Thursday, 17 January 2013

Our Many Stories

One of my photo essays from Hanoi, about the Railway Workers KTT, is featured here on the Our Many Stories blog.

Many thanks to Faith Lantz for highlighting my work.

Friday, 12 October 2012

Vietnam: Cam On/Hen Gap Lai

Well then. Previously I thought I'd write this in the airport while waiting for the flight that was going to take me away from Vietnam. That, I thought, would be the right thing, the poetic thing to do. But, as it happened, it took a very long time to check in given the amount of luggage we had. So before boarding there was only time enough to sit down briefly, eat a bowl of overpriced pho, let the blood flow back into our faces, dry the tears flowing out of our pockets, and get on the plane. And, after that, there was champagne to be quaffed as we taxied to the runway (courtesy of a very nice man who, seeing our pale, distressed faces as it dawned on us how much our excess baggage was going to cost us, bumped us up to business class). Then there was a short-term apartment to move into and out of, and another apartment to be moved into, and bureaucratic things to sort out, and new things to discover, and suddenly a couple of months had passed.

Wire Magazine

Thursday, 5 July 2012

Ha Giang Holga

These photos are from a recent motorbike trip I went on with my girlfriend. It was a great trip in one of the greatest places (I think) on Earth - Ha Giang. The shaky-looking photos are either double or multiple exposures, or because my hands were vibrating from hours on the throttle. I can't rightly remember.

It's probably also worth mentioning that we undertook this trip with a 400g lump of Gorgonzola, which doesn't keep well in hot panniers. Despite our bravery, it got the better of us under a tree (4th picture down) and had to be laid to rest in the next town.

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

International Peace Foundation

I did a bit of work a few weeks back for the International Peace Foundation. Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein, who is the Chairman of the Foundation's Advisory Board, was visiting, and I documented some of the Hanoi leg of his trip.

We visited The Minister of Foreign Affairs first. And we travelled in slick, black BMW's with a police escort, so that was pretty dandy.

Monday, 18 June 2012

Recent Tearsheets

And that's the last month of work I did for the Word. Big thanks again to all who work there and made it a memorable two years (and also for being the first people I've ever looked forward to having meetings with). Cam on nhe.

The Barbers

These pictures were taken at an old barber shop near Hanoi's old quarter. Me and the writer thought it was a pretty cool place, although the proprietor was ashamed at how run down it is. I hope that he makes enough money to repair his shop but doesn't replace the chair. That chair must live on.

Things of Eat

That I have eaten. Not the one directly below though. I wouldn't eat that even if I could.

Thursday, 7 June 2012

CAMA Festival 6

So it came to pass that the yearly event that all sane Hanoians look forward to rolled around again, and this year I was the lucky shashinka given access to the stage to document the event.

The festival was rammed - as usual - and not even torrential rain towards the end of the day could dampen the spirits of the crowd. The rain may even have made it the best ending to a CAMA Festival that these eyes have seen. Hundreds of people squashed together under the tarp in a seething mass of humanity, others rolling around in the mud to either side, watching Electric Eel Shock in all their high-octane drum bothering guitar chewing glory.

So. Thanks to the CAMA crew for inviting me to photograph their festival, and a big thanks to them also for all the effort they put in, year in year out, bringing bands over, putting on shows, and making Hanoi a more exciting place to live. They're essential to the life of this city, so please continue to go to and support their Good Works.

Here be some crowd shots:

Sunday, 13 May 2012

iLiKETRAiNS

These photos are from a recent visit to the Railway Workers Ku Thap The in Hanoi, which are communal living quarters for the rail workers and their families, adjoining the Hanoi Railway Station.

We had a tour of the place - not the living quarters but the workshops. Grease-covered men in blue overalls attacked pieces of metal, did things to massive wheels, and hunched smoking around ancient machinery. We saw a turntable and the men turned it for us. We were taken to see an old steam engine being renovated. We fumbled around in the dusty old cab, pulling levers and staring at dials. We pulled the chain and made loud tooting noises. We - myself and the writer - realized that we still wanted to be train drivers, or trains, or something on rails. Which is why I'm posting all of the photos I took that day, not just a selection. Choo choo.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012

The Man Who Became Jam and Other Stories

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Coffee

Recently I visited a whole herd of cafes, and filled myself to the brim with their coffee. Here are some shots from that (rather jittery) experience. I'm still shaking.

Things I Ate Recently

Not including any people that are in these photos. Amongst them - bun cha rieu (thanks to Mark at StickyRice for the virtual heads-up), california rolls, sashimi, and crumbed pork with leek. Xin moi. Itadaki mas.

Recent Tearsheets

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Exhibition / Prints for Sale

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Portraits

Here are some recent portraits:

Chef Hung -

Monday, 2 April 2012

Dubstep

They did come (to Hanoi). There was sputtering bass. They did grin. They did dance in jerks like happy marionettes.

The Unholy Trinity

Last month I set myself the Easter challenge of eating some things I'd really rather not eat. I don't really have that much to say about them, as their memory still drops me into a gentle, thoughtful silence. I won't be eating any of these things again.

The brain of a pig. It has a light taste, and a disappearing texture. Kind of how you'd expect the idea engine of an animal to feel in your mouth. I managed about half of the left hemisphere. Thank-you to my friend Anne-Marie for introducing me to this meal.

Recent Tearsheets

Monday, 26 March 2012

Echoes

Lately I've had a couple of reasons to look through all of the photos I've taken since I've been in Vietnam, and thankfully I can see that from then until now my photography has improved massively. I used to do some strange things a few years back. Like take whole series of photos with 45 degree horizons. I thought they were cool then. Now I know they are unusable.

Maybe everyone goes through these stages. Perhaps it's just something you need to do to get out of your system. Or perhaps the things you did years ago will always seem weird in the light of the present. It's making me look more closely at what I'm doing today anyhow.

Here are some pictures from the past that I still like. Even if perhaps I wouldn't treat them the same way today, and can see several things about them I'd change, I've not touched or tweaked them to satisfy my 2012 self, but left them as they are: