On the side of a residential building in Kai Chiu Road in Causeway Bay, 10 storeys and some 40 metres above ground, hangs a picture of Myanmese farmers. It's the work of Kaid Ashton, a twentysomething teacher from Canada now living in Hong Kong.
'Teacher' is a loose description, because Ashton only teaches to fund his photography and travelling, and he relocates so frequently it's probably inaccurate for him to call Canada home at this point.
For the past few years, he's travelled around Asia, from Manila to Myanmar, venturing into areas not covered by guidebooks, snapping portraits of strangers. He considers that the best way to get to know a city and its culture - by interacting directly with the people.
Ashton developed a love for photography during the 90s, starting with shots of local graffiti and rail tracks. Shortly after university, he packed his bags and moved to Taiwan on a whim. He knew no one in Asia; he just wanted to explore.
'I came to Asia not knowing what to expect. I'd get up each day with no real plan other than to just take photos,' he says. After Taiwan, he moved to Cambodia, Laos, and other parts of Southeast Asia. His interaction with the people from the region, especially those living in poverty, proved to be an eye-opening experience.
'I don't think many North Americans are accustomed to seeing this level of poverty,' he says. 'Some situations in places like Manila, for example, are quite dire.'
Inspired to give back, Ashton started, with the support of Manila's Office of Culture and Design, the Homeschool Foundation, an arts education project, in the Philippine capital earlier this year. It's a small project, Ashton says, where he 'basically goes to the slums and teaches kids how to paint'.