Credit card to Geoff Fong.
The mid-autumn
festival
The fifteenth day of the eighth moon according to the Lunar Calendar has come and gone; that is the time for re-unions, for moon-cakes to be exchanged among friends and relatives and for houses and streets to be prettily decorated with brightly-lit lanterns of different shapes and sizes.
Also known as the Moon-Cake Festival. it was celebrated this year on September 24, but as it fell on a Sunday, Monday was declared a public holiday to com- pensate for the loss.
This is a specially joyous day for children, with round cakes made in the shape of the moon (but you will find some squarish ones too) special fruits that are in the market at this time of the year and toys all made with a hollow in order to allow candles to light them up thus becoming lanterns.
CRY
Children are seen, especially et night, walking in the streets or playing on roof-tops with a rabbit tagging along or carrying an aeroplane which is held up by a stick.
Very soon, the aeroplane blows up because of careless handling
By Hanifa
Din
by the child or because a gust of wind has blown the candle against the side of it and the whole toy is finished. The only thing for the child to do is to stand there and look at it burn and afterwards cry to his parents for another, a request which is seldom refused on a festival.
The Mid-Autumn (so called because it falls in the middle of the season) Festival is also cele- brated in other ways. There is the dragon boat race, and people just flock to see this race across
THE
*
the harbour which has become an annual event by now.
Then there is the Dragos Dance in which & number of people, perhaps eight or ten ac cording to the length, take part, One man puts on a big dragon head, made of cardboard, over his own with a man taking the tail and wriggling it all the way while the rest dance in plo- cession as the body of the dragon. This is just like the Lion Dance performed during the Chinese New Year.
Night time is where all the fun lies. Grown-ups sit in verandahs or on rooftops to admire the moon (supposed to, anyway), and, in the Chinese vernacular, they are to "Chase the Moon" with cakes, fruits and tea laid on the table. Children will be busy lighting up lanterns show off to neighbours or com- paring them with one another's and asking for other when theirs have been destroyed.
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STAMP NEWS *
The 1895 4 cents re-issue
After the 4 cents postage rate to Ching was reduced to 2 cents in 1876 and the Brindisi 4 cents surcharge abolished in 1879 there was little call for the 4c. stamp; large stocks were held and consequently no new printings were made after 1880.
A requisition for a fresh printing was made on March 6, 1895 and the Crown Agents instructed the printers that "There is no reason to suppose any change of colour is desired." The new printing from plate was on Crown CA paper, and 225 sheets were despatched to Hongkong on July 9, 1885.
This stamp had been in general circulation for 33 years without change of colour or perforation; only tha watermark was changed.
1895 4 cents re-issue
SGS1
4c.
slate-grey.
Cartoon time
with Willie Lai
TEN TIME
I am your steady, don't hurry me!!!
THIRD EYE
WITH AUTOMATION IN MODERN CAMERAS, ANYONE OBSERVING A FEN SIMPLE RULES CAN DIKE A TECHNICALLY PERFECT PHOIDSRAPH. GETTING THE CORRECT COMBINATION OF SPEED, APERTURE AND DEPTH OF FIELD. BUT MAKING A PICTURE WITH A CAMERA IS A DIFFERENT MATTER. HE BEGNYER CAN SCORE EVEN OVER AN EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL IF HE MAKES INTELLIGENT USE OF THE PICTORIAL MATERIAL AVALABLE.
MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE DISAPPOINTED WITH THEIR HOLIDAY SNAPS HAVE ONLY THEMSELVES TO BLAME.
THEY TOOK THE \PICTURES!
THESE TWO BDYS FISHING ON A JETTY MAKE A PERFECT CAMERA SUBJECT.
O
A PICTURE TAKEN FROM HE SECOND POSITION WOULD BE BETTER, BUT THE DISTANT
BACKGROUND AGAIN DISTRACTS THE EYE
FROM THE SUBJECT
FIGURES.
24 HEUR
SERVICE
ID LIKE TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE GANG. LET'S 60 INTO
THE GARDEN.
I'LL GET A PICTURE OF THE GANG TODAY
WHEN THE
CHANCE COMES.
A PICTURE TAKEN FROM THE FIRST POSITION WOULD GIVE A PICTURE LIKE THIS. WITH A NEAR BACKGROUND 50 CLUTTERED UP THAT THE BOYS WOULD BE "LOST."
THIS IS THE WRONG APPROACH, RESULTING IN A SELF CONSCIOUSLY POSED GROUP BADLY PLACED ASAINST À MUDDLING BACKÓROUND.
A NATURAL UN-SELFCONSCIOUS GROUP IN ACTION AGAINST A CLEAN BACKGROUND
OFTEN REQUIRES A LITTLE EFFORT ON THE PHOTOGRAPHERS PART, THE RESULT IS WORTH IT!
THIS, WAS TE BEST POSITION, USING THE WATER AS A STUDIO CAMERA MAN USES A.
BACKCLOTH.
OFTEN THE BACKGROUND OF A PICTURE AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S POSITION CANNOT BE ALTERED. BUT
THE ANGLING OF THE PICTURE
CAN MAKE ALL THE
DIFFERENCE.
NORMALLY AVOID SAME- LEVEL SHOTS IF YOU WANT TD GET PICTURES THAT DEMAND ATTENTION.
AEXT
WEEK POSING THE SUBJECT.
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