Living overseas certainly has it’s advantages. New horizons, a diverse international group of friends, the constant sense of discovery, trying to make sense of the seemingly absurd. And then there’s the visits from friends back home. I get to put on my tour guide hat and share a bit of this incredible place with some of my favourite humans. My friend Evan came out a couple of months ago and it was his first trip to not only Vietnam, but to Asia, so I had to show him some of the good stuff. With only two weeks, we had to make some choices and with weather definitely being a factor, we chose to keep it simple, see some friends of mine and go exploring up north. We had a few days in Saigon to baptise him in fire with the frenetic energy and chaos of where I call home and then we headed off on the road to Central Vietnam, Hanoi and up into the northern mountains for a motorbike adventure.
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Saigon Punk Chronicles : Soi Dau Lang Warm up
in music
Another chapter in the Chronicles. As the scene in Saigon keeps expanding, more venues are beginning to host punk and hardcore shows, and this was the first one at Cafe Stagiaires in District 2. With multiple floors, this venue is able to host a show while having a completely different vibe on the rooftop. Think open air laidback cocktail vibes, And then think about a DIY punk show blasting on the floor just beneath. Endlessly amusing to watch those different worlds collide. Definitely saw a few interesting looks as the suited, booted and cocktail dresses passed by kids losing their shit to breakdown after breakdown.
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Travel Diary: Bangkok - Part 2
in travel
After waxing on perhaps excessively in Part 1 on the origins of my photography journey, I’ll keep it a bit more succinct here. Wandering through the streets of Bangkok with a fresh perspective after all those years stirred up feelings of familiarity right next those of utter novelty. That notion of confluence - the brackish waters of old mixing with new, juxtapositions of the traditional colliding with the ultra-modern, familiar scenes intermingling with the altogether novel, the mundane blending with the weird. These places have a gravitational pull, always drawing me in. Transitions and the interplay between two seemingly opposing forces, that dance between the odd couple… It’s where the most interesting things happen. Influences ebb and flow back and forth, reshaping each other into a new voice and aesthetic. A new noise.
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Travel Diary: Bangkok - Part 1
in travel
In 2007, I boarded a plane to Thailand, about to take my first plunge into living overseas. I was the walking, talking version of a clueless 20-something in search of purpose. After 34 hours in airports and wildly uncomfortable plane seats, I landed in Bangkok around midnight. The city hit me like a ton of bricks— the sounds, the smells, the chaos. Tuk-tuks zipping by, street food at every turn, and the heat. It was sensory overload in the best possible way. It was like a shot of adrenaline, and I felt alive in a way in way I had never experienced. Over the coming months, I went through every emotion — excitement, confusion, loneliness, wanderlust, the lot. Though after a month, I was convinced I’d never leave despite the absolute mine field of emotions I was going through. I felt like I was on the right path even though I had no idea what that path actually was.
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Sri Lanka Workshop Recap: Part 2 - Colombo and Negombo
From the bustling streets of Colombo to the chaotic fish markets of Negombo, these two locations are a street photographers dream. Pockets of light, lively characters you meet in the streets, fish parts flying everywhere. It’s a rush. It’s hard to know where to point the camera and when to hit the shutter. Often times, travelers spend maybe a day in Colombo and head off to other areas of the country, but as a travel photographer, the capital city provides for some incredible photo opportunities. Colombo’s Pettah market is steeped in history and is overflowing with activity. It’s not difficult to get lost in the sea of vendors surrounding you as you stroll through the streets and back alleys. Negombo’s fish market is a myriad of textures, smells, and a literal murder of crows flying in for an easy meal. Finding a clear frame sometimes is a challenge to say the least in both of these situations. That being said, as with most photography, patience is your friend and chasing light is never going to point you in the wrong direction. As I said in part one, sometimes the light is less than stellar, so we need to dig deeper, look closer, listen more. It’s similar to how I personally think travel is the most rewarding. Not observing but interacting and taking a nose dive into the deep end. The difference between traveling and being a tourist. So this wraps this years Sri Lanka workshop with Pics of Asia and we’ve got more planned for next year. We just announced dates for next year soon so head on over to the link above and sign up! We’d love to have you for the next jaunt around of my favourite places on earth.
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Sri Lanka Workshop Recap: Part 1: Central Highlands and the Southern Coast
in travel
Travel is a funny thing. Despite due diligence and research, trying to control all the variables is often like carrying water in a sieve - a lesson in futility. This is not to say throw caution completely to the wind, but rather understand going into it that things will inherently be different than any preconceived ideas regardless if you’ve been there before. So, with that being said, this trip to Sri Lanka was a lesson in laughing at the weather when it should have been far less...moody and often grumpy. Maybe it wasn’t grumpy, but it definitely wasn’t blue skies and gorgeous sunsets. So, when these things happen, a bit of a change in perspective is necessary. It allows us to start thinking in a mindset that’s not really so much about “perfect travel conditions” but rather looking at the conditions and making images that play to the strengths of each situation. So that golden light isn’t there….. so what. Are we going to sulk around and whinge about the shitty weather or do we start looking for pools of light, reflections from the rain, indoor markets, texture, beauty in the mundane and decisive moments. Perhaps we need to start thinking more about how to create compelling with what’s in front of us rather than what is traditionally seen as beautiful. This is definitely a do as I say, not necessarily as I did because there were more than a couple of occasions that shook my fist at the sky and groaned at another overcast sky. We’re all human, but it’s not the end of the day if things go differently than we thought. If it was, oh man, I’d have been witness to about a million apocalypses at this point in my life.
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Saigon Punk Chronicles : Frank Turner, 7uppercuts & Papa Lam
in music
Another chapter in the Chronicles and what a chapter it was. The fine folks at Loud Minority and Noise Saigon put together an absolute banger of a show. Frank Turner boarded a plane in London, got off of the plane, and played a show a few hours later… If you didn’t know this, you’d have been well impressed by his performance and the energy in the room. Knowing this, it’s ever more impressive… What an absolute professional road dog.
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Tips and Tricks: Technical Perfection is Overrated.
Coffee factories are full of steam, dust, and typically…. DARKNESS. When the light pours in from the windows, you get this incredible atmosphere, but then you’re stuck with such a huge variance in light values that if you expose for your highlights, everything else is nearly black, but if you expose for your shadows, say hello to a millIon blown highlights. Usually when I’m teaching photography, I often encourage students to pick one and shoot to that limitation. Don’t try and satisfy both gods, because you’ll end up pissing them both off and end up with something pleasing neither. So what do you do? I’m not really in the camp of appeasing any gods, so I guess it’s a bit of dancing with the devil and doing whatever gets a compelling image or story. This is often tricky when it comes to photographers as we’re so obsessed with everything being technically “perfect,” that we get lost in the forest for the trees. Moment is always better than technical perfection, so never mind the noise, crank that iso, blow a few highlights and forget about everything you’ve been taught thats supposed to make a good photo. If it works, its not wrong, right?
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