Images of post-war Hong Kong photographers have long been on display in an exhibition

Pioneering Hong Kong photographer Mak Fung was a master of his craft, an artist who possessed the ability to capture both the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Born in 1918, the self-taught photographer played a key role in documenting the urban landscape throughout the second half of the 20th century.

But his work is underappreciated, says Tung-pui Lau, founder of PhotogStory, a photography platform that is hosting an exhibition of Fung’s images this month.

“Hong Kong Once Was: 1946-1980,” which runs at EastPro Gallery in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district from December 7 to 21, includes more than 20 black and white gelatin silver prints.

This is a captivating collection spanning from 1946 to the 1990s, showing parts of Hong Kong often overlooked by photographers of that era.