Once in a while, maybe once or twice a year, I take a good black and white medium format shot, worthy of being taken with a Hassleblad or Mamiya ..
Im proud of this one, a natural pose with plenty of background activity all suited to the square frame.
A shot of a boatman on a damp misty day at Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Holga 120N : Ilford XP2 film.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Double exposures projects with lomo LC-A
After a few rolls of doubles collaboration from some of my flickr buddies, i came up with some ideas.
The double exposure projects are a collaboration between two photographers, a roll is initially shot and rewound back into the can, then sent/given to the next photographer who then shoots over the top of the whole film, giving a random multi coloured collage effect.
To start the process, you begin to load your camera in the normal way.
Post the film leader through the take-up spindle and make a turn to make sure the film is anchored securely.
Next, take a permanent market and mark off both sides of the first frame.
To allow your film enough "exposure" latitude to allow the second shooter to get some good exposures you will need to be shot with a shorter exposure time on the first round. The easiest way is with a LC-A, by just dialing in a higher ISO value.
If you are using 100 speed film, set the ASA dial on your LC-A to 200 ISO, this will give you half the exposure time of the correct setting, 400 will give you a quarter of the time, maybe this is better if you are shooting the entire first roll in very bright sunlight or with a flash.
I think the best option is to vary the conditions that you shoot, possibly changing the ISO dial between frames to get a varied range of exposures.
Go shoot!
After you have reached the final shot on the roll, carefully rewind the film back into the can. When you reach the end of the leader, you should feel the rewind reel go slack. STOP there and open your camera.
You should be left, with an small piece of film (the leader) protuding from the film can. If however you got a little excited and wound the whole length of the film back into the can, no problem, just purchase a "film picker" or "leader retriever" from ebay for a couple of pounds or ask your local lab to retrieve it for you, they have a machine which does the job.
At this stage, you can either choose to shoot the whole roll again in your camera, or find one of your flickr buddies to take part in the second run.
When you load for the second time, you will need to repeat the loading process from the first stage.
Load the film onto the take up, wind it a little way, but keep on looking for the first frame, indicated by the permanent marker lines. In an ideal world, the first frame should appear, but dont worry it it doesnt line up at first.
If the first frame doesnt line up, easy, just press the rewind button on the bottom of your LC-A, hold the film tight in line your cameras frame with the marks on the film, place with your thumb, and wind the film winder (without moving the film) until the shutter cocks.
Its important that you get the first frame in line because as the film advances the images will come out of sync with each other and will end up with half images over different frames (see note 12)
Shut the back, and your ready to continue with the project.
This round, set the ISO dial to the correct setting for the film and shoot away and take the finished roll to your lab for processing.
It may be advisable to mention to the lab that its a double, and to check the negatives before cutting them up, as sometimes the frames do come out of sync, giving a chaotic effect.
A few ideas and tips to help you along ..
1. You might wanna keep to some ground rules such as 1st shooter takes textures, sky, etc whilst the second searches for detail.
Keeping the camera in the same orientation for the run of the roll .. i.e Take all of your shots keeping the camera horizontal. Images with a double axis looks very distracting. But it would be a great idea to run a whole roll of "vertical orientation".
2. Try not to shoot all your shots in a conventional manner, such as centering the subject in the viewfinder, remember 2 people have got to use that film.
3. Bright lights, lens flares, neon lights are all cool, but you are giving the film a little bit of a push into overexposure, which is nothing to worry about, as it adds to the effect, but can often make the second exposure a bit dull.
If you do see a cool lens flare coming off the side of a building, its a good idea to maybe catch the flare on the side of the viewfinder, instead of centering it in the middle of the shot.
Same for neons, backlit signs and computer screens. However, on the second time around it makes a lot of sense to use all the light that you have available to give your exposure a bit of "oomph".
4. Shoot everthing, some good doubles come from mundane shots, such as kitchen sinks or a poster on a wall. Dont think too hard, a perfect compostition maybe exposed away on the second round.
5. One thing i always look for now, is big posters on walls ..
6. Plain blue skies are boring, look for sunsets, landscapes, flower beds or heavy cloud detail .. especially on the first round, they will look good when shot over. Even to shoot a few frames of clouds is great for the second shooter to expose over.
7. If you see something you like .. Keep on shooting .. Remember you are relying on a lot of luck to get the right combination, so why not increase the odds by repeating the best images from your part.
If i find an point of interest such as a heavily spray-can graffitied area, i will run off 36 shots at random within 10 mins and then keep the film for the right day to run again.
8. Vary the content, take images of small detail to landscapes from people pulling funny faces to posters of your favourite boy band.
9. Create a trademark, or a style. I achieve this by walking the same route around town, discovering new images and adding those to my regular images.
BUT An image doesnt have to something you have discovered on a walk about or images of your buddies at a party.
Images from the TV, text on your computer screen or a black and white print on a clear acetate from your printer are all cool things.
Many people would call her the queen of the double exposure .. Maya Newman .. Look at Maya's creations, she combines the first shoