Workshop FAQ

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Booking a workshop
3. Payments
4. Cancellation/Refund Policy
5. “What if I don’t have a camera?”
6. “What if I don’t have a laptop?”
7. “What else do I get for my workshop payment?”
8. “What doesn’t my workshop payment cover?”
9. “What is an Octopus card?”
10. “What happens when I arrive in Hong Kong?”
11. “Never been to Hong Kong, what do I need to know?”
12. All Rights Reserved
13. Indemnity

• Comments FAQ
• Notes

Introduction:

Booking a workshop

This should be easy enough.

• Presuming that you have read through the preamble about who we are, what we do and where we are, hopefully, this has enticed you to make the next move and that is to apply for one of our workshops.
• To book one of our workshop, please go to our Workshops page and there, click on any one of the upcoming workshop options. There you will find a description of the planned workshop. At the end of that page, there’s a “Book Now” button.
• This action will bring you to our application page. On this page, there are a range of required and optional fields to be filled in. The required field boxes have a red boundary. The optional field boxes are neutral.
• While filling out your application form, please take care to read the the contents and all the details carefully. We don’t want to “misrepresent” ourselves nor do we want to “misinform” you.
• On completion of the application, please hit the send button.
• After our review and, on acceptance of your application, we will send you a follow-up email giving you further instructions.
• In this follow-up email, we will ask you to make full payment to secure your place on the workshop. Instructions will be provided on how to do this.
• We need to receive your payment within 10 working days of your acceptance email.

Please note, all the details and personal data you provide to us will be treated in absolute confidence and kept private. Please review our Privacy Policy.

Payments

• We accept payments via PayPal, Stripe and direct debit bank transfer.
• Our operational currency is in US Dollars, that is, while we receive your payment in US Dollars, it doesn’t matter what currencies you use to make your payments.
• Please note that, in all these financial transactions, there are likely to be banking charges and fees involved.
• To secure your place on your selected workshop, we ask you to pay the full workshop fee and this within 10 days of acceptance of your application.

Cancellation/Refund Policy

Within reason, your money will be refunded minus an administration fee of US$250.
There maybe several conditions or reasons where workshops maybe rescheduled, postponed or otherwise cancelled altogether:

• Weather would hardly be any reason enough to cancel a workshop but, inclement weather conditions may influence intended outcomes. There is no snow in Hong Kong and the city rarely suffers total power outages.
• A national civil emergency, by any definition, could give enough reason to either postpone or cancel a workshop. Such an emergency could be a large scale natural disaster, a dire manmade catastrophe, civil unrest or something we have just experienced with this COVID-19 pandemic.
• Due to “unforeseen circumstances” on my part – as in missed flights [no real reason as I will be in Hong Kong sometime before the workshops start], being hospitalised or “incarcerated” for some reason [of the latter, I have no known “enemies” that I know of so, not likely].

But, whatever the case, all this will be communicated to you beforehand

From your side:

• If a participant decides to cancel for any reason whatsoever, this must be both confirmed in writing and the acknowledged receipt thereof.
• We will reimburse the workshop fee minus a US$250 administrative fee on the condition that participant lets us know at least 3 weeks before the first day of the workshop.
• Beyond this time limit, we reserve the right to make the following deductions from your payment:
  • 50% of the workshop fee if the participant cancels 6 and 21 days before the workshop commences.
  • 100% of the workshop fee if the participant cancels less than 5 days before the workshop commences.
• All workshops that have started but not completed due to reasons beyond my or the participant’s control, must be paid in full.
• Not showing up does not constitute a cancellation nor does it provide a reason for a refund.
• We will not be held liable of any travel expenses incurred in the event that a workshop is cancelled or otherwise postponed or rescheduled. We highly recommend buying a refundable air ticket and/or appropriate travel insurance.
• We reserve the right to cancel a workshop if there are less than 6 participants. In the event of a cancellation, participants will be given at least 10 days advanced notice plus a full refund minus the US$250 administration fee.

“What if I don’t have a camera”?

Well, off the top, what would be the point in attending a photography workshop without a camera?

• On a more serious note and, as stated elsewhere, whatever camera or digital captured device you prefer to use, is entirely up to you. We could all do with broadening our horizons and learning something new. But, please bear this in mind, this is a collaborative effort that involves other people – people who have come from afar, are investing their time and have paid good money to be part of this experience. Any idiosyncrasies ought to be kept within the realms of the purpose and goals of this workshop.
• On the matter of equipment failure, breakages, loss or the lack thereof, there are several photo equipment hire places in town who may be able to help out – not to mention, camera repair shops.
• Any such hiring, purchases and/or repairs are not including in your workshop fee.

“What if I don’t have a laptop”?

• In this digital day and age, it is almost concomitant that we all have laptops.
• This is a serious workshop for serious photographers. While I’m not saying that there are no exceptions here, arrangements can be made – as in hiring the appropriate equipment and/or software applications needed to participate in this workshop.
• Any such hiring and/or purchases are not including in your workshop fee.

“What else do I get for my workshop payment”?

• Octopus card with an installed or added value of HK$100.
• One host dinner.
• The cost of hiring facilities to host the workshop.

“What doesn’t my workshop payment cover”?

• Travelling to and from Hong Kong.
• Travelling to and from Chang Yi – Hong Kong’s international airport.
• Accommodation – on application and on our further communication with you, we can recommend accommodation to suit your budget.
• Other than the host dinner, you will be responsible for sustaining yourself for the duration of the workshop. There are enough eateries around Hong Kong to keep you going 24/7 – ranging from some of the best restaurants in the world through to international and local fast food franchise and on to a wide variety of local eateries.
• The hire of photo and/or computer equipment.
• Any photo post-production expenses including film processing, image digitisation and/or printing.
• Any and all applicable insurances – travel, health and otherwise.
• Any medical expenses – emergency and otherwise. This ought to be covered by your travel and/or health insurance.
• Any legal or paralegal costs or charges – as in legal fees, bail, fines and whatever.
• Any debts and/or unpaid expenses incurred by the workshop participant.
• Any repatriation costs – again, this ought to be covered by travel insurance.
• Any sort of out of pocket expenses.

“What’s an Octopus card”?

• This is Hong Kong’s ubiquitous added value travel pass. Each workshop participant will be offered an Octopus card with an added value of HK$100. Once depleted and thereafter, you will have to top up the card using your own means.
• The use of the Octopus card in Hong Kong is near universal – meaning to say it can be used to pay for most things almost anywhere.
• Ostensibly, it’s a travel pass that can used for all forms of public transport – the exceptions being taxis.
• The card can also be used to make over the counter purchase at fast food outlets, coffee shops, 24/7 convenient stores, supermarkets and more. Very convenient for the most part.

“What happens when I arrive in Hong Kong”?

While it would be nice to have a “welcoming committee” waiting on for you when you arrive in Hong Kong, this is not likely to happen.
There’s something of an assumption here that:

• Most participants will most probably be visiting Hong Kong for the first time.
• Most workshop participants are likely to arrive in Hong Kong by air.
• A few may arrive by ferry or overland from somewhere outside of Hong Kong.

A few things to know:

• If arriving by air and depending on where you are staying, Hong Kong’s Central district is a 22 minute express train ride way – at HK$100 for the trip.
• There are buses if you know their routing. Taxis can be had but, these are an expensive option – this by comparison.

On arriving in Hong Kong things happen:

• On disembarking and, one way or the other, you will head on across to the airport’s immigration hall. On the way across, there may be health checks of one kind or the other – usually non-invasive.
• In the Immigration Hall, passport control should be a breeze – all depending. For the most part, visa requirements are usually minimal. But, don’t take my word for it.
  1. Please check the validity of your passport – with at 6 months left before renewal.
  2. Check your visa requirements – they vary from country to country. In this regard, the visa situation in this part of the world can be quite “fluid”.
• Often enough, while little is said and little is asked, always be prepared – this regarding where you are staying, purpose of visit and possibly, contact details.
• Once past passport control, you enter the baggage handling hall. Nothing there but to wait for your checked in bags.
• The next hurdle is customs clearance. Once again, usually a breeze. While there are spot checks, in most instance, you should be good to go.
• Once out of the restricted area, the ticketing machines for the Airport Express are on the far side of the hall. The Airport Express is usually your best bet on getting from the airport to Hong Kong proper. Tickets for the Airport Express can be purchased at vending machines on the far side of the Arrivals Hall – with the train platform about 20 metres away.
• If you need to “freshen up” there are ample ablution facilities around this hall. There are also coffee shops and fast food franchise – some 24/7.
• Regarding taxi hire, while incidental, there are touts around but usually, there’s no real haggling for your custom and this by any degree.
• Regarding other transportation, some of the “international” hotels have their own courtesy buses. This is something you can enquire about when making your booking. There are several information counters located in the Arrivals Hall where you can make enquiries as to the location of the courtesy buses terminals.
• While your best bet is the Airport Express, public transport – such as buses and mini-buses – is plentiful and relatively cheap. To get to destinations in either Hong Kong or Kowloon, best get the “A” series [A20, A22, etc] double decker buses.
• The bus station is out and down to the right. Here you need to pay the exact money – the bus drivers don’t give change.

Once in Hong Kong proper, what to do?

• For those of you who have booked accommodation on the Kowloon side, you would get off at the Kowloon Station.
• For those of you who have booked accommodation on the Hong Kong Island, you would get off at the last stop, at the “in town” station in Central.
• The Cityliner buses have bus stops that usually quite convenient to where most of the popular hotels are located.
• In all instances, from these various stops, you can always take a taxi to where you have you booked your hotel.
• Many of the top hotels run their courtesy bus services from either the Kowloon Station or the in town station.
• The very best hotels offer a personal limo service from the “in town” station – it’s all up to you.
• Please note, the facilities where the workshop will be hosted will be based at a central location on Hong Kong Island. This information will be communicated to you prior to the workshop starting.

