Travel Photography Tips from Mekong Delta in Black and White

As seen on the photo below Chau Doc is alongside the fantastic Mekong River, it is a popular border crossing town to Cambodia and a recommended stop in Vietnam.

I get weary of any place which is highly popular with tourists, yes it might have scenic reasons but usually some annoyances are also associated with these must see spots.

The photo below was taken off of a modern high bridge. There weren’t too many vivid colors in and around town and it was an overcast day so I think black and white photos work best for this post.

The best part was my stay at the Trung Nguyen Hotel which was located in the center of Chau Doc with a huge balcony over looking the market, spotless elegant room, free wifi; all this for 11 dollars, a total steal.

Street solicitors for motorbikes, cyclos, boat tours and lottery tickets are common place in Vietnam especially at places which tourists frequent; they are totally acceptable and expected but the rate of being approached in Chau Doc reached an incredible level I have not experienced anywhere else.

I know I am the ATM tourist visiting a very poor country so I cannot complain about locals wanting my business therefore I just decided to leave after 3 days. It was not the ideal place to stay for an extended time.

Something positive: I managed to walk around town taking some good shots especially off of a modern high bridge which gave a nice bird’s eye view of the usually flat and two dimensional Mekong Delta scenery.

My best advice about Cau Doc is: spend as little time in the town itself as possible, see whatever you want to see (plenty outside town) and move on – as most people do anyways.

Some compositions just fall into place, I really like the lines in this photo and the placement of all its parts.
It is not perfect but no chances for 2nd takes – even if I knew how to say it in Vietnamese: please paddle back 50 yards and let’s try this shot again!

Almost every minute goods and people in boats cross the river between the two sides of Chau Doc:

Playing with different compositions of an everyday scene:

Many nice vertical lines in this photo plus a true picture of typical housings on the Mekong River.
This photo won me 1st place during a recent competition in the “Most Phallic Travel Photo” category:

Using wide angle lens to show the dock of a boat tour company and also a busy “ferrying” point. Still not National Geographic but I like this:

Father and son fixing something? Not sure but the poles added an interesting visual element:

Beautiful Vietnamese girl wearing an “ao dai” the traditional school uniform while day dreaming. I could have Photoshopped out the shopkeeper picking her nose but travel photography is about realism I guess:

A boy is getting his bicycle tire inflated at a corner repair shop:

Can never have enough smiling faces pictures:

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