Photography Tips On Trying To Connect With Locals In Asia

This “Men At Work” posts contains a wide variety of subject matter in the loose genre of travel, street and people photography. Although the title says: “Photography Ideas”, this post doesn’t suggest that the photographer will ever be out of ideas, as inspiration is all around while traveling Southeast Asia.

Now the following statement is based on a limited 9-month travel experience to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, which may not be sufficient to make judgments about how much and what kind of work men vs. women do: men seem to do – on average – less strenuous work.

I could walk by a construction site or a brick maker business where only women are seen working, while it is quite common site to see men sleeping on their motorbikes during daytime business hours. The photos bellow represent a random, small slice of the tens of thousands of images I took of “Men At Work”.

Old man immersed in his work, street photography in Ninh Binh, Vietnam

A great street photography moment, truly one of tens of thousands: as I exited my hotel in Ninh Binh, I walked by this house, where an old man was working on – I have no idea what. Due to the ever present language barrier in Southeast Asia, I already need to pick the situations when I am wiling to enter a miming contest, but when I saw how immersed the man was, I decided to snap my picture and walk on.

I love the shape of the piece he is working on, also the matching colors of the man’s shirt and the wall in the background. They provide a calm and quiet pastel color scheme to the photo.

Alpha male ship yard worker making double biceps pose in Ha Tien, Vietnam

This picture was taken with a telephoto lens, as the man displaying undeniable alpha male greeting, was high up on a ship being built. The blue sky provides uncluttered background, the image has strong lines in it, due to the industrial surroundings, which match the strong man pose of the subject.

Typical Vietnamese motorbike driver at work in Hanoi, Vietnam

Fortunately I did not have to think much about this funny composition because this is how I walked up to this hardly working motorbike driver. Passenger business is sporadic so there is no reason to give 100% effort all day long. The midday heat of Southeast Asia is a perfect excuse for a nap in the shade.

Bird’s eye view of sanitation worker – street photography in Saigon, Vietnam

Finding a high vantage point – in this case a freeway overpass – turned out to be an ongoing theme during several street photography days. When the sun is not high, interesting and strong shadows are created. The photograph may have also worked if the sky was cloudy but it definitely gains drama and visual excitement with the added shadows.

Two men at work cleaning railroad tracks in Hanoi, Vietnam

A wide angle lens created an eye-catching perspective as men were photographed cleaning railroad tracks. I always like repeating colors in a composition and was happy to notice that there were several blue elements in the frame besides the clothes of the men.

Unsafe welder welding without welding mask in Hanoi, Vietnam

What’s wrong with this picture? – I said to myself as I was ascending a bridge in Hanoi, Vietnam. The welder was working without the safety welding mask. He might have had his eyes closed while working and only opened it when aiming but it is pure speculation on my part.

Street sweeper man at work during morning rush hour in Saigon, Vietnam

Another example of repeating colors in the form of the orange outfit of the street sweeper, his orange dustpan and the orange traffic cone. The photo was taken during the morning hours but I never really saw a distinct morning and afternoon rush our, there seemed to be just one long, non-stop 18 hour long rush hour.

Blacksmith at work – street photography in Hanoi, Vietnam

The colorful Old Quarter of Hanoi is a street photographer’s paradise. There is just so much going on that it is not hard to fill up memory cards. Hanoi is a tourist trap which has it’s advantages and disadvantages. In tourist traps the locals may not be as pleasant as their off the beaten track comrades, but in turn they don’t stare at you and freeze up. Knowing the rules of engagement, each type of destination will offer plenty of photography opportunities.

None of these street photos were pre-planned, it would have been impossible to do so. The best approach is to be open to whatever is presented and to make quick decisions – often subconscious decisions – to translate the scene into a story worth telling.

Man at work, hammering away in his repair shop in Chau Doc, Vietnam

It is best to start a busy day of street photography early in the morning, as the midday heat in Southeast Asia sends even the locals into the shade for a siesta. As I walked by an alley, one morning in Chau Doc, I was able to capture an ordinary slice of life. All things ordinary of course are amazing to a travel photographer from a completely different culture.

