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12 pics Saigon Mir 47K, S.T. 3.5/24, S-M-C 1.4/50 [C&C]
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:10 pm    Post subject: 12 pics Saigon Mir 47K, S.T. 3.5/24, S-M-C 1.4/50 [C&C] Reply with quote
back in Saigon where 'Tet', Vietnamese New Year was celebrated:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt#The_New_Year


Some few pics from these last 10 days I want to share, all taken on Pentax K-x


Mir 47K f2.5/20mm

1 on heavily decorated Nguyen Hue Street, where people come to see the flowers and many take photos


Super Takumar f3.5/24mm:

2 inside Quan Am Pagoda in China Town


3 on Nguyen Hue street on the New Year Day


and S-M-C f1.4/50mm:

4 in a street side coffee shop


5 again on Nyugen Hue



6 midnight New Year at the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda


wide open:
7 curious boy


8 sitting in the coffee shop


9 at Nyugen Hue


10 selling flowers for New Year


11 in an ice cream / coffee shop


12 decoration on Nyugen Hue


cheers,
Andreas

Last edited by kuuan on Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:27 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice series, especially where we see young ladies.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excellent, numbers 9 & 10 are the best!


PostPosted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Exellent!!!
Very nice and enjoyable! Smile


PostPosted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great series Smile
#2, #7 and #10 are my favorites.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice series Andreas!


PostPosted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
thank you very much my forum friends for looking and commenting.

quite a few in B&W, maybe just alright for street photography, but one reason for that also is that I still do not like the colors of the K-x all that much for daylight photography. Once the light become dim I like the pastel quality colors, and the are alright with little light and high ISO too.

one more to show (..a + forum member had liked and commented on it in my flickr stream ) taken with the Super Tak 3.5/24:



and a crop of a photo shown



best greetings,
Andreas

edited, ealier it said they were 100% crops

Last edited by kuuan on Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:16 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Are you still in Saigon, Andreas? Call me if you're still here and if time allows we can meet up.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
#2 for me simply because you captured the sun rays beautifully.

#10 for framing the woman with the horizontals of the flowers.

#11 for capturing subtlety, that is, is she waiting for someone eagerly or did she hear the shutter of your camera open and is about to look at you Smile


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excellent pics; my favourite is nr #2


PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
First and Fourth are fantastic. Nice clean B&W on 1. and an interesting perspective on 4. Others are good too, of course.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
#6 Reminds me of a national geographic shot. Are there more night shots?


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ducdao wrote:
Are you still in Saigon, Andreas? Call me if you're still here and if time allows we can meet up.


would be great to meet you again!
had written an SMS but no answer so far. Will leave for Bangkok on friday, but most likely be back in a few weeks, hope to see you then.


cmontoya wrote:
#2 for me simply because you captured the sun rays beautifully.

#10 for framing the woman with the horizontals of the flowers.

#11 for capturing subtlety, that is, is she waiting for someone eagerly or did she hear the shutter of your camera open and is about to look at you Smile


#2 was easy, the rays were there, just had to wait a bit until something else interesting was in the frame

#10 was not that easy specially to get some framing as there were many people next to me pushing in this public park where flowers were at display and for sale for Vietnamese New Year, besides it was night and quite dark

#11 I think she was eagerly waiting, me sitting in the table next to her I was not sure if I could get enough of her face to make the pic work, but the background I liked made me try


karabud wrote:
Excellent pics; my favourite is nr #2


thank you, the rays and the incense smoke make a good combination Wink


Yebisu wrote:
First and Fourth are fantastic. Nice clean B&W on 1. and an interesting perspective on 4. Others are good too, of course.


thank you!
first one is just a bit back focused, but it doesn't do harm and I was lucky to get it
4th is the kind of photo one could take very day in the streets of Saigon, numerous street side coffee shops here and I waited for a public bus to fill the background


mmelvis wrote:
#6 Reminds me of a national geographic shot. Are there more night shots?


thank's a lot
I had taken more that night, but here a very different night shot, 'neighborhood - street - evening' life / party in a typical back street in Saigon:


though I should have saved this pic for another thread Wink
and it was taken with a Vivitar ( Kiron ) f2/28mm lens


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
what a show ! Thanks for taking us there ...

My absolute favourite: the flower girl in b&w

Cheers
Tobias


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
These are outstanding! The last time I was in Saigon, it was 1968, and
it wasn't a "good time" to be there.

