Chan Kai - Ming ・64
by Lana Hsu ・64

L: I understand that photography is your favorite hobby. When did you start shooting and what kind of camera did you have at the time?
K: I began taking pictures when I was 10 years old with a small camera, It cost me HK$20; each roll of film cost $1; the cost to process and print a roll of 12 exposure film around $3. It took only black and white pictures.

L: If you were given a job to shoot a 12 month calendar, what picture would you present for each month?
K: I would use children as my subject and appropriate background to high light the weather of the particular month:
a. January: children skiing;
b. December: children playing in front of a decorated pine tree;
c. July: children playing in a flower garden.

L: You have taken so many beautiful pictures. Which one is your favorite?
K: No time to figure out which is my favorite photo.

L: Is there a person, an object or a place in this world that you would wish most to capture on film?
K: I would like to take a portrait of President Hu Jintao. He holds the highest post in China and shapes its future. It would be a challenge to use a photo to show his power and vision.

L: On your own wedding day, who was your cameraman? Did you want to pick up a camera and do it yourself?
K: 2 of my friends took my wedding photos. During the wedding, I asked them to take particular poses for us. However, I knew I had to be on the other side of the camera.

L: Besides photography, you are also a food lover. Have you ever thought of being a chef?
K: Never dreamt of being a chef. It is a very tough job.

L: If you were stranded on an isolated island and you didn・t have any food for a week, would you eat any worm or insect that you could find?
K: I believe my resistance towards worms and insects would gradually diminish as I got more hungry.

L: What is the most exotic food you have ever had?
K: The most exotic food was War Far Jerk (rice flower bird). I took a War Far Jerk meal tour to Quangzhou a few years ago. This trip featured mainly War Far Jerk dishes.

L: Did you pass on these two genes to any of your kids?
K: My eldest son enjoys food like me; he also enjoys cooking. All my kids like to take pictures, but they are not as crazy as I am.

L: Of all these years being the official photographer of St Mark・s Alumni Association, what is the most memorable moment that you have caught on film?
K: the most memorable moment of taking photos for St Mark・s Alumni Association was when I took photos of the anniversary cake with many teachers surrounding it at the Chinese Cultural Centre a few years ago.