This week, we’re stepping through the frame — or at least photographing it.
Your challenge: Portals.
Think doors, windows, alleyways, gates, thresholds, arches — any opening that suggests a passage between one space and another. These are the visual and symbolic moments where one world ends and another begins.
Portals are everywhere in the city. But not all of them are obvious — and not all of them are used the same way. Some are grand and ceremonial. Others are hidden, broken, or barely noticed.
What to Look For:
- Doors of all kinds — open, closed, ajar, broken, ornate, industrial
- Windows — lit up, reflecting the street, framing a subject inside or out
- Alleyways — dark, narrow, mysterious, or unexpectedly beautiful
- People entering, exiting, waiting in the frame
- Thresholds — stairs, steps, ramps, things that lead you inward
- Visual metaphors — contrast between inside and outside, light and dark, open and closed
Tips:
- Perhaps use the portal as a frame within the frame — place your subject inside or behind it
- Shoot from both sides — look at what the portal reveals, and what it hides
- Look for texture and detail — chipped paint, old hinges, worn handles
- Let mystery guide you — what lies beyond the door? Who just disappeared down that alley?
Bonus Challenge:
Photograph a series of portals that share a theme — color, shape, mood, or function. Try to create a visual rhythm across your images.
This assignment is less about the object, and more about the invitation it holds. A good portal photo invites the viewer to ask: What’s behind that? Who just went through?
Frame the moment. Open the story. Find the portals.
Let's meet at The YMT MTR Exit C and work south. There's a lot of stories (and doorways) around there, toward the Temple St Market and the surrounding area. Let's reconvene at 3:30 at some local place yet to be determined.
