Groundwork: Looking Down

This week, we stop looking ahead — and start looking down. Your challenge: Groundwork.

Shoes, shadows, debris, sidewalk paint, lettering, stains, puddles, cracks — the overlooked textures underfoot. The street tells its story from the bottom up, and this time, the frame starts at your feet.

The ground in Hong Kong is layered: practical, chaotic, coded, and expressive. It’s where the city leaves its marks — and where people leave theirs. Whether it’s a painted stripe, a fallen receipt, or a pair of shoes mid-step, there’s a whole visual language down there, waiting to be noticed.

What to Look For:

• Shadows — cast by people, poles, fences, signs... anything!
• Footwear — posed, in motion, grouped, lonely, worn or crisp
• Pavement markings — arrows, lines, numbers, stencils, faded characters
• Textures — brick, tile, concrete, metal grates, manhole covers
• Movement — footsteps, wheels, carts, bags dragging along
• Contrast — polished vs. gritty, clean vs. dirty, order vs. chaos

Tips:

• Include your own feet — or not — but be aware of where you are in the frame
• Use light — shadows can be dramatic and abstract
• Think about rhythm — repeated tiles, footsteps, or paint lines
• Capture interaction — feet stepping over something, pausing, avoiding

Bonus Challenge:
Create a mini-series that focuses on a single element — only shadows, only lettering, only shoes. Or find a strange or beautiful moment and frame it like a still life — something discarded, broken, or out of place.

This assignment isn’t just about what’s beneath us — it’s about what we usually ignore.
A good photo from the ground captures not just the surface, but the life stamped into it.

As usual, I've posted a few samples that might help.

Let’s shoot for 90 minutes, regroup and reconvene at 4:30 PM:
My Place
Cheung Sha Wan Rd, 地下恆成大廈22-24號