Travel Photographers Guide To Vietnam.
What an incredible experience I had here. Vietnam really showed itself to me in a way I didn’t expect and the locals loved the camera. I must of walked hundreds of kilometres, capturing everything from street photography to remote fishing villages. You know you’ve found a special place when you can spend days just getting lost in the streets. I hired many guides and even went on a photography tour with a local French photographer in Hoi An. It’s the kind of place you could spend weeks and still not experience everything. My Tips for travel photography in Vietnam are;
Pick the best time to travel, i contacted a photography guide i found on Instagram and liked his style, he lives in Vietnam and that was very helpful. Do visit https://vietnam.travel/ and do your homework.
It can be hot and humid near the coast and very cold inland, so be prepared. Take only the gear you can fit into a small backpack that is weather proof.
I had 2 camera bodies, one stayed in the hotel. Zoom lenses works best when traveling, Lenses 24x70mm, 70x200mm, 2x full frame cameras, 4 memory cards, 4x batteries, small off camera LED light, small tripod, for more tips visit https://travelfreak.com/ Camera lenses explained here
I always take my laptop and 2 hard drives and keep one at the hotel while out or backup to the cloud at night if possible. Having a way to process and see your captures really inspires you for the next days adventure.
Always ask for permission when taking someone’s portrait and have small amounts of money for a tip, and do shoot vert + horizontal this you will find very useful.
Steve McCurry is one of my to go to for inspiration when traveling, Steves work is amazing, do study your approach to the images and style you wish to return with before you travel.
I did contact local photography guides, that kept me safe and didn’t have to take risks finding the best foto opp, and get off the tourist trail you wouldn’t believe the locations and people i found doing this. Have a look at the shipyard images, we were the only ones there, no tourist. If your are in Hoi An, Vietnam https://www.picsofasia.com/ is a great way to see Hoi An through the eyes of a local young photographer that will take you away for the typical tourist trail, highly recommended. Photography by www.andremartinphoto.com
I meet Rod Black while travelling in Vietnam, Rod runs Photography tours of Vietnam on a regular basis and knows where all the best photography spots are, take a look at his site PHOTO TOURISM
Camera i used for this trip - Canon 5d mk3, Canon 70-200mm L IS F4 zoom lens, Canon 24-70mm L F2.8, Second backup Canon body 5d mk2, 4 x 64gb cards, 2 X 1 TB hard drives, 4 Canon batteries, all captures raw and processed in Capture one Pro with some editing in Photoshop. Forgot to say do take your Iphone and grab some BTS video and stills to add to your adventure footage, it just makes so much more interesting and also each image and video has your location within the data.
Image gallery from my recent Vietnam travel Photography trip
If you love travel photography this trip will blow your mind.
This blog post details the Mt. Everest Base Camp trek, one of the most exhilarating, difficult, and breathtaking travel photography experiences I've ever had. The opportunity to see the highest point on our amazing planet makes the trip well worth it.
Click on this link to see more Mt Everest base camp trek. I booked my trip through Nepal Tibet Trekking
Full video of my trek to Mt Everest base camp
The trek takes around 12-14 days to complete, starting and ending at the small town of Lukla. Along the way, trekkers will pass through many traditional Sherpa villages, including Namche Bazaar, the gateway to the Khumbu region. This village is a hub of activity and commerce, with shops, restaurants, and markets catering to tourists and locals alike.