My adventures continue as I reached Vietnam after being home for 20 hours after my Patagonia trip. It was just barely enough time to wash clothes, repack and spend some time with my family.
On our first day we were in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. There we photographed a traffic jam at night. It’s a pretty common thing given that there is a never-ending flow of motorbikes on the road. About everyone in Vietnam is on a motorbike of some sort. It’s not uncommon to see families of four on one bike. People with their dogs, people transporting goods, even funeral flowers are delivered via motorbike.
We walked through the traffic being careful not to stop or speed up as our guide directed us carefully across the road so that we could photograph the traffic from a bridge. We waited until the sun went down and the vehicle lights were illuminated. Using a 15 second exposure I was able to capture soft glowing lines of light as the traffic passed underneath us. I also used my Olympus camera body and worked a bit with the Live Comp setting which allows you to take interval shots and the camera records just the new light. I brought my Olympus system and my Sony system. I used the Olympus when I was walking around shooting. It is lighter and more compact. It also has some features that I like including the Live Comp, art filters, high res shot and a fully articulating screen. I brought my Sony for the 50 megapixels, great image quality and I also wanted to bring my lightweight 200-600mm lens for the Red-shanked doucs.
Donna Bourdon who is attending this tour with the intention of running it for me next year or until I get caught up on postponed tours, took the slow motion blur featured below of funeral flowers on a motorbike. I love it!!
Image copyright Donna Bourdon
Canon R5, Canon 24-105, Focal Length 24. ISO 125; F14; Shutter Speed 1/10
We also shot a skyline shot while in Saigon from an area used by locals as a place to eat dinner and watch the passing boats as the sun goes down. It’s fun to submerge yourself in other cultures when you travel, and I felt completely submerged while standing less than a foot away from a couple as they dined on the local fried snacks and shared some drinks.
The above photo is a group of Buddhist monks sitting down for a meal and service at the Ho Chi Minh Vietnam Buddhist University. My group and I were treated to a private photo shoot with the nuns and monks in training at the university. It was a great experience getting to watch them during prayers and while sharing a meal. During our time there, I had been using a slow shutter speed off and on.
This zoom blur was inspired by Terry Jackson. Terry has been on several of my photo tours and he is a very talented and creative photographer. So when I saw his blur I decided to create my own version. It was quite a bit different from his but they both appealed to me for different reasons.
After leaving Saigon we headed to Hue. There we photographed men throwing fishing nets into the water. These nets are quite large and require a lot of talent to throw. Our expert fishermen have learned this tradition through the generations. We also photographed, as lanterns were lit and put into the water. This was done traditionally as a way of celebrating. The set up for this was intense and time consuming but, in my option, well worth it. I liked the unique shots my group and I captured.
Next, we headed to Da Nang to photograph the monkeys. On our way we stopped to look over China Beach aka the East Sea. It’s a beautiful view with a switchback up.
The Red-shanked doucs were amazing to see in person. At first, we spent a lot of time looking for them and I was concerned that we would not even see one let alone photograph one. But finally, we hit the jackpot- we saw at least 10 or more.
Photographing the doucs was a challenge as the light was kind of low. I used my Sony A1 and 200-600mm lens. And at the time I wished I had lugged my 600mm f/4 lens but only for about a minute <wink>. The Sony A1 handled the higher ISOs perfectly.
The next morning, we headed out before sunrise to try to find the monkeys again. Everyone in the group enjoyed seeing and photographing these incredible creatures. They have the most beautiful faces, and their red shanks are over the top!
After a nice visit in Da Nang and a second chance with the Red-shanked doucs followed by a lovely lunch we headed to Hoi An. We are still in Hoi An, and so far we photographed a man fishing using a very large net. He demonstrated his technique for us, he even caught a few fish! I used my Olympus OM-D E-M5, converted to Infrared @720nm. with a 14-42mm EZ lens for the shot below. This camera and self closing lens fits in my back pocket so I am never w/o it.
We took a short break, then headed out to photograph lanterns at night. Hoi An is a nice town with an old world charm. Lot of vendors and lots and lots of lanterns. I need to get one for my room!
I have a bunch more to share but I need to get some rest. So far Vietnam has been fantastic. After tweaking the itinerary just a bit and adding the monkeys, I am having a blast. We still have so much more to see and photograph. I’ll post a Part II once I actually do Part II of the tour!