Thursday, May 31, 2012

Good Morning Vietnam!

Or rather good afternoon from Vietnam!

When you mention the name Vietnam images of jungles, pho noodles and the Vietnam War as portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic movie “Apocalypse Now,” and Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” come to mind. So what does a young Vietnamese woman walking through sand dunes have to do with Vietnam?

This is the Red Sand Dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam. Mui Ne is a beautiful beach resort that looks nothing like the rest of Vietnam. Inundated with backpackers, boutique resorts and tons of Russian tourists (where’s John Rambo when you need him), this is where you go if you don’t want a slice of the real Vietnam. I came here for some welcome relief from the madness otherwise known as Saigon otherwise known as Ho Chi Minh City. Besides the beach, Mui Ne is famous for windsurfing and their white and red sand dunes.

Walking through the dunes was a surreal experience. It reminded me of a mini Death Valley National Park and at other times I had my “Lawrence of Arabia” moments.

After walking through the dunes for an hour or so in the hot sun I wasn’t feeling the inspiration for a great shot. So I walked back to the cafe across the street where I parked my motorbike to get a cold beer. I met this young woman and an older woman in the cafe who were models for a photo shoot earlier in the day. I asked them to be my models and in return I would send them copies of my photographs. They agreed and we headed back out to the dunes.

The sun was setting quickly so I had only about ten minutes to photograph them. Under the time constraints and changing lens in between shots (not a good idea with so much blowing sand around you), this was perhaps this best of the series of shots I took.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Why We Travel

Why We Travel by Sam Antonio Photography
Why We Travel, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again.” - Pico Iyer

I photographed this little girl on my two day cruise on the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Lao. We stopped along the river to visit an ethnic minority village and this was one of many photographs I took of the photogenic children. It was very hard to see the poverty, living conditions and hardship of the village.

Yes, travel will open our hearts and eyes. It is the greatest cure for ignorance.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Greatest Saleslady You'll Every Meet

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market outside of Bangkok is a photographer's paradise. Get there early to beat the crowds and you'll be rewarded with great shots like this this one.

This old lady had such a charming smile and without one of word of English was selling what looked like pot stickers to all the tourists. I sat there for about ten minutes photographing her until her engaging smile beckoned me to buy one of her pot stickers.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in Southeast Asia.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

Why don't you join me on Facebook?
Still figuring out Google +
Follow me on Twitter!
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