Mekong Delta portraits
A week in the Mekong Delta in the build-up to the Tet holiday. A week of friendly people, fresh seafood, very few cars, floating markets and flower-lined streets. A week that wasn’t long enough.
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153 Responses to “Mekong Delta portraits”
Timeless, priceless and wonderful – which are the photographs and people in portrait. Great series.
Sincerely
Todd
Thank you!
I love when pictures tell a story without any words. beautiful.
manuela
Thank you! I had intended to write a little more in this post, but decided to let the pictures speak for themselves.
All great. You must have a remarkable touch with people to put them so at ease with being photographed. Do you generally speak to them before shooting, or just take the shot and hope no one’s offended? Ken
Thank you! I nearly always speak to people first. I don’t use very long lenses (nothing over 105mm), so I’m physically quite close to the people I’m photographing. I like to establish some kind of connection, even if it’s only through nodding, smiling and my very basic Vietnamese. If someone says no or obviously isn’t comfortable, then I don’t take their picture. I’ll often hang around in one spot for a while, until people get used to me being there, realise that I’m just a harmless idiot with a camera, and start to relax.
Thanks for the reply. I think you’ve inspired to get out and walk around. I mostly photograph food and the 24 – 105 is my go-to lens. I should spend more time wandering outside with it. Ken
wow thanks for the tips, it’s something that I’m trying to get used to, to get people at ease with me (a stranger) taking their photos 🙂 nice portraits the photos speaks by themselves
WOW! so vibrant and sharp, I wonder what lens and F stop you are using and do you apply some post effects? really nice shots and what make them great, they tell a culture and story.
Thank you! These were all taken with a 24-105mm f/4 lens on a Canon 5D, mostly at f/4. I process my pictures in Lightroom, just to add little oomph to the colours.
thanks for your reply
Beautiful photos – I was going to ask the same thing about how you got such depth and rich colour. Thank you! But of course regardless of Lightroom your subjects are fantastic!
fantastic portraits
Thanks!
Good environmental portraits here. Thanks for posting them.
I can absolutely understand why the week didn’t feel long enough after perusing these images — spectacular!
🙂
Your pictures have such a wonderful dynamic. Beautiful.
so beautiful!
The human animal is truly the most interesting species of all, right?
Beautiful work.
The little boy’s face is the most interesting. It shows a lot of worry. May God bless him. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
I love the photos. You not only capture the people, but pieces of their story as well!
My favorite one is the second one from the top – the woman of wisdom with laughing eyes. I like the fact that you did not just post pictures where everyone is happy and smiling, but a real slice of life. Thank you.
Each photo has so much, and the expressions you captured are wonderful !
Oh, these colors. These portraits are vibrant and beautiful. You’ve captured daily life and the spirit of this place within faces and smiles. Lovely work.
Beautiful portraits! also, jealous! I dream of a trip through the Mekong delta. Looks as beautiful as I’ve heard.
Am loving the colours in these photos and the people shining through.
Beautiful photos.
Thank You – for all the Marvelous photos from Mekong Delta portraits – so Beautiful work.
cool colors and close-up!
Beautiful series! Feels like I got to know this people a little, great portraits!
Really well captured!
What wonderful photographs! I love the wide range of generations and facial expressions. Portrait #2 (woman in the green & white top) rather reminds me of the famous “Migrant Mother” photo by Dorothea Lange — she looks like she could handle anything. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
Thanks for sharing- every capture is beautiful
amazing!! U got a new follower! :O
Stunning portraits,all telling a story, excellent!!!!!
Cheers Callie
Outstanding photographs!
Hi John, wonderful photos you have here! I cannot wait for more! By the way, what are the specs of you camera to produce such work? Thank you!
Thank you! These were all taken with a Canon 5D with 24-105mm f/4 lens.
Great story!
You have talent in taking photos of people. You’re photos really tell quite a story. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to more of your work. Cheers.
Truly great and spectacular photographs! You did such a wonderful job!
Some great shots! Really looking forward to returning to that corner of the world again.
your work is wonderful and so filled with characters…
Wonderful photos. As someone said they are timeless, as I recognise some of the scenes from my mother’s paintings, from when she lived in the Far East 60 years ago!
Wonderful photos! Packed with oodles of oomph!
Beautiful pictures. I spent two weeks in Vietnam last year and that was nowhere near long enough. Such an amazing country, bit sad my happy snaps don’t look much like yours though.
i adore the pictures! great work!
