Category: Photography
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London Calling (with Tales from the Past)
“London calling to the faraway towns Now that war is declared-and battle come down London calling to the underworld Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls London calling, now don’t look at us All that phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust London calling, see we ain’t got no swing ‘Cept for the…
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“No expectations” is an expectation
We don’t know what to expect on our recent trips, however, we do expect to get something. The drive to perform better, to improve since last capture, is there. Expectations were set high, the bike underwent oil change the day before and the tank was filled. All set, except I had some dodgy sausages the…
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A spiritual journey is good for the photographic soul
After our first road trip in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, Jamie and I decided to do another. This time we remembered the sunblock and headed out for the road, to Vung Tau and back. All in a day, that was the plan. 200 km on the bike. Doesn’t sound to bad, but…
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Seeing is believing.
We tend to believe what we see and once we also believed in the truth of an image. Jerry Lodriguss dwells into to this more in his “The Ethics of Digitial Manipulation” and Dartmouth University has their “Photo Tampering Throughout History”. Manipulation of images has existed since the start of photography and digital technology has…
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As light travels through the lens and records itself, I took a journey to the other side.
A photographer is seldom seen as we tend to enjoy staying behind the lens, not in front, unless you are Terry Richardson, that is. Levi’s Vietnam was putting together a fashion show at their flagship store on Dong Khoi Street, Ho Chi Minh City and provided the opportunity for me to see the other side of…
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Invitation to travel – a wedding in Dalat, Vietnam
Ben and Trinh got married last weekend in beautiful Dalat city and we were invited. Tian and I boarded the early morning flight to Dalat just after 6 am in the morning. We got the window seats next to the wing, beautiful view as you can see below. The wedding ceremony took place in Dalat’s…
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Road trip with Jamie, first stop, Phu My bridge.
Anybody can conceive an idea, only a few realise them. That sums it all up. Jamie and I have long talked about taking a road trip together, photographing what we would discover along the ride. This year, the celebration of Liberation Day and the First of May made it possible to set aside a day…
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Smiling Vietnam, a Domino or Butterfly?
As one thing leads to another, we never quite know where the road will take us, and sometimes we don’t even want to know as we enjoy the journey. Lao Tzu better puts it: “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” A while back, I did a location shoot…
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Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life – Confucius
A fortnight ago, I had an assignment that could easily live up to the best job in the world. As a commercial photographer you get to travel around and being in Vietnam is an added plus as it is the “Hidden Charm” according to the tourist association. (The slogan is about to be replaced, that…
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Reasonable or expensive, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
I love the following quote: “Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him. “It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.” So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create…
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ProPak (No, it is not a flash)
I decided to pay a visit to the packaging fair, ProPak, held in Phu My Hung. After the arrival of the international convention centre, more conventions are available then ever. It also gave me the chance to take the new bridge and road that links district 7 with district 2. A great motorbike ride indeed…
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The make over
Sometimes a make over can be a good thing. The old website had served its purpose well, but it did not reflect our latest work. The first site was built out of need and within a very short time frame. I had left my art director job after six years and was now about to…
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Project Charity
The charity project is something that has been on and off. First time we started it, was around 2003. We found 5 different, privately run orphanages and visited them. We interviewed and photographed, went back home and wrote articles about them that were then posted online on a now forgotten portal site. However, the years…
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The streets of Saigon
Walkabouts. I miss living in London as Saigon does not appreciate pedestrians in the same manner. I walked a lot more before. These days, a regular gym routine is needed to stay in shape. However, there are few moments of bliss to be enjoyed on the streets of Saigon and Tet is one of them.…
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Never say never…
Two kinds of assignments that I constantly turn down, events and weddings. Why, you may ask, especially as in Vietnam wedding photography is a big business. The Sky’s the limit. If you can afford it, you flaunt it. I digress. The reason why is “know thy limits”. I believe there are quite a few capable…
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“The ‘Net is a waste of time, and that’s exactly what’s right about it.” William Gibson
Spook country by William Gibson. Gibson has always been one of my favourite authors, mostly due to the way he incorporate technology into his novels. I cannot recall where I read it but someone once said that for immediate news read the papers but for future change, read contemporary novels. They are picking up the…
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“It’s simple, if it jiggles, it’s fat.” Arnold Schwarzenegger
An encyclopedia on body building by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself may at first glance see completely unrelated to the art of photography. Shouldn’t a photographer focus on improving the portfolio and expanding the business? Of course, keeping your portfolio up to date is an important aspect as well as showing it to your intended audience. However,…
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52 weeks = 52 books = New Year resolution
This is the first blog post for Studio MadsMonsen and I thought it would be good to end the old year with a new year resolution. I got the inspiration from http://52on52.blogspot.com/ and the first book that I finished is well fitting for any photographer: It was an interesting read, but you get more anecdotes…