I do remember the beauty of the Vietnamese women; in fact, I think
there were a significant number of military men who married and
brought their wives back to the USA. Certainly are now "long ago"
memories for me.

I also remember that, when security was better, we would dine in
French restaurants with great food. I also remember a sort of very
popular soup that was served all over Vietnam, and especially
in the villages upstream on the Mekong Delta area - I wish I knew what
it is called, and how it was made. I do know it was delicious.


PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
#2 is absolutely magical!

the blend of colors and light and shadows and smoke is top class!

thanks for sharing!


PostPosted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tobbsman wrote:
what a show ! Thanks for taking us there ...

My absolute favourite: the flower girl in b&w

Cheers
Tobias

thank you very much Tobias
very glad you liked them Smile

Laurence wrote:
These are outstanding! The last time I was in Saigon, it was 1968, and
it wasn't a "good time" to be there.

I do remember the beauty of the Vietnamese women; in fact, I think
there were a significant number of military men who married and
brought their wives back to the USA. Certainly are now "long ago"
memories for me.

I also remember that, when security was better, we would dine in
French restaurants with great food. I also remember a sort of very
popular soup that was served all over Vietnam, and especially
in the villages upstream on the Mekong Delta area - I wish I knew what
it is called, and how it was made. I do know it was delicious.


oh Larry, you were there during 'that' not so good time...Vietnam now must be a very different place. I was surprised to learn that most southerners feel they lost the war and I am certain that many had to endure indescribable hardships, remember the boat people (!) and then I know little of what happened to those who did not risk and too often lost their lives by fleeing, but who stayed on.
Now however Vietnam is rather well developed, good infrastructure, and though many people may still be poor, specially at the country, one sees very little beggars or very poor, no slums, little people living on the streets but people enjoying dining out. Nothing like the slums and depressive poverty of e.g. the Philippines where a 'peaceful' transition of power from the US turned one of the richest Asian nations then into one of the poorest today.
Life here is very enjoyable!

I bought a few lenses here last year and by the bad state the were in I imagine that some may have lived through that time too..

a few days ago I visited a socalled 'War Remnants Museum' in Saigon ( people in the south hardly ever say Ho Chi Minh City but still use Saigon ) and there was this photo of a camera at display which, so the story goes, saved the life of a Japanese photographer:



also at display the Nikon F of another photographer who had published a book about the war, and if the lens is original too, a Nikkor f2/50 did the job!



( both 'camera' pics taken with a Vivitar ( Kiron ) f2/28mm )

many beautiful women here, but now, if I was to marry, I definitely would not bring 'her' to the west but stay right here Smile

the soup you are referring to, is it the Phở? If I understand right Phở actually refers to the rice noodles and they could be served 'dry', not in a soup, as well, but the most typical are Phở Bo, beef noddle soup, and Phở Ga, chicken noodle soup. It still is the most typical food though it originally may come from the north.

food is fantastic here!

Hari wrote:
#2 is absolutely magical!

the blend of colors and light and shadows and smoke is top class!

thanks for sharing!


thank you very much Hari, a lot of incense burned in Pagodas so I believe it is not all that rare or difficult to get this kind of view

another low light shot with the S-M-C 1.4/50 wide open:



best greetings,
Andreas


PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fantastic series, Andreas! Too many faves to list, but the one with the lady
holding the umbrella for daughter(?) stands out for me. Thanks for sharing!


PostPosted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:
tobbsman wrote:
what a show ! Thanks for taking us there ...

My absolute favourite: the flower girl in b&w

Cheers
Tobias

thank you very much Tobias
very glad you liked them Smile

Laurence wrote:
These are outstanding! The last time I was in Saigon, it was 1968, and
it wasn't a "good time" to be there.

I do remember the beauty of the Vietnamese women; in fact, I think
there were a significant number of military men who married and
brought their wives back to the USA. Certainly are now "long ago"
memories for me.

