Central Vietnam Workshop and Tour Roundup
We just wrapped our most recent central Vietnam photo workshop and tour for Pics of Asia and we couldn’t have been happier with the students, locations, and the endless supply of coffee we had this year. Starting off in Hoi An, we ventured a bit south to one my personal favorite fishing villages before heading back up north to Hue to explore the old capital and the surrounding countryside. Striving to keep things interesting, we discussed travel, portraiture, street and landscape photography. Whether we were photographing frenetic wet markets or peaceful sunset vistas, we always came back to the importance of slowing down, enjoying the moment, being prepared for when the shot presents itself, and forming relationships with the people we came across on our journey. What we lacked in sleep, we certainly made up in spades in the form of unforgettable experiences. In case you haven’t checked out my article on the importance of slowing down and breaking bread, click here!
Slowing down: Building Relationships through Photography
Last week, I headed back out on the road with Pics of Asia for another workshop and tour in Central Vietnam. We expanded our tour this year from 3 days to 5 days and included stops in the former capital Hue, the ancient town of Hoi An, and their surrounding countrysides. One of my favorite tours of the year, we explore serene lagoons, energetic markets, dabble in street photography, witness incredible sunrises, and drink far too much coffee.
Recent Work: Holland Preconstruction
Recently, a friend and fellow French Bulldog owner, Matthew Holland of Holland Preconstruction, reached out to us as he was looking to give the launch of their new website a lifestyle look and feel. He wanted to show his company’s personality - to eliminate the corporate wall between the business and the people who make them. The brief was essentially this - Show process in how we do what we do, a fun headshot, be a bit cheeky, and of course, let’s have a picture of Dobby the Frenchie - after all he is the Head of Staff Well-being. Talk about a dream brief.
Climbing for Charity: Fansipan
Over the past few weeks we’ve been raising funds for Saigon Children’s Charity as we prepared to climb northern Vietnam’s Mount Fansipan, Indochina’s tallest mountain at 3,143 meters. The time finally came to make good on our commitment and headed up to Sapa to start our journey this past week. We started the trek at Tram Ton, Vietnam’s highest pass at 2,100 meters, and arrived in high camp 12 kilometers and 6 hours later. A bit slower than the 1 hour 37 minute record some alien apparently conquered the journey, but we were proud and excited none the less.
Saigon Punk Chronicles : Cut Lon, The Dumpies, District 105, 7 Uppercuts, Pick Supplier
This past weekend, Hanoi’s Cut Lon had their record release here in Saigon at Soma Art Cafe. This was a classic example of hearing a band and then seeing them being a bit…different. Clad in Pikachu costumes, Cut Lon got on stage and absolutely shredded. Think youth crew meets thrash - circle pits, sing alongs, and stage dives. Yeah, a bit of cognitive dissonance with the whole Pikachu shtick, but one of the things I love about the scene here is the complete lack of elitism that plagues so many scenes in the States. Kids having fun and saying something while they do it… how can you not love it? So bring on the Pickachu.
Catching Up: Dalat over Xmas.
Over the past few weeks, as you may have noticed, I have been a bit off the radar. Partially voluntary and partially by sheer logistics. The lunar New Year, or Tet as they say here in Vietnam, brought a much needed respite and a bit of digital detox was in order. I’ll have plenty of images up here in the coming days (Indonesia was incredible!) so check back for those. That said, I had such a backlog of images and I wasn’t quite sure where they would live, so I’ve decided to use this space to show some of those.
Seeing Things with New Eyes
I’ve lived in Saigon for over 5 years now, and unfortunately, I find myself shooting Saigon less and less these days. What was novel is now the norm, shoots go on autopilot, the penny is less shiny. blah blah blah you know how it goes…in a nut shell, I got bored. And boredom is the biggest disease in the world, darling.
Saigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Fest - The E Killer, District 105, 7Uppercuts, Razor Leaf, Stupiz Kiz, Tariot
With the lunar new year approaching, First and Last Records held their year-end fest showcasing nearly their entire roster as well as the Singaporean melodic hardcore outfit, Tariot. To begin, DIY shows starting more or less on time here in Saigon blows my mind. With everything else here being 'time-flexible', and the habitual lateness of punk shows in general, this punctuality is noteworthy to say the least. High fives for that. That said, maybe I’ve become accustomed to things starting more. whimsically. So, unfortunately, I missed The E-killer. Next time, fellas.