Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
While living in Ho Chi Minh City, I took a week break up to Hong Kong. It had always been high my list and it didn’t disappoint. While the clouds and rain didn’t do it any favors, I still left Hong Kong loving it and wanting to return. It’s one of the more unique cities I’ve been to with an international urban vibe mixed with old world Asia. It has one of the most impressive city skylines I’ve seen, but down on the ground in the narrow alleys and older neighborhoods, you can experience a completely different atmosphere.
Hong Kong has such a variety of scenery and life that I’d recommend it as one of the best cities in Asia for street photography. So here’s 33 photos that I was able to capture during my time in Hong Kong…
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken on Nguyen Hue Street in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Also called Walking Street, Nguyen Hue is the first pedestrian-only street in Ho Chi Minh City. The French colonial styled City Hall and Ho Chi Minh statue sit here, which can bring some tourists during the day, but it usually doesn’t get crowded until night.
Streets run across each side of the walking lane, lined with cafes and shops. I was walking along when I noticed this attractive woman in a tight, short dress with an unusual pattern that stood out. She was also wearing purple high heels and looked like she was dressed for the club in the middle of the day. As she stopped at a closed business to look in the window, I also noticed a man dressed in a bright orange work uniform sleeping on his motorcycle, with shoes off on the ground and his feet resting above.
In Saigon, men sleeping on their motorbikes are about as common as Pho restaurants. So I normally avoid taking photos of them due to how common of a sight it is, but this scene gave me a reason to stop. I composed them together while catching some of the city reflection in the window, and making sure to expose correctly since they were under shadow, out of the bright Saigon sun. For me, this scene is 100% Saigon.
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* “Master Profiles” is a series profiling all the great photographers of uncontrolled life. Unlike the rest of the blog, I’m doing these in a straight profile format to make it easy for quick access to facts, quotes and knowledge on all the masters. I’ll also group them together here every time I add a new one.
Ernst Haas (1921-1986)
Austrian photographer and photojournalist known for his pioneering use of color and abstract aesthetic.
While living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I made sure to make a trip up to the capital of Hanoi. I’d heard a lot of good things from locals, especially photographers, so I was excited to see another side of the country. I also met up with Hanoi’s very own Chu Việt Hà, who thankfully showed me around his city. I’d recommend everyone check out his work, if you haven’t already. Super talented.
Hanoi quickly grew on me and while I love Saigon, I’d have to say Hanoi is even better for photography. It has a more old world atmosphere full of character that’s hard to beat. It’s also extremely walkable and has some can’t miss spots that you can go to over and over again.
So here are my first impressions of Hanoi, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Cuong Tran, a local street photographer in Saigon, was kind enough to take me along for a few walks to show some of the places he likes to shoot. One stop we made was at a village along the river in Binh Thanh, a district in the center of the city just north of District 1. While it’s in the heart of the city near skyscrapers and modern developments, this area takes you back in time and out of the city with its atmosphere.
After exploring the narrow village streets and talking to the friendly locals, I spotted some work being done on a small bridge. Saigon is in constant development and you see construction and electrical workers in their blue jackets all over the city. I liked the blue/turquoise shades of the bridge, water and sky matching their uniforms, and the background reflection of the city and village on the river. So I decided to wait and see if anything interesting happened to capture.
As one worker was strapped below the bridge and making his was back up, I made this shot in mid-effort to pull himself up. Judging by his expression, it’s not easy work.
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*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
