Some chocolate might grant you three wishes, but this place can fulfill four photography dreams — would you be interested in a visit? In just half a day here, you can shoot scenic views of blue skies and white clouds, mesmerizing sunsets, spectacular starry skies, and even star trails that mark the passage of time. Where is this magical spot? It’s Tai O, located southwest of Hong Kong.
Once you arrive here, with good weather, capturing shots of blue skies and white clouds is almost effortless. Known as a water town, Tai O offers countless spots to photograph such picturesque skies.
After snapping your fill of blue sky scenes, step into the old streets and you’ll encounter another sight — a crowd of photographers going wild over a pile of mummified corpses. These "corpses" glare fiercely, their expressions terrifying, some lying flat on tables, others hanging eerily from the ceiling, all showing grimacing faces. Why does this scene attract so many photographers? Because these aren’t human remains — they’re just salted fish. Neatly arranged, they draw in crowds eager to shoot creative radial compositions. But with so many people around, it was hard to find a spot, so I quickly snapped two photos and moved on.
With the salted fish done, I checked my watch and realized sunset was approaching. Heading west, I found a seaside spot, set up my tripod, and waited for the sun to go down. If you plan to shoot here, it’s best to arrive early, as more and more people flock to the location as the sun nears the horizon.
When shooting the sunset, many focus on the sun (obviously!), but don’t forget to glance behind you — sometimes the best action happens "in the back."
After the sun has set, many people leave while there’s still some natural light, but let me tell you again: “the best is yet to come.” That’s when “the scene I was most looking forward to appeared.jpg.” Landscape photographers often chase the so-called magic hour, which only occurs after sunset. On lucky days, you might even catch the rare anti-crepuscular rays.
Sunset done? Ready to leave? As the sun fully sets and darkness falls, most head home — but I head southeast to capture the Milky Way, something I hadn’t had time to photograph all year.
After shooting the Milky Way, it was already past eight. After a quick dinner, I glanced at the sky again — and got greedy. With such perfect conditions, why not stay to capture star trails before leaving?
Looking around, I noticed lots of stars in the southeast and southwest, but once again, my greed took over — and this time, it was misplaced. To frame the North Star, I abandoned the star-rich southeast and southwest, instead heading north where fewer stars were visible, setting up my tripod again in the area with the most light pollution to try for star trails. The results, however, weren’t ideal.
Due to needing to catch an early long ride home, I only managed to shoot star trails for about an hour. Plus, after seeing so many eerie faces of salted fish earlier in the day, being alone in the desolate night environment made me uneasy — better to head back early.
One final tip: the last No. 11 bus from Tai O to Tung Chung departs at 12:15 AM — plan your timing accordingly.
Below are the shooting locations for the sunset, Milky Way, and star trails — feel free to check them out if you’re interested.
Welcome to visit: My Facebook Page
Contact: kcyungj@hotmail.com