, vendors, hawkers selling fruits and vegetables, kids playing in the street or doing their homework, people crossing the street… He never intended to create a historic record of the city’s buildings and monuments; rather he aimed to capture the soul of Hong Kong, the hardship and resilience of its citizens.

Fan Ho was most prolific in his teens and 20s and created his biggest body of work before he reached the tender age of 28. His work did not go by unnoticed at his time. He won close to 300 local and international awards and titles in his day through competing in the salons. His talent was also spotted by the film industry where he started out as an actor before moving to film directing until retiring at 65.

Fan Ho is a Fellow of the Photographic Society and the Royal Society of Arts in England, and an Honorary Member of the Photographic societies of Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy and Belgium. He most recently won a "Life-time Achievement Award, the 2nd Global Chinese International Photography Award, China, 2015" by the Chinese Photographic Society (Guangzhou).

During his long career he has taught photography and film making at a dozen universities worldwide. His work is in many private and public collection of which most notable are: M+ Museum, Hong Kong, Heritage Museum, Hong Kong, Bibliothèque National de France, Paris, France, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, USA and many more.

Photographic Honors

英國皇家攝影學會最高榮銜「博學會士」(F.R.P.S.)
美國攝影學會最高榮銜「博學會士」(F.P.S.A.)
香港沙龍影友協會最高榮銜「博學會士」(F.P.S.E.A.)
美國攝影學會最高榮銜「五星攝影家」(5-Star Exhibitor)
東南亞攝影學會榮博學會士(Hon. F.S.E.A.P.S.)
香港攝影學會榮譽博學會士(Hon. F.P.S.H.K.)
香港中華攝影學會榮譽博學會士(Hon. F.C.P.A.)
香港卅五里攝影學會榮譽博學會士(Hon. F. 35mm P.S.)
香港青年會幻影會榮譽博學會士(Hon. F.B.S.C.)
德國攝影學會永久榮譽會員(Hon. A.M.F.)
比利時攝影學會永久榮譽會員(Hon. F. Kortrijk)
巴西攝影學會永久榮譽會員(Hon. S.G.)
阿根廷攝影學會永久榮譽會員(Hon. P.F.R.)
美國威靈頓國際沙龍永久榮譽會員(A-Member Wilmington Salon)
美國匹茲堡國際沙龍永久榮譽會員(A-Member Pittsburgh Salon)

Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain
Fellow of the Photographic Society of America
Fellow of the Pictorial Salon Exhibitor's Association of Hong Kong
5-Star Exhibitor, Photographic Society of America
Honorary Fellow, Southeast Asia Photographic Society
Honorary Fellow, The Photographic Society of Hong Kong
Honorary Fellow, The Chinese Photographic Association of Hong Kong
Honorary Fellow, The 35mm Photographic Society of Hong Kong
Honorary Fellow, Y.M.C.A. Photo Club, Hong Kong
Honorary Member, Munich Photographic Society, Germany
Honorary Member, Kortrijk Photographic Society, Belgium
Honorary Member, Gaucho Photographic Society, Brazil
Honorary Member, Rosario Photographic Society, Argentina
Associate Member, Wilmington Salon, U.S.A.
Associate Member, Pittsburgh Salon, U.S.A.

Publications

Photography. My Passion. My Life. 《感情・感悟・感覺》,WE Press 香港人出版, 2021
Portrait of Hong Kong 《念香港人的舊》,WE Press 香港人出版, 2017
A Hong Kong Memoir《香港・往日情懷》, Asia One Books & Modernbook Editions, 2014
The Living Theatre 《人生舞台》, Modernbook Editions, 2009
Hong Kong Yesterday 《香港追憶》, Modernbook Editions, 2006
Gone are the Days, A Memoir of Four Photographers 《往日時光，四友攝影精選集》by Fan Ho et. al., Next Publications Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, 1993
Complete Collection of Ho Fan's International Award-Winning Photographic Art《何藩國際大獎攝影全集》, European Languages Publication Ltd., 歐語出版社, 1982
Modern Photography 《現代攝影欣賞》, 藝術圖書公司 , 1972
Thoughts On Street Photography《街頭攝影叢談》, Hai Kwang Press, Hong Kong 香港海光出版社, 1959

2017 Visual Dialogues | Portrait of Hong Kong

Additional information can be found at Blue Lotus Gallery, Hong Kong