The introduction to these photos is written from Vietnam, still from the road while the experience of travel is still fresh instead of trying to recall fading memories at a later time.
A great starting point is the children of Southeast Asia, a place where visitors feel genuinely welcomed. Kids of all ages greet travelers with a loud and cheerful "Hello" accompanied by their smiles making everyone immediately feel like a superstar.
Especially in the rural areas people are living simple lives happily and content in great spirit which trickles down to parenting and therefore well balanced emotionally healthy kids.
Taking the photos of children is truly a pleasure as a result of their willingness to show off and their parents' proud enthusiasm to encourage their kids to participate.
It is all but impossible to remain anonymous as a traveling photographer so the saying is true that the photographer is in every picture. This active participation has a positive side effect as the mixture of the photography subject's and the photographer's curiosity towards each other result in a very personal and intimate dynamic which translates to capturing real moments.
Teenagers and adults are a bit more mature in their attitude of course but by any western standard they are incredibly kind, helpful and generous. By photographing their age group piece by piece life in Vietnam reveals itself to the photographer and the viewer of the pictures.
Spite the differences in culture, language and appearances Vietnam quickly grows on the person and becomes a place which is hard to leave behind.
There is no shortage of visually fascinating photography subjects in Southeast Asia. Starting on the larger scale it is a far away colorful, exciting and exotic land from my home country of Hungary.
Every region has a distinct look and feel from the land of the Hmong minority in the lush mountains of the Northwest, to the bustling Old Quarter Hanoi, to the karst landscape of Halong Bay and Ninh Binh, to the pulsating Saigon, to the laid back simplicity of the Mekong Delta.
On a smaller scale every town is full of surprises no matter how much research was done ahead of time, every resident, neighborhood, main street, side street, alley, doorway or window has a potential story to tell to a curious brain with a camera.
Not knowing what to expect very little planning preceded this trip meaning the locations, experiences, photographic approaches therefore the pictures are as spontaneous and real as possible. Countless times literally in the morning the subject matter of the day's photos would be still unknown. This flexibility provided absolute freedom with choices eliminating any chance of failure and pressure.
As time goes on and the trip progresses photos will be added to the albums.
Themes for upcoming fine art prints:
People - Portraits from Vietnam
Kids - Children of Vietnam
Southeast Asia Travel Photography
Travel Photography Vietnam
Travel Photography Cambodia
Thanks for visiting,
Ferenc