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Linda Lew

When photographer Dick Lau Tin-lun was asked to take passport-style portraits of the elderly at a rest home in Wong Tai Sin for use as funeral portraits, he thought about turning down the job.
“I felt this was really sad,” Lau said. “So, I came up with the idea to do family portraits.”
The 49-year-old asked 12 residents at the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui rest home what backdrop they would like for their photographs, and then set about making that wish come true.
Starting in 2015, the project took Lau three years to complete while he travelled to locations in mainland China, and Taiwan, to take pictures, or found artists to illustrate backdrops.

One man in his 70s, Wong Kin-leung, wanted to be photographed enjoying a cup of tea with his wife in a traditional tea house, but turned down seven photos of locations in Hong Kong.
“It wasn’t until I went to Shanxi province in mainland China on a cultural exchange and brought back photos of a traditional tea house, that Wong said, ‘that’s the one’,” Lau said.
The photo showed Wong and his wife relaxing in front of the backdrop of a traditional pavilion, drinking tea.
Other photos ranged from quirky to nostalgic. Wong Shek-man is proud of his son, who is a dentist. So, hehad the idea of dressing up as a cavity worm which his family, with his son in a white coat, pretend to fight with toothbrushes. Another shows Cheng Dai-chiu, a former minibus driver, taking his family for a cruise on a Hong Kong street.
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These make up Lau’s Return series, which aims to give elderly people a chance to make happy memories with their family or by themselves.
Mighty Oaks Foundation, a charity that focuses on improving the quality of life of the elderly, recently hosted an exhibition to show Lau’s work, and the winning entries from the Grand Champions Elderly Appreciation Photography competition. The contest was organised by the charity and sought to celebrate the contributions and beauty of the elderly.
“We want to give the elderly hope, dignity and purpose,” said Poh Lee-tan, the charity’s director and founder. Mighty Oaks also hopes to promote intergenerational engagement, which was one of the goals of the competition.
Sadly, for the open category’s winner Helen Keung, a photography enthusiast, her grandmother died in 2017. But fortunately Keung was able to record happy moments in the last few years of her grandmother’s life.

“My grandma raised me, we were very close,” Keung said. “Treasure the moments while they are still here. We shouldn’t forget how they have contributed to society.”
Keung’s winning entry was a collage of two photos, one of herself and one of her grandmother. They were wearing the same colourful top and holding a camera. The family resemblance was strong as both of them smiled for the camera.
“Anything I can do, my grandmother could do too,” said Keung, when explaining the meaning of the picture. 
The winner of the student category was Jane Chan, from Victoria Shanghai Academy, who photographed her grandfather making dumplings, while Grace Cai Xiao, from Singapore International School, was second.
Mahina Wong, 15, came third in the category for a photograph of herself and her grandmother, Mary Lo, making a heart sign with their hands.
“I thought I didn’t look pretty any more, but the photos ended up better than expected, I looked good,” said Lo, who initially had not wanted to be photographed.


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Photographer Dick Lau with some of the pictures that feature in his Return series. Photo: Felix Wong

(Left to right): Grandmother Mary Lo Yuen-Wan and granddaughter Mahina Wong (second runner up in the student category), photographed at the Elder Appreciation Photography Competition exhibition in Mong Kok. 05JUN19 SCMP / Felix Wong

Helen Keung (winner of the open category), photographed at the Elder Appreciation Photography Competition exhibition in Mong Kok. 05JUN19 SCMP / Felix Wong

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Hong Kong

Society

Dick Lau was approached to do funeral portraits and turned the idea into something else entirely
Project took three years and plenty of travelling as he granted clients’ wishes to have dream backdrop as part of a family photo


Photographer Dick Lau was approached to do funeral portraits, and turned the idea into something else entirely with three-year project that granted clients’ wishes to have dream backdrop as part of a family photo.


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