Being surrounded with a virtual National Geographic reality, 24/7 is all the inspiration the photographer needs to get up in the morning. Just the walls of Vietnam are incredible! They make perfect backgrounds, as seen on this picture – everything else can be considered a bonus.

Man welding on the streets of Old Quarter in Hanoi, Vietnam

A better equipped welder here is using a safety mask! I like how the lady is side-lit by the cold, blue light. The storefront is also great, it has a strong geometry, which can be very successfully utilized during street photography.

Men At Work: people street and travel photography in Hanoi, Vietnam

It is virtually impossible for a western travel photographer to blend in on the streets of Vietnam. Even though I was using a telephoto lens from across the street, I was spotted by one of the working men in no time.
Once again, we can see repeating colors – the man’s shirt and the green metal door – and the ever present typical stamped walls seen everywhere in Vietnam.

The changing of guards: soldiers marching at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi

Although street photography is prohibited around government buildings, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi is a tourist attraction, therefore the communist censorship is absent here. Still, I didn’t want to impose so I used a telephoto lens and decided to photography the marching soldiers, rather than the switching of the posts, which is not as visually dynamic.

I had time only for a couple of frames, so I had to make sure that the feet of the guards were in a marching position and that no two people were intersecting each other. Also needed to make sure that I kept some room in front of the guards so they are “marching into” enough amount of empty space.

Man working while kids watch: cutting large block of ice in Ha Tien Vietnam

The cutting of huge blocks of ice with a power saw is definitely worthy of a small gathering by the neighborhood kids. For me another “street photography first time” as ordinary moments become unique photography subjects.
The decisive moment was quite simple to establish – when the man was reaching the furthest, was when the most interesting composition could be photographed.

Man rowing water taxi across Mekong River in Chau Doc, Vietnam

After having rice noodle soup for breakfast, it was a great way to start the day by spending time at the dock of Chau Doc. The water taxi drivers were busy transporting people across the mighty Mekong River. The thick vegetation floating on the surface of the water adds “more to look at” by the way of color and texture.

Creating balanced compositions was great fun from this low vantage point: the blurred background could be filled with floating houses from across the river, the paddles and the traditional Vietnamese conical hats created diagonal lines, which usually add drama and visual excitement to images.

Man working in a street barber shop in Saigon, Vietnam

Sometimes street photography is met with bewilderment or complete culture shock, not for the photogographer but for the locals. A completely mundane and ordinary activity like getting a shave on the street will get any self respecting photographer to reach for their DSLR. I often saw: “is this really interesting enough to photograph” looks on local’s faces.

Wedding photographer shooting Vietnamese couple at Hoan Kiem Lake, in Hanoi

Walking up to this wedding photography in progress was great. Both the couple and the location were beautiful, the scenic tourist and local attraction, the Hoan Kiem Lake never disappoints. I was able to compose this photo with all elements I wanted to include. The bride and groom, the assistants, the beautiful background and the awesome leg-spread stable stand of the wedding photographer.

While this was not (consciously planned) I like how the tree branch from the top right corner reaches out and surrounds the assistant’s head, much like an attacking monster.

Mission impossible: mean loading huge cargo onto motorbike in Hanoi, Vietnam

Traffic and motorbikes are a big part of Southeast Asia street photography. It is admirable how much cargo and how many family members can fit on one motorbike. This high vantage point photo shows how an impossible idea becomes reality. Eventually the cargo was secured and successfully transported.

These occasions are far and few between, when a western travel photographer is able to remain unnoticed, but choosing a high shooting point is one example when it is possible. Angling shot from above also eliminates often very busy backgrounds, found in urban settings.

Vietnamese butchers at work without air conditioning in Saigon, Vietnam

We in the west take refrigeration and air conditioning granted when it comes to preserving meat. Not so in Southeast Asia. This photo was taken of butchers at work in a hot market. Then the meat was taken to market stands where they were displayed without refrigeration again. If the meat is not covered with mosquito netting, one of the main duties of the meat stand owner is to fan the meat to chase off constantly landing flies.

Because I could not stand around too long without making the subjects self conscious, I concentrated on quickly creating a composition with enough action in the foreground plus a balanced background that completed the story.