It was while Shum Kung-sik 岑公鉽 was studying photography with S.F. Dan in the 1940s that he developed a severe pain in one leg. Doctors attributed it to a pinched nerve.
Although the pain did subside after a few months, the leg remained weak, and this had a psychological effect on the fledging photographer. He became nervous of climbing, and came to dread photographic outings. This handicap did not, however, damage his love of photography.
Changing his focus, Shum Kung-sik began to concentrate on urban life, and even more on still life subjects within the home. The latter gave a sense of intimacy which he found very satisfying. He worked hard to improve on his lighting technique. Twelve still lifes submitted to the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain were accepted for exhibition. His still life photographs are works of realism, composed and illuminated with clarity, and have a touch of delicacy.
"Potter's Art" won a gold medal at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. "Grapes" was accepted by the London Salon and published in Photograms of the Year. Shum Kung-sik was ranked first among the top ten photographers in the monochrome pictorial division in the 1957 international salon record.