I also remember that, when security was better, we would dine in
French restaurants with great food. I also remember a sort of very
popular soup that was served all over Vietnam, and especially
in the villages upstream on the Mekong Delta area - I wish I knew what
it is called, and how it was made. I do know it was delicious.


oh Larry, you were there during 'that' not so good time...Vietnam now must be a very different place. I was surprised to learn that most southerners feel they lost the war and I am certain that many had to endure indescribable hardships, remember the boat people (!) and then I know little of what happened to those who did not risk and too often lost their lives by fleeing, but who stayed on.
Now however Vietnam is rather well developed, good infrastructure, and though many people may still be poor, specially at the country, one sees very little beggars or very poor, no slums, little people living on the streets but people enjoying dining out. Nothing like the slums and depressive poverty of e.g. the Philippines where a 'peaceful' transition of power from the US turned one of the richest Asian nations then into one of the poorest today.
Life here is very enjoyable!

I bought a few lenses here last year and by the bad state the were in I imagine that some may have lived through that time too..

a few days ago I visited a socalled 'War Remnants Museum' in Saigon ( people in the south hardly ever say Ho Chi Minh City but still use Saigon ) and there was this photo of a camera at display which, so the story goes, saved the life of a Japanese photographer:



also at display the Nikon F of another photographer who had published a book about the war, and if the lens is original too, a Nikkor f2/50 did the job!



( both 'camera' pics taken with a Vivitar ( Kiron ) f2/28mm )

many beautiful women here, but now, if I was to marry, I definitely would not bring 'her' to the west but stay right here Smile

the soup you are referring to, is it the Phở? If I understand right Phở actually refers to the rice noodles and they could be served 'dry', not in a soup, as well, but the most typical are Phở Bo, beef noddle soup, and Phở Ga, chicken noodle soup. It still is the most typical food though it originally may come from the north.

food is fantastic here!

Hari wrote:
#2 is absolutely magical!

the blend of colors and light and shadows and smoke is top class!

thanks for sharing!


thank you very much Hari, a lot of incense burned in Pagodas so I believe it is not all that rare or difficult to get this kind of view

another low light shot with the S-M-C 1.4/50 wide open:



best greetings,
Andreas


Hi Andreas,

While the technicality of the shot may not be difficult, sometimes its the supply and demand of the situation itself.

To me, the whole scene is very exotic as it takes place in a land far away and totally new to me and hence very impressive.

To someone local it may be just another day.

But I still love the shot!

Do keep em coming!


PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hari wrote:


Hi Andreas,

While the technicality of the shot may not be difficult, sometimes its the supply and demand of the situation itself.

To me, the whole scene is very exotic as it takes place in a land far away and totally new to me and hence very impressive.

To someone local it may be just another day.

But I still love the shot!

Do keep em coming!



Hi Hari,

thank you very much for your detailed comment as to why you like this photo. I had been in this same Pagoda last year taking photos, and this time I must have taken some 20 to get this one, so I guess it was not all 'that' easy...but it does feel a bigger achievement when I succeed in focusing well a fleeting expression, which harldy ever happens, or at low light wide open, which I do quite a lot.

certainly many of my photos have an edge for being exotic

thank you very much for encouraging me to even show more, here you go:
another inside the Pagoda:



and some 'exotic' lens repair Wink
in works on the streets of Saigon my Vivitar 2/28 and Auto Tak 2.8/105



hm..when he was smoking I got a bit nervous, but it turned out alright!



( all taken with S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm on Pentax K-x )

best regards,
Andreas


PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great series. Thanks for sharing.
Events from distant part of the world captured like this are among the many things which make this forum interesting.
My favorite is #2 for the beautiful light.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sven wrote:
Great series. Thanks for sharing.
Events from distant part of the world captured like this are among the many things which make this forum interesting.
My favorite is #2 for the beautiful light.


Sven, distant parts, relative to where?
Of course I know exactly what you mean and please don't misunderstand, I don't want to critizise your comment. I want to use your comment to remind that the internet is truly global and hopefully will help us to pass beyond a 'traditional euro / us centralistic' view. I love this about the internet.

Oviously for a Vietnamese Europe or/and the USA is very distant, practically even much more than Vietnam is for us.
Mflenses has Vietnamese members as well and not only because of that naturally I am shy to comment much on my 'exotic' photos, certainly I have very little authority for that. Actually I believe that very often my pics not only show views of countries I frequent but that they also show much about me and are quite personal


( S-M-C 1.4/50 on K-x )

thank you for looking and commenting,
best greetings,
Andreas


PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:
Sven wrote:
Great series. Thanks for sharing.
Events from distant part of the world captured like this are among the many things which make this forum interesting.
My favorite is #2 for the beautiful light.


