Fan Ho (1931-2016)

Was a Chinese photographer, film director and actor. He won over 280 awards from
international exhibitions and competitions worldwide for his photography.

He was born in Shanghai in 1931 and emigrated to Hong Kong in 1949.

He started his photography at the early age of 14, when he got his first camera with his first
camera which was a Kodak Brownie to him by his father. Within his 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 moving to Hong Kong with his parents.

For his photographs he often very cleverly composed the background of geometrical
construction, patterns and texture and created drama and atmosphere with backlit effects or by
combining smoke and light. His favorite locations were the streets, alleys and markets around
dusk or life on the sea.

His photographs often portrait the common Hong Kong people in everyday situations.

„I’ve always believed that any work of art should stand from genuine feelings and
understandings. I didnt work with any sense of purpose. As an artist i was only looking to
express myself. I did it to share my feelings with the audience I needed to be touched
emotionally to come up with meaningful works. When the work resonates with the audience
ist a satisfaction that money cant buy. My purpose is simple: I try not to waste my audiences
time“

Narrative photography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMhm5gBJZUY

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.