How a photo trip to Vietnam changed a writer's perspective

Since one of my goals is continuous learning, I tried something new this fall. Sometimes, this allows me to deconstruct my thinking, change my perspective, and perhaps even my behavior. I recently had (partial) success when I joined a photo workshop/tour in Vietnam. ^[16]

I have worked in Hanoi for decades, so I know it well. I witnessed a remarkable economic change—some people describe this process as transitioning from bicycles to Bentleys. And I was there long enough to meet people who got married, had children, lost their spouses, and had grandchildren. ^[16]

The photo tour appealed to me for two reasons. First, we would be able to visualize and learn about other interesting parts of the country, from the south (Ho Chi Minh City) to the central area (the artistic community of Hoi An, the old capital Hue) and the world-class caves of Phong Nha. And someone would organize everything for me. ^[16]

The second reason I went was to learn how to 'see differently, like photographers.' I went as a writer, not as a photographer, but I joined a group (almost) professional people. They protected their wonderful equipment, which weighed over 20 kilograms, while I arrived with just my iPhone camera. There was no doubt that I would learn from them. ^[16]

The learning part regarding techniques was straightforward, largely thanks to the photography instructor. She was phenomenally skilled and, surprisingly, non-judgmental. She worked with each of us, regardless of our level in the photo journey. She helped us with equipment, techniques, and how to shape and create a photograph. She explained things about the iPhone (and admitted that she herself had transitioned from a large camera to the iPhone as her primary piece of equipment!). I learned about new photographic approaches (for me), such as ICM. At the first presentation of our photos, everyone was talking about ICM. I was never shy about asking the 'wrong question,' so I confessed that I had no idea what they were talking about. ^[16]

'Intentional camera movement,' said four people simultaneously. ^[16]

My translation: blurry photos that might look as if they have multiple exposures in a single frame, but done intentionally, not as a mistake. The person using ICM created amazing images, dancing with color. ^[16]

By the end of the tour, I decided I was doing U-ICM—unintentional camera movement—and I got lucky with some of the photos that turned out to be interesting. ^[16]

So I learned about photography and how others see a scene and shape it. But the biggest lesson, looking back now, was my mindset shift. ^[16]

Taking a picture intentionally forced me to slow down, observe carefully (foreground, background, plus the main area of focus), and, as the instructor said, 'think about what feeling or idea I want to convey.' I am still far from my goal, but I intend to do this every day for at least 5-10 minutes: slow down, choose a scene, and think about how to frame it. Then take the photo. ^[16]

Categories:: Entertainment
Entities:: iPhone

Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City

Hoi An

Hue

Phong Nha

ICM

U-ICM
Tags:: Travel

photography

Vietnam

mindset

Sources

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