Interview by Jimon

1-How would you describe Maurice Choi?  Maurice Choi is a person who is living without credit card, no online banking and uses cash for most of the time. Sometimes I wonder how he lives in a world full of digital payments. He likes silent places where he feels relaxed. He likes to listen to very loud music with strong rhythms for inspiration while retouching photos. He always tries to have people in front of his camera to get into the space that only belongs to them, and that is the moment where he photographs the people’s souls.

2-Where do you currently live and create?  I have been living in Hong Kong since I was born. Currently I am shooting a lot of fashion photographs with an aim to capture the souls of models no matter what styles they are carrying. I started photographing the orchids in my home recently too, it is a joy to look at natural beauties and when I photograph them with light and shade, they are carrying strong visual impact.

3-Did you study photography or is it self-taught?  I studied fashion and image design at a design institute in Hong Kong, including many classes like fashion styling, makeup, hairstyling, fashion drawing and for sure fashion photography. I learned the basic photography skills and studio lighting from the photography class and I started working as an assistant, that’s how I started photography as a professional.

4-What is your earliest memory of a photograph?When I was a kid, like 7 or 8 years old, one day my mom took me to a park and we were walking around, then I saw a plane above us in the sky, I was so excited and tried to photograph it with my mom’s compact film camera, but she stopped me and told me not to waste film.

5-What did your path to becoming a photographer look like?I started working as a photography assistant while I was still studying at the design institute. At the very beginning most of my job duty was not related to photography so much, it was like helping to carry equipment, manage data transfer during the shoot and ordering food for the whole crew. At that period I watched how the photographer set up lighting, I tried to remember those setups as much as I could and draw them down when I got back home, then started asking myself questions of what if this light modifier change to a standard reflector from a softbox, what if that light change the angle a bit and move it far for a wider coverage, that’s how I learned and developed my studio skill. Then I got a chance to shoot for some school projects. I remembered one of the projects was a crossover with a men’s fashion magazine. We chose some spots inside the design institute for the shoot. It was my first fashion editorial shoot ever and it was very fun! It made me feel like I am a photographer for the first time, handling the whole shoot from idea to the final shots with a group of teammates. Then I continued shooting and built my portfolios, set up my own website, sent it out to look for clients.

6-What inspired you to become a photographer?I don’t know exactly, probably because my mom stopped me from photographing the plane. Actually After I failed the first public exam as a high school student, I knew I am not good at studying. At that time there was an idea that kept popping out in my mind, why don’t I try to study photography? Maybe there is a chance. So I went to the design institute. During the study period, I studied works from some fashion photography masters, like Nick Knight and Poalo Roversi. I was so inspired when I saw their works. I thought if one day I can create such photographs like those created by the masters it would be so cool, so I spent more time on photography, got experience from working as an assistant and aimed to be a photographer who creates cool photographs.

7-When and how did you get your first camera, and what was it?My first camera is a Pentax digital compact camera, it was a present from my grandma! She is always nice and good to me. I told her I wanted to have a little camera and tried taking pictures then she just bought me a little compact camera.

8-Do you shoot film? If yes, what camera do you use?Yes, but mostly I take digital at the moment since the prices of film keeps rising. I really love to use my Pentax 67II for portrait work and the Canon EOS 1N too as I can use it with all my Canon lenses. I used to have an Olympus mju II and Contax T2, but they are no longer working, you just never know when these film cameras stop working.

9-As a photographer what would be your ideal subject or location to shoot?I think there is no specific ideal or perfect subject or location. Anyone or anything can be an ideal subject to me, same as location.

10-When you are not creating where would someone find you?The football court close to my home, the bookstore, beach or fishing tackle stores.

11-If a movie was to be made about your life, ideally where would it take place and who would be the actor playing your part?  I would say Inception, as dream is my reality. Leonardo DiCaprio!

12-How do you describe success as an artist?To be famous.

13- If you could have dinner with 3 artists in any creative platform living/dead who would be at your table?Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, fashion designer Alexander McQueen and Austrian Painter Gustav Kilmt.

14-How would someone find you on Social media?Instagram @mauricechoi

15-Please respond with one word:

Art=Description

Food=Organic

Sports=Essential

Politics=Complicated

Poor=Shit

God=Love

Rich=Me

Luxury=Sushi

Sex=Happy

Picasso=Legend

Religion=Hope