Very nice work, I am Vietnamese so a personal thank you for these wonderful portraits!!
Interesting portraits! Thanks for sharing!
Beautifully captured.
Very moving work. After traveling overseas during the past year, seeing and photographing the story-filled faces of such people myself for the first time, I can really appreciate your art!
What vibrant photos! Crisp colors and awesome shots. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations for being Freshly Pressed! 🙂
Oh, I love the deep colors. I like how the skin color of the people are highlighted as such. This is really beautiful.
Wonderful, wonderful pictures!!
You have such an impeccable eye, Jon, truly…such exceptional work! Thank you so much for sharing!
Truly gorgeous. Such humanity shining through. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed- glad I found these photos.
Lovely portraits! It is the one subject matter I can’t seem to get right… so I envy those who do portrait photography very well. Yours are inspiring!
What amazing pictures!!
Lovely images.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
wow
http://www.centplay.com/affiliate/id_878/
beautiful photos
Stunning images, you have captured some amazing moments!
Superb posting!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful photos, really iam enjoying…
Beautiful pictures…and yes, for some reason holidays are never long enough!
beautiful
glorious pictures…I’ll b in that area in May 🙂
I love these shots! They are beautiful. Do you ask them to pose or just click random shots of them?
Thank you! I think the best shots are where people feel comfortable with having a photographer there. I usually like to have eye contact, but try to capture something natural, rather than someone’s “camera face.” This often involves hanging around in one spot for a while and taking a few shots – when people feel relaxed, that’s often when I get the pictures that work the best.
nice!
wonderful collection of pics…
Like the warm colors!
Captivating “people photos”! Thank you for sharing! . . . Hope to go to Vietnam next year, and want to put the Mekong Delta on the list of places to visit after seeing your pictures.
http://arabianmusings.wordpress.com/
Vibrant colors and great use of natural lights => Awesome shots! I Last three pics are just wonderful!! 🙂
great portraits! Nice work
Simply amazing.
amazing amazing pictures
These photographs are beautiful. So rich with culture and warmth. I love them all but the third picture of old man at counter is my favourite. 🙂 They all tell a story without saying a word. You’ve captured awesomeness. Thank you
Such character in those faces, really great shots!
Wow! Great photos. All these colors, the smiles, the people – make me feel happy and warm. Thank you for sharing!
I live in HCMC myself, but you’ve definitely made many ordinary sights look less common and much more fresh and interesting! Love the contrast, great photography.
Reblogged this on Un Québécois à… and commented:
De belles photos, nice pictures!
These are incredible! The detail, the sharpness and the colour! So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
love the humanity in each shot, true moments
Incredible photographs. You capture so much depth but also vibrancy and culture. You take extremely stunning photos, therefore I must now follow you! 🙂
Beautiful pictures! Camera? (:
Thank you! I use a Canon 5D.
Lovely pictures! I travelled in the Mekong, then I wrote this book 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Clean-Shirt-Volume-ebook/dp/B007N8GV82/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332660569&sr=1-1
Colors are so vivid! Would love to go there one day ! 🙂
All portraits are looking more than alive. Great piece of work.
Nice!!:D
wonderful candid shots.. tell a thousand stories.. great photos.
Reblogged this on bretls and commented:
Some lovely shots!
Wow ! Brilliant pictures! Would love to see some pictures with many boats in the river!
Wow! such wonderful portrait photos! and I love the vividness and contrasts of these photos! Btw. do you ask for their permission before you take their photos!? I’m a bit afraid of taking photos of strangers as I’m not sure if they like to be photographed…
Thanks! In pictures like these, where a person is the obvious subject of the picture, yes, I do ask for permission, usually just by holding up the camera and smiling idiotically. If someone says no or obviously isn’t comfortable, I’ll move on.
WoW! Awesome photography! Thanks for sharing.
I was there in december last year. The people are indeed very nice and friendly. Great portraits!
Reblogged this on bronwynschroeder and commented:
love is bliss
Excellent Photographs!!
Beautifully capture the expression of the people and there life.
I love these portraits! Thanks for sharing. I also have some photos around South East Asia but not a lot of portraits. Here is my blog: http://thetravelinghavaianas.wordpress.com
Just beautiful man, I’ve been to Vietnam and this brings back more memories than a bunch of scenic shots, very nice job!
That shot with all the red peppers in the scales literally stopped me in my tracks! Inspiring.
