Northern Exposure: Ha Giang to Cao Bang. Part 1

November 13, 2020 in travel

What a ridiculous year this has been. Along with every other travel photographer, a good chunk of my travel assignments evaporated in a hurry with covid’s unwelcome arrival. With Vietnam’s borders, by all intents and purposes still shut, international travel is not an option. But, thankfully, I live in a country with so many incredible destinations, many of which I’ve never been. So, a couple of weeks ago, I hit the road with good friend and fellow photographer, Quinn Mattingly for an epic road trip. After flying into Hanoi, we headed north and grabbed motorbikes in Ha Giang city. Over the following 8 days we headed all the way to the Chinese Border and back down to Cao Bang city during the best time of the year - the rice harvest. This area has been at the top of my list for years and with the lack of tourists, it proved to be an incredibly unique time to explore one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

Europe Photo Diary, Part 3: Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve

November 29, 2019 in travel

Part 3 and the final bit of the European jaunt back in May. We spent a couple of weeks meeting up with friends and family in Portugal heading to Lisbon, down to the Algarve and back up to Porto and the Douro Valley. First, I’m a bit smitten by Portugal, so it was challenging to pare the mountain of images down into something a bit more digestible, and even so, I’m not sure I did that. Great food, incredibly picturesque cities, rugged coastlines, wine country, what more can you ask?

Europe Photo Diary, Part 2: Paris and Champagne

October 22, 2019 in travel

These photos have been sitting on the back burner for a while due to an extremely busy summer of shooting, but alas, here are some snaps from our trip to Paris and Champagne to meet up with my good friend Matt and his new fiancee, Liz. We hadn’t seen each other in years, but felt like it wasn’t more than a day or so since our old shenanigans. Not so much for museums and the sort this time in Paris, we opted for the stroll, eat, drink wine, and repeat course of action.

Silhouette of a man skateboarding in front of a LED advertising display. Shot by Lee Starnes, Vietnam photographer.

Making the Monotonous Memorable

May 27, 2019 in travel

hear it all the time, “I’m bored of shooting the same old stuff.” Most of the time its from my own mouth and I’ve said it more times than I’d like to admit.

As photographers, we want to see new things, shoot new locations, create new art. That’s all well and good, but there is so much beauty in the seemingly mundane that we could shoot the same location for weeks on end and still find something unique and interesting. We just need to shift our perspective. Coming up with something fresh and different is a challenge, but shooting repeatedly in the same location pushes us to dig deeper, look closer, to slow down. It allows us to become intimate with a place and its people. “Seeing old things with new eyes” can add layers into a story that perhaps a first look had missed.

Imperial City of Hue with purple flowers bed in foreground against a dramatic sky. Central Vietnam landscape. Shot by Lee Starnes for a Pics of Asia photography workshop.

Central Vietnam Workshop and Tour Roundup

May 20, 2019 in travel

We just wrapped our most recent central Vietnam photo workshop and tour for Pics of Asia and we couldn’t have been happier with the students, locations, and the endless supply of coffee we had this year. Starting off in Hoi An, we ventured a bit south to one my personal favorite fishing villages before heading back up north to Hue to explore the old capital and the surrounding countryside. Striving to keep things interesting, we discussed travel, portraiture, street and landscape photography. Whether we were photographing frenetic wet markets or peaceful sunset vistas, we always came back to the importance of slowing down, enjoying the moment, being prepared for when the shot presents itself, and forming relationships with the people we came across on our journey. What we lacked in sleep, we certainly made up in spades in the form of unforgettable experiences. In case you haven’t checked out my article on the importance of slowing down and breaking bread, click here!

Collage of a Vietnamese bamboo artisan working, documenting the process of splitting bamboo into thinner strips before weaving in a craft cooperative in Central Vietnam. Shot by Lee Starnes.

Slowing down: Building Relationships through Photography

May 16, 2019 in travel, portrait

Last week, I headed back out on the road with Pics of Asia for another workshop and tour in Central Vietnam. We expanded our tour this year from 3 days to 5 days and included stops in the former capital Hue, the ancient town of Hoi An, and their surrounding countrysides. One of my favorite tours of the year, we explore serene lagoons, energetic markets, dabble in street photography, witness incredible sunrises, and drink far too much coffee.