“Never been to Hong Kong, what do I need to know”?

• As printed guides, LonelyPlants and the Rough Guides were good in their day. But, their info dates pretty rapidly now.
• Hong Kong is an East meets West kind of place. We drive on the right. Etiquette – meaning manners and mannerisms – tend to be loosely British with Chinese characteristics and customs.
• While perhaps not as formal as say, the Japanese and Koreans with their stooping and bowing, Hongkongers retain a formality that is typical Asian. They are not a touchy, feelly people.
• Saving face and face saving are important attributes in this part of the world. Raising your ire and gesticulating is not going to gain you any favours or friends.
• While English is widely spoken, not everyone is fluent, especially the older generations. The lingafanga in Hong Kong is Cantonese and not Mandarin. For those of you who have mastered Mandarin, no problem. Most Hongkongers can speak Mandarin.
• In terms of identifying and associating, the population mix in Hong Kong is significant. Meaning to say that, initially, it may be difficult to discern Hongkongers from other nationalities – be these mainland Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese or Korean. While you can pick it up, it may take more than the 5 days you will be on this workshop.
• 3 districts make up the Hong Kong SAR – Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories and outlying Islands. In booking accommodation, there’s lots of choice, Hong Kong Island is preferred. But, don’t let me get in the way of the choice you make. For the most part, we’ll be traipsing around the Kowloon district. Time will be spent on Hong Kong Island and, depending, we may travel to some of the outlying islands.
• While credit cards are widely accepted, cash is preferred. The Hong Kong Dollar is an international currency. It might be worthwhile acquiring some Hong Kong Dollars before arriving in Hong Kong. Other than the banks, there are money changes everywhere. Like all else, it’s a “buyers be aware” sort of thing.
• Communications are world class. There are close to a dozen cellphone network providers in town. All supply pay as you go services. Hong Kong also has some of the fastest internet connections in the world – at 1,000 Mb/s. Most hotels provide free Wi-Fi services. Free Wi-Fi is provided at all public service and government facilities. Limited free Wi-Fi is provided in shopping malls, coffee shops and other dining establishments.
• Car hire in Hong Kong could be an interesting one. I, for one, don’t believe it’s necessary. Public transport is so profuse and abundant that it actually makes driving on the roads here all the more difficult. And, if you can’t get to one location or other using public transport, there are taxis. There are probably more taxis in Hong Kong than may be the case say in London, New York and elsewhere. So, think twice before thinking about hiring a car here.
• Other than the HK Tourist Board and my website, this for ideas and so forth, it will definitely pay you to do some research before arriving here.

All Rights Reserved

OK, what’s this got to do with anything? Everything and nothing – perhaps.

• OK, we have our copyright notice and our website terms and conditions policy that just about cover everything from my side
• From your side, obviously, you own the copyright to all the material you generate while participating in any one of our workshops.
• From time to time, we may ask you if you can share some of your work on this website – as in “sharing the love” sort of thing. And again, obviously and if willing, you will be accredited by name and with links back to your website or any preferred online references.
• Testimonials are obviously helpful and these are provided at your discretion.
• That said, I will reserve the right to quote you with respect to what was shared within the realms and scope of the workshop/s you attended. And again, with your consent.
• Some of these terms will be made clear on your application form.

Indeminity

Why is this here? OK, let’s work through some of these things to together.

• Hong Kong has world class medical facilities. The public hospitals are as good as they get. While waiting times might be long, the fees are reasonable – this from an outpatients perspective. In terms of medical emergencies, Hong Kong’s emergency services are exemplary. They include
• There are numbers of private hospitals and clinics. They tend to be pricey by comparison. But then, this is why you have travel insurance – don’t you?
• There are numbers of doctors in private practice – both local and expat. Their fees tend to be reasonable. The same can be said with dentists. While ophthalmologists are a little different, most opticians are at street level and do “walk in trade” – as in eye sight checks and spectacle purchases.
• For those of you into a more holistic or alternative medicines approach, Hong Kong as you covered – be this acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massages and whatever, it is all here.
• That said, all this is on your own dime.
• In the event of a personal emergency, we are not likely to suspend the workshop. While I will endeavour to make my best effort to contact and communicate with the necessary authorities to take care of your needs, I cannot afford to get further involved.
• The same can be said about legal services. The best I can do here is to put your in touch with legal personnel who might be able to provide with you with the services and advice you require. Again, I cannot get further involved.
• In the event that we, as group, are involved in some sort of accident or altercation, we’ll deal with these matters on a case by case basis. While I am encumbered to carry some forms of workplace indemnity insurance to cover accidents – either in the work place or on the road or for something like food poisoning, social misadventures maybe another matter altogether.
• Some of these terms will be made clear on your application form.