Without an H

Photography from south-east Asia by Jon Sanwell

Posts tagged ‘picture of the week’

Fruit market portrait (potw #22)

I haven’t taken that many pictures in Saigon recently, but I’m hoping that moving to a new neighbourhood will inspire me.  This was taken outside Tan Dinh market on Hai Ba Trung, which I’m expecting will become a regular destination for me in the coming months.

This blog has gained a lot of new followers over the last couple of days, thanks to my ‘Mekong Delta portraits’ post being featured on Freshly Pressed.  Welcome everybody and thanks for the support – I hope that you’ll continue enjoying the blog.

Saigon skyline (potw #20)

Sunday evening was my first time out shooting with a tripod, and my first attempt at long-exposure photography. I mostly shoot on the streets and in markets, often in quite tight spaces where a tripod would weigh me down and get in the way. I like to be able to react quickly and be mobile when I’m out with my camera, so I normally just carry a small shoulder bag containing a DSLR, one or two lenses and a good book. For the kind of shots I usually take, if there is not much available light, I’ll crank up the ISO and/or use my 50mm or 85mm prime lens at a wide aperture, so that I can still hand-hold the camera.

I like to think that I can be spontaneous when I’m taking pictures, but I also recognise that there are times when I need to be more considered, think more and shoot less. And this is why using a tripod was great practice for me. It made me slow down and really think about composition and camera settings for each shot. I didn’t always get it right, but the thinking part was important. Thinking is good.

Overall, I’m quite happy with my first attempts at night-time shooting, though I still have a lot to learn, particularly about getting my focus right. I’m fairly sure that people pictures will remain my favourite kind of photography, and I certainly won’t be taking my tripod with me everywhere I go, but it’s always good to try something new. It’s got me thinking about photography in a slightly different way, so I think it was 800,000 dong well-spent.

The shot above was a 30 second exposure, taken at 6.30, about half an hour after sunset.

Many thanks to my student and new photography buddy Son for his local knowledge and his wheels.

Sugar and spice (potw #19)

Binh Tay market, Cholon, Saigon.

I’ve not taken many pictures lately – I’ve been lacking inspiration since coming back from my Mekong / Cambodia trip in January.  I felt like I was on a roll while I was away, but I seem to have hit a slump since getting back to Saigon.  Consequently, I’m a bit behind with my Pictures of the Week – this one’s from the week before last.

Monk portrait, Phnom Penh (potw #16)

Phnom Penh was the last stop on my Mekong trip.  I didn’t take that many pictures on this visit; I was only there for a couple of nights, and I wasn’t quite in the mood for a big city, having spent the previous two weeks in quieter, more relaxing surroundings.

Wat Langka, however, is one of the more tranquil spots in Phnom Penh.  It’s not the most spectacular temple in Cambodia, but I like its calm, welcoming atmosphere.  It’s hard to tell where the surrounding alleyways end and the temple complex begins.  This young monk was standing inside one of the side doors to the main temple, and was perfectly, indirectly lit by the morning sunshine outside.

Afternoon in Kompong Cham (potw #15)

Making a rare foray into the realms of physical exercise, I cycled across Kompong Cham’s bamboo bridge (more of which later) onto Koh Paen, a small island in the Mekong river.  Countless small children called “hello!” as I rattled inelegantly past stilt houses and rice fields in the late afternoon sun.  Many of the rice fields in this part of Cambodia are overlooked by small, open pagodas, as in the picture above.

Floating in the Mekong Delta (potw #14)

I’ve just come back from a two week Mekong trip – one week in the Mekong Delta in the south of Vietnam, and one in eastern Cambodia.  I have many pictures and memories to sort through, which I can’t quite begin to do yet, as I’m back in Saigon and my brain hurts.  So here’s just one to be going on with.

This picture was taken in the floating market in Phong Dien, near Can Tho, the main city of the Mekong Delta.