Great shots! Did you flash for this portraits? In case you did, what kind ?
Thank you! No, no flash, these were all taken in natural light.
I like it. Very creative and realistic.
http://mind4intellect.wordpress.com
What expressions on those faces full of life! You have done an amazing job of capturing them.
Very evocative potraits, with people and their everyday context. Brings out the human essence in each of them. Thanks for sharing!
These are an absolutely amazing set of portraits! Well done and thanks for sharing
what a lovely pictures you have capture, love them, miss home already
The Mekong River of Vietnam is a wonderful place. Have you visited or taken any pictures on the river? I first visited in October 2010. My personal fave pictures that I’ve taken are those of the floating market and the boats.
I spoke too soon! I didn’t realize the boat pictures–love them all! Great work
Simply exciting!
Subject are ordinary folks but the
presentation is extraordinary.
These are great! I love portraits and seeing the person’s expression and details.
Reblogged this on Craziness Is Necessary and commented:
I just had to reblog this post. The portraits are amazing!
Wow…stunning shot!
I am in love with this entire portfolio. The poses almost look as if this was a deliberate editorial, but at the same time they have a candid feel to them. It makes this look very well structured and rich – wonderful storytelling through solid composition and knowing when to capture just the right moment. Keep shooting! This is fabulous.
This is really a good work. I appreciate your efforts behind that. Have a great day!
Fantastic people shots, very colourful…
Andy O.
those pictures are far beyond wonderful! the lights are incredible, the expressions are amazing, there’s just so much in them!
Love your portraits. I love the detail in the people’s faces. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful portraits 🙂 Loved it !!
These are absolutely wonderful!! It’s hard to pick favorites as each face tells such a great story. The two that really caught my eye at the moment – the gal in pink with the red fruit and the girl on the boat eating and gazing off into the distance. Can’t wait to look around some more.
These photos are beyond phenomenal! What an amazing way to capture culture within these portraits! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing work! Incredible color. I am a sucker for portraiture, I love the fact that each image comes with it’s own story, it’s own energy.
these are incredible. i went to vietnam in college one summer. these photos really bring back memories of my trip and all the amazing people we met
You are a master at photography! Wow! All your pictures are stunning! Have a great Wednesday! 🙂
My country! Love it so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last picture reminded me of the green eyed Afghan Girl.
Cool contrasts!
That’s a hell of a compliment! Thank you
Truly enjoyable…love the boy in the hat! You really got some fantastic people in this series. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed.
Reblogged this on stevenwadeedinburgh and commented:
Steven Wade Edinburgh and Dundee
Stunning fotos.
Steven Wade Edinburgh and Dundee
These pictures are so inspiring. I often wish I could get up so close to people. I see the shots but lack the courage to approach people. These have given me motivation to put myself out there!
these are nice captures of human *.*b
Reblogged this on Theelectriccane's Blog and commented:
Very nice! And a week definitely isn’t long enough.
Great photos and you’ve captured their expressions.
Thank you everybody for your positivity and encouragement – it really means a lot to me.
Reblogged this on lou28 and commented:
All the sides to Vietnam that I could never capture for you with my limited photographic experience
Great captures of life!
Hi Jon! Your photos are wonderful! I’ll be on the Mekong Delta next week or so, to make even just one shot nearly close to one of yours would made my day! Thank so much for such beautiful poetry!
I loved seeing all of your photos! Wonderful job at capturing the emotions. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Damn this stuff is hot.
Amazing shots! The color saturation is what caught my eye at first. Then, when taking a closer & slower look at each pic I love how they felt so intimate. You can really pick up a sense of connection between you & your subjects who chose to face the camera directly. I find it interesting how hardened the look of the young man on the bike (pic #6) was compared to the elders who more readily & openly smiled. Made me think with age comes wisdom & acceptance. ^_^ Congrats on being FP! Have a great day!
A wonderful series of photographs showing wonderful people. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Beautiful portraits! I love it!
Beautiful and vibrant! The little boy’s face is priceless. Thank you.
Great photos – this is something I’d like to do as well but just can’t get the courage to speak to the people!
What beautiful portraits. You have a way with the camera. I love the colours and the connection you seem to have with people.
Love the pics! The colours are so vibrant and the people’s expressions are great.
Would love to visit Vietnam one of these days.
Very beautiful photos!
These are stunning!
Great post!
and welcome to my blog:http://yingyingxue.blogspot.com/
Nice!