Everyone in their bubble: street photography in Hong Kong, Macau

A budding British street photographer will be showcasing images of Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen in an exhibition in London this month.

Photos taken in Alan Schaller’s trademark black-and-white style of Kowloon crowds, street cleaners and sleepy fishing vendors will show Hong Kong through the eyes of a first-time visitor of the city.

“I was expecting a huge culture shock coming here for the first time, but the first thing I saw when I got out of the airport was George Clooney’s face on a billboard,” says the Londoner, who has a passion for showing in stark relief the arresting facial expressions of strangers.

Schaller’s images feature scenes from wet markets and temples alongside bustling crowds in central Hong Kong.

The exhibition in Holborn, central London, will show the contrast between Hong Kong and the British capital. Some backdrops differ greatly from the London streets Schaller normally shoots, though similar emotions might be read in his subjects.

“Everyone’s always in their own bubble in big cities like London and Hong Kong,” says Schaller, who has previously worked on a project snapping commuters on London's Underground rail network. “It always seems like the bigger the city, the more isolated people seem to be.”