Melody, 1952
Fan Ho's works transcend the boundaries of documentary photography to become works of art in their own right.
Born in Shanghai in 1931, Fan Ho’s photographic career started in Shanghai at the early age of 14 when given his first Kodak Brownie for his birthday from his father. Fan Ho moved to Hong Kong with his family at the age of 18. It was there that he began to hone his craft, exploring the city's streets and alleys to capture the people and places that would come to define his oeuvre. Fan Ho was most prolific in his teens and 20’s and created his biggest body of work before reaching 28. His work didn’t 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. Over the course of his career, Fan Ho published several photography books and won numerous awards for his work.