My trip to Vietnam

[giorgio_guglielmino]

Hello,

 

I have been in Vietnam last month and I have tried to make some "Street Photography".

 

You can have a look at this 2 gallery if you interested.

I would really be happy if you can suggest to me how to improve, I'm going to travel soon again and I would like to get

some other street shoots so any of your suggestion will be welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Giorgio

 

http://giorgio-photos.com/wordpress/?page_id=285

 

http://giorgio-photos.com/wordpress/?page_id=301

[mike dixon]

The immediate impression I get from looking at your Vietnam photos is that you're intimidated by your subjects. Almost all of the shots are taken from a distance, and in most, the subject is centered in the frame. It looks like you rarely dared to photograph anything closer than 3 meters away, and when you photographed people closer than 10 meters, you pointed the camera at them and snapped off a shot as quickly as you could, without giving careful thought to their placement in the frame or the background.

 

I spent a few weeks in Vietnam in 2007, and as far as photography is concerned, Vietnamese people were some of the most approachable I've ever photographed.

[giorgio_guglielmino]

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for your comment.

You are right, I was trying to avoid to be spotted from them, i always think that, expecially busy people, doesn't like to be captured into a picture. So basically i'm always "shy" when i have to take this kind of picture. So, as you say, most of the time i try to be very "quick" and than walk away.

I', having a look at your portfolio now and i have to admit that i have to learn a lot from you, i really enjoy your Koread gallery, grat pics with grat composition.

I will try to learn from your pics.

 

Thanks

 

Giorgio

[JDMvW]

Having spent much of my time in the late 60s and 70s trying to stay out of Viet Nam, I'm unlikely to make it there now, but enjoyed the vicarious view. ;)

[Spearhead]

<i>i always think that, expecially busy people, doesn't like to be captured into a picture.</i><P>When I was in Vietnam, I had exactly one person get upset about the camera, and when I asked someone local that I was with about it, she said the woman and her friends were gambling. Other than that, not one person cared, many welcomed the camera. I would suggest facing people wherever you are, the worst that will happen is that they will say no.

[clive1]

<I>"I would suggest facing people wherever you are, the worst that will happen is that they will say no."</i><P>Not

entirely true of course, even in Asia, as friend Max Hodges reveals in a blog entry from Tokyo in June. Go <a

href="http://www.maxhodges.com/2008/06/dangers-of-street-photography-in.html">here</a> to read "Dangers of Street

Photography in Kabukicho."

[Spearhead]

That's a pretty one-sided story. Also, this was about Japan. To some people, all Asians are alike, but anyone that's traveled there knows that's not the least bit true. Vietnam is very different in cultural attitudes than Japan.

 

Like I said, and like Mike said, in Vietnam there is no problem unless you are shooting illegal activity.

[clive1]

Jeff, I have lived in Asia for over 20 years and like to think that I know my Sikkimese from my Sinhalese. I obviously misunderstood the "wherever" in your original post to mean "wherever." Although I have experience shooting in Vietnam (I spent a few months there in 1990, a while before Americans were allowed back), I don't feel I know the country well enough to categorically state that "there is no problem unless you are shooting illegal activity."

[furcafe]

Thanks for the link to the blog entry, Clive. The only place where I experienced outright hostility to street photography in Japan was in Kabukicho.

[joan_s.]

Giorgio, I really enjoyed your choice of subjects, and I'm not at all bothered by the fact you tried to not be spotted by

them!

I can't understand this never-ending debate, since to me making the model aware you're shooting them and doing

close-ups isn't necessarily about being a better photographer, just one that's trying to achieve a completely different

result. I like seeing a street scene in context as well, and often if the subject has modified his gaze or attitude due to

my presence, I don't get the picture I'm looking for.

 

I have been trying to practice waiting for the right time to take the pic though, and staying put to take more than one

if the subjects expressions are not interesting in the first take. Another trick is stay around so long the people start

ignoring you :)

 

It is worth taking the time to frame the picture properly if they are in street context though, and this is where some of

your pictures bothered me a bit (some could do with a bit of cropping IMO) You sometimes have key objects/people

cut off at the side or the top, and that's one of my pet peeves. When the frames are not close-ups, it's IMO important

to be "clean" to avoid a cluttered effect. For instance in this one, http://giorgio-photos.com/wordpress/?

page_id=285&nggpage=2 , a more interesting angle would have been to stoop down,take a step to the left, and not

cut of the top of the model. The expression of the people are excellent it's a shame we can't see just a bit more of

the woman at the left's face.

 

If you are a bit shy, my personal motto is "a large zoom is my friend". I can't afford a DSLR right now, but have

realised that a bridge with a good zoom can take some very respectable street pictures (all of my People of Rivne

folder http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=770160 (in the same style as your pics, so that's why I thought you

may find it interesting), was taken with a Kodak easyshare Z650. I'm trying to treat my lack of good equipment as a

temporary advantage, since I know the DSLR's don't have the same zoom capabilities without a load of extra

lenses.

 

I am very much an amateur and have a lot of respect for everyone's extra experience but I just wanted to share a few

tips that have worked for me :)

[giorgio_guglielmino]

Thanks to you all for your comments.

 

Looking at this discussion and especially at your portfolio make me understand that I really need to improve and that

I need to start to look at "things" and people from a different point of view. I will have soon an other opportunity to

travel to the far east so I will try again to get street photography pictures. Well, hopefully I'll come back with

something better :-)

 

Thanks to all of you again.