Sunday Edition: Huibo Hou

PHOTOSNACK #398

Every Sunday, I contact photographers previously featured on PHOTOSNACK and ask them to send me their spontaneous thoughts, observations, reflections, or advice.

Today, I am sharing the message I received from Huibo Hou.

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Huibo Hou

I have a fascination with photographing rocks. They are among my favorite subjects, appearing in all kinds of sizes, shapes - some as massive as small mountains, others as tiny as pebbles. Some naturally bear intriguing forms or carry legendary stories that can immediately spark one’s imagination; others, while seemingly mundane, obscure, or inconspicuous, can unexpectedly come to life under the right conditions.

I often wonder—do rocks have past lives? I’d like to think so. Some have stood silently, bearing witness to the passage of millions of years, guarding their secrets beneath a weathered surface. Others, more delicate and fragile, drift away over time, leaving behind traces of ephemeral beauty.

I photographed this low rock on a local beach near my home in San Diego after my friends, and I stumbled upon it during one of our many walks there during the COVID time. It was a cloudy morning, and the quiet atmosphere led me to naturally opt for a long exposure. From this angle, the shape reminded me of a whale finishing her dive into the ocean, with the last curve of her tail still in the air. I loved the whimsical feel.

A few days later, I returned to the same part of the beach and looked for this rock again. I paced back and forth near the spot I had marked on my phone, only to conclude that a deeply buried rock, with just its very top peeking through, must be all that was left of the one I had photographed. The high tide must have pushed a great deal of sand ashore. I stood there, reminiscing about the fleeting little beauty I had captured and wondering how many other fascinating things lie hidden beneath my feet and beyond my sight.

Over the years, I have collected several images with rocks as the main subjects. I call the series If These Rocks Have Souls.

Huibo Hou was featured in PHOTOSNACK #346.

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Sunday Editions connect you with photographers whose work you previously explored through PHOTOSNACK.

I want to reveal some authentic parts of the people behind the cameras.

I don't ask them any specific questions. I ask them to share whatever comes to mind when they think about YOU, the newsletter readers.

It makes their responses genuine and personal.

I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Edition.

Until next time,
Tomasz