Before the advent of smartphones transformed everyday photography, Hong Kong's residents and visitors relied on a variety of traditional cameras and video equipment to capture their experiences across the city. Archival images and accounts reveal how people documented significant events and daily life from the 1970s through the early 2000s, illustrating the evolution of visual recording technology and tourism in the region.

In the 1970s, Hong Kong hosted a growing number of tour guides, such as Louisa Lam, who led sightseeing groups around the city’s key attractions. These tours often featured photography as a central component, with visitors using film cameras to collect keepsakes of their travels. By the 1980s, film cameras were commonplace, as demonstrated by scenes of families and tourists recording public events and cityscapes. For instance, at the 1985 Navy Day held at the HMS Tamar基地 in Admiralty, a father focused intently on capturing the maritime celebrations, while his son handled a smaller, plastic camera, highlighting the accessibility of photography to various age groups.

Commercial outlets supporting the photographic industry were also prevalent, such as camera stores in bustling locations like Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui during the late 1980s. These establishments catered to both locals and visitors seeking to purchase or rent equipment, film rolls, and related accessories.

Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, video recording gained popularity alongside still photography. Tourists commonly used camcorders to film panoramic views, such as the vistas from The Peak, and to capture lively cultural events including the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. Likewise, rickshaw drivers sometimes doubled as informal photographers, offering to take pictures for tourists to preserve their memories.

International figures also contributed to the city’s photographic legacy. Notably, American photographer Annie Leibovitz was documented at Charter Garden in Central in 1990, indicating Hong Kong’s status as a destination of interest for prominent artists.

These collected moments illustrate a period before smartphones made visual documentation immediate and ubiquitous. They reflect not only the technological limitations of the era but also the cultural and social fabric of Hong Kong as it attracted a diverse range of visitors and nurtured local traditions through photography.