Author: Mads Monsen
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Walkabout with Ian – Part II
The amount of images we managed to capture within a few hours walk manifested themselves by the amount of hours spent editing the selection. Culling images and trying out various moods and tones and continue culling versions that did not work. A recent article I read and shared on Twitter, regarding why you can’t hack…
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Walkabout with Ian
Ian is a photographer and I have had the pleasure of getting to know him as a friend. His work around Vietnam is stunning and worthwhile browsing as you can see here, and his blog here. Previously, we had a gear talk and he suggested that I should come along for a quick walkabout and…
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The Swiss connection
Ms Gillian Le, from my previous blog post, got in touch with me again. She had moved onwards to a new position and wanted to share the good news. I was invited for a tour of her new work place, The German International School in Saigon, GIS. 257 Hoang Van Thu Street. The street sounded…
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On the road to Moc Bai, Vietnam and the Cambodia border
Thundering down the road at the speed of a turtle. Steamrolling through the landscape. It had to be captured. Man riding his big metal beast, flattening anything that may come in front of the rollers. Shortly after, we are thundering down the road too, on our metal horse, the motorbike. Stopping again to have a…
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A chance encounter with the homeless statues
Where do broken statues go? Taking to the streets it seems. We spotted them while taking a road trip for the day. There they were. All huddled together around a closed shop. Their fate unknown, except that they were no longer wanted at their original location. We stopped. Walked around. Saw. Captured. Wondered. Only to…
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Big Mountain, Cloud Lake, Miss Vung Tau and the Alpine Coaster
It is a Sunday, my parents are still in town, however, my mother decided to relax at the hotel while my dad, my son and I took a day trip to Vung Tau. The roads have improved, it took us 2 1/2 hours by car, average speed of 48 km/hr to reach Vung Tau, 120…
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To the Skydeck we go
Family visit. Always a joy. This time I got to spend more time than last with them. It was good. We are all changing and getting older. I am a dad myself now. Almost halfway in life. How did that happen? To the Skydeck we went. To get a view of the city. Going from…
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A random day in Saigon – A walkabout downtown
Sometimes a wander can create wonders. Enjoy the result of less than 2 hours walking about on a random day.
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Akvariet i Bergen & Pepperkakebyen
Two unique attractions. One seasonal and one permanent. We did them both. Pepperkakebyen, or the Gingerbread Town, is a unique Christmas tradition and is growing in size year by year. I still remember the time it was held indoors at Galleriet, a shopping mall in the city centre. In 2009, somebody on his way home,…
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Christmas in Norway
It is almost that time of year again. Only a few months away. Christmas. Snow. Norway. It is such a contrast celebrating Christmas in Norway versus Vietnam. As my son is growing older, I prefer to let him celebrate in Norway to both experience the culture and the climate. Seeing snow for the first time…
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Nothing endures but change – Heraclitus
A year ago I went passed houses and green fields where I now find dirt, water and machines. More images from the changing landscape of Thu Thiem, District 2.
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“Burning down the house” & the reimbursements
Hold tight wait till the party’s over Hold tight We’re in for nasty weather There has got to be a way Burning down the house – Talking Heads Thu Thiem area in District 2 is undergoing a massive change and over 12000 households have been relocated according to this source. “A new urban,…
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On the road to Cu Chi and the hidden sights of the countryside
I had sat aside time for another day trip. Planning to go to Tay Ninh, however, I had to cut my trip short and keep it within half a day. A half day doesn’t sound a lot. Only a couple of hours. If you live in London, less than two and half hours will take…
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The 24 hours trip to Singapore
Singapore is a great shopping destination and I travel yearly to purchase additional gear for my studio, either from Cathay Photo or Shriro, sometimes both outlets, as the brands I am using are not available at my normal dealer LeDuc in Saigon. I do not enjoy any sponsorship from any of them, but I do…
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Only skin deep…
July was truly a roller coaster. Pulled two teeth. Definitely downwards. Going on an amazing road trip. Definitely up. Having a motorbike accident on a location shoot in Saigon. Ouch, that’s down. I went down. Got hit by another bike while I was turning. We were doing b-roll for a corporate movie, no stunts planned…
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Pure bliss (Part IV)
Just turned off the main road and heading towards Da Lat. Small country road, sun is shining, breeze is flowing as we ride along and are enjoying the road to ourselves. Pure bliss. Simply put. No more trucks and buses and exhaust fumes. Only the sound of our bike humming along the road. This would…
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A new dawn in Nha Trang (Part III)
We had made it to Nha Trang. 14 hours on the road. Found a nice hotel to treat ourselves to a good night sleep before heading off the next day. Been informed that a potential client wanted to meet up in the morning since they have heard we would be up there. 8 am meeting…