hanoi | Without an H

Posts tagged ‘hanoi’

Construction (and other pictures)

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It often seems like Hanoi is in the midst of an endless cycle of knocking itself down and building itself up again. On almost every street, there’s construction or demolition work going on. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. When I first came to Vietnam, I was surprised to see so many women working on construction sites, but now, like so much else, it’s just normal. I need to remind myself sometimes that even if an image is familiar (to me), it can still be worth photographing.

These pictures – which mostly have nothing to do with construction at all – were all taken in the streets around Van Mieu, the area best known for the Temple of Literature, this month.

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A calligrapher, a birdkeeper and a chef

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A calligrapher, a birdkeeper and a chef walked into a bar… and none of them could think of a punchline.

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Yellow V

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Every now and then, I post a series of yellow-based pictures. It’s not my favourite colour, but it is Hanoi’s.

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Framed

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I’m slowly getting back into the rhythm of taking photographs again, after another of my all too regular lulls. These four pictures were taken in Hanoi’s Dong Da district a couple of weekends ago and, in my mind at least, all fit into a loose ‘framing’ theme.

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Tailor (and other pictures)

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It’s autumn in Hanoi. This is a good thing. You can move about without feeling like you’re about to melt. To celebrate, I’ve started taking pictures in colour again.

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On Bamboo Street with VTV

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Last week, I had the slightly surreal experience of being interviewed for Vietnamese television, in connection with my Hanoi / Yangon exhibition at Vietnam in Focus. As well as a sit-down interview, I was filmed taking pictures on Hang Vai, a street in the Old Quarter known for its bamboo workshops, and also the location of the ViF cafe / gallery. Obviously, I’m not used to being filmed while photographing and I felt quite uncomfortable with the whole experience, but some of the pictures I took that afternoon came out nice, so I’m posting them here.

Also, and I know I’m going to regret this, I’m posting a link to the full program (Culture Mosaic, originally broadcast on VTV4 last weekend; my segment starts at about 13 minutes). Honestly, I’m actually quite articulate and personable in real life, but put me in front of a camera and I turn into the awkward, sweaty, incoherent individual you see here.

(with thanks to the good people of VTV)

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An August eleven

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Eleven pictures from Hanoi last month.

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Exhibitionism

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I’m delighted to say that my first photography exhibition is opening soon. Mirror Cities: Hanoi / Yangon is a collection of street portraits from the two cities. The pictures are presented in pairs, Hanoi in black and white, Yangon in colour, with each pair sharing some commonality in subject, style or theme.

The where and when:
Vietnam in Focus, 46 Hang Vai Street,
Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
Opening night: Saturday 10th September from 7pm to 10pm.
Free admission.

If you’re in Hanoi – or if you feel like hopping on a plane – please come along on the opening night, or pop in at any time over the next month or so.

Vietnam in Focus is a cafe / gallery in central Hanoi and a photography tour company, offering individual and group tours in Hanoi and northern Vietnam. A big thank you to Alex and Colm at ViF for making this happen.

Hanoi street portraits (#128)

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A few more street portraits from April.

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Hanoi street portraits (#73)

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Back in January of last year, I took a series of pictures that I posted here under the banner Hanoi street portraits; these were tightly-framed black and white portraits of people I encountered on the streets near my home in Hanoi. I was quite happy with my little project, but I soon moved on to other things, mainly the photographs I took in Myanmar over the course of two trips in 2015. Recently, though, I decided to revive the series, and began taking more pictures in the same style, a handful in October, and many more in April. It was becoming a long-term project. Or perhaps I’d just run out of new ideas.

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Re-starting the project in April turned out to be a good way of pulling myself out of the rut I’d found myself in since my second Myanmar trip. I needed some clearly defined rules and a simple task to focus my attention. Sometimes, I enjoy just wandering with my camera with no particular destination or purpose in mind, especially if I’m in a new, unfamiliar place. But other times that lack of specific purpose just makes me freeze; there are so many options and possibilities that I don’t know where to start. This can be especially true in Hanoi. I know the city well and I’ve taken a lot of pictures here. This very familiarity can create a kind of pressure. I feel I need to go somewhere different, do something new; I find myself reluctant to take pictures because I fear I’m just repeating myself.

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By concentrating on street portraits, I removed some of these self-imposed obstacles. I didn’t have to worry too much about how to approach a shot, what to include in the frame, what to leave out; I knew I was looking for close-up portraits, so other kinds of picture could simply be ignored. My camera settings were straightforward: wide aperture, focus on the eyes. Yes, I’ve taken these kinds of picture before, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take more, and take them better. And each person I photograph, of course, is different. And perhaps most importantly, I enjoy this kind of photography, both the process of making the pictures, and the selecting and editing that comes later.

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So what defines the pictures in this series? They’re all simple portraits, where the face is the focus of attention. The compositions are all formal. The people in these photographs were all aware of me taking their picture, and are mostly making eye contact with the viewer. I’m aiming to capture a natural, relaxed look – no cheesy grins or V-signs. I hope that there’s some intimacy about these pictures. Composition, focus and exposure all relatively easy to achieve, but intimacy is more difficult.

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These pictures were all taken with a full-frame digital SLR, a Canon 6D, with an 85mm f/1.8 lens. There’s something about this lens that lends itself to the black and white treatment. The absence of colour – together with the tight framing, shallow depth of field and clean, simple background – minimises distractions and helps to focus the viewer’s attention on the subject’s face.

160411-191-edited They were all shot in natural light. These April days were hazily sunny or a little cloudy. I mostly avoided shooting in direct sunlight, preferring the more even light of open shade.

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It’s not always easy approaching strangers and asking to take their photograph. I have days when it doesn’t work for me at all, when the spark just isn’t there. Thankfully, I have other days, like these few in April, when everything is right, when the streets seem to be full of engaging, interesting people. I’m hoping that there are more days like that to come.

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