Sven, distant parts, relative to where?
Of course I know exactly what you mean and please don't misunderstand, I don't want to critizise your comment. I want to use your comment to remind that the internet is truly global and hopefully will help us to pass beyond a 'traditional euro / us centralistic' view. I love this about the internet.

Oviously for a Vietnamese Europe or/and the USA is very distant, practically even much more than Vietnam is for us.
Mflenses has Vietnamese members as well and not only because of that naturally I am shy to comment much on my 'exotic' photos, certainly I have very little authority for that. Actually I believe that very often my pics not only show views of countries I frequent but that they also show much about me and are quite personal


( S-M-C 1.4/50 on K-x )

thank you for looking and commenting,
best greetings,
Andreas


I'm sure many would consider Sweden a very distant corner of the world Smile
I'm sorry if my comment expressed too much of a Euro-centeralistic view. Wasn't my intention at all.
I find it interesting that the perception of a good photo seem to differ so little over the world. In that sense we might be much closer than the geographical distance or the language might imply.
In a forum with many skilled photographers the views from other countries will be personal and not only liveless postcards. That's what make them interesting in my opinion.
Greetings!
Sven


PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sven wrote:

I'm sure many would consider Sweden a very distant corner of the world Smile
I'm sorry if my comment expressed too much of a Euro-centeralistic view. Wasn't my intention at all.
I find it interesting that the perception of a good photo seem to differ so little over the world. In that sense we might be much closer than the geographical distance or the language might imply.
In a forum with many skilled photographers the views from other countries will be personal and not only liveless postcards. That's what make them interesting in my opinion.
Greetings!
Sven


Dear Sven I am sure that you did not meant to nor actually expressed a Euro-centralistic view. I 'used' you, used your comment to make a general point, a reminder, that exotic is a valid term, but that today it no longer applies to places far from Europe and / or the US only but goes the other way around as well. My home country nowadays often appears very exotic even to me Wink

Postcard photos of attractions are good, but there have been better ones than I would be able to do taken before so I don't feel at all to add another, very likely worse one.
Best I enjoy taking those which locals wouldn't consider worthy and foreigners have difficult access to, taking them often is a sensitive issue though.



( Vivitar f2/24mm on K-x )


best regards,
Andreas


PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Something interesting to me, Andreas, was that while I was in Vietnam,
I always felt like an interloper, an "invader" if you will. Of course, I was
basically there against my true will, but really had no choice once I was
under the orders of the military. I could never get over that feeling that I
was somehow altering an ancient and beautiful country simply by BEING
there in the venue of "war". This often kept me awake at night (along with
the heat and humidity).

When we traveled upriver on the Mekong, we would get to the point where
it seemed the "true" Vietnam came forward, with many villages and much
agriculture. But what struck me was the sheer friendliness of these
people in the villages who were very economically poor, yet poured forth
welcoming gestures at every turn in the river.

Regarding Saigon, it was of course different in many ways than the
more remote villages. I was never comfortable in Saigon because I did
not know how to pick out "enemy" versus "friend". I was always in a
paranoid state, so it was not so enjoyable. However, the city was
absolutely vibrant and beautiful - and yes, it was exotic to me. Very Happy

So, it was always a shock to go from Saigon to a peaceful village up the
river, and then all of a sudden be involved in combat. I have no recurring
problems from the violence and horror of these times. It is placed in a
corner of my mind and I have dealt with it. But I will always carry a
lingering unease about being part of an "invasion" that was not needed.

Well, off that subject - I tend to carry on too far. What I really love in
this series is that you have captured the dignity and mutual support that
the people of Vietnam seem to have as a universal trait. Also, there is
a fantastic capture of the "essence" of the architecture and the wonderful
interior designs such as in image #2.

I can certainly understand why Vietnam has turned into a vibrant country
that is becoming a powerful contributor to world commerce. The people
have that internal pride and dedication that enables them to be
successful at just about anything that they undertake. In fact, it seems to
me that the whole of the southeastern Asian area has gone forward
successfully to become important centers of the world.

The last image in the first group is classic. You captured "the moment"
here for sure. An absolutely valuable image. I wonder if the woman was
jumping up a clicking her heels together (!) or just running to get the
next course of food! Also, I remember the back alleys with their miles
of electrical wires overhead. Probably would not meet the "electrical
code" these days! Very Happy
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