A Photo Update
December 11th, 2005 @ 8:56 pmA few weeks earlier, Gerard, the EAP director, asked me to compile some pictures taken from the program. He wanted the focus of the pictures to be a glimpse into everyday life in Vietnam, not just a collection of the EAP kids at every single bar and club in Vietnam. Today, Stef said if she could go back in time, she would have bought me a camera the day I broke mine because she misses stealing my pictures from my website and putting them on hers. I am actually flattered by that comment.
My father specifically added more money into my Citibank account for the express purpose of getting another camera. I had neither the effort nor interest in buying a new one. At one level, I realized my camera broke during a point in the trip where I would conveniently no longer need it. If I were to buy a camera, all I would photograph would be Hanoi. I have a lot of pictures of Hanoi.
But on a deeper level, I have trouble discerning what is a good photograph in Vietnam, and what is not. Everyone knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. But for every picture taken, there are millions of other words that are left out. I realize that any picture I take will never fully express what Vietnam is like. But I will be damned if the pictures I take merely express an “Oh, look at this zoo animal” attitude. Vietnam is more than just a show for people to marvel at its poverty. It is more than a bunch of beautiful trees, mountains, and beaches. Vietnam is country of people with real hopes, real dreams, real aspirations. They are real people.
And as best as I could, I have tried to capture that overarching theme of real Vietnam in the pictures below. Unfortunately, I am working with photos taken from the very beginning of the program, before I came to this realization. For that, I must apologize to the Vietnamese people for failing to convey the reality that is their world, their life, and above all, their privilege.
December 12th, 2005 at 10:58 am
You may be surprised to know that every picture of yours is very much appreciated. Your pictures and your words go hand in hand. Your innocent, refreshing and youthful spirits are all over your pictures. If I want to view “professional” pictures of the country and its people, I will find plenty of them on the internet.
In some, I recognize the scenery, some I don’t. Some I understand the objective, some I don’t. But most display perhaps a basic view of the everyday life of Vietnamese people. And they also provokes me. Such as in one of above picture, is there a reason why the public bus is painted that way?
There will always be thousands of people who will see nothing but the “zoo”. But don’t forget there are other thousands or millions, who will see more than the tired faces, the simple clothings or the strange foods.
December 12th, 2005 at 1:59 pm
http://ragmus.com
i’ve said this before and i’ll say it again. photographing people is no different than writing about them. each is a tool. you do what you want with it.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:24 pm
hey tan, here’s a photo update for you. i just finished the pictures from the hat cai xmas party.
http://www.hatcai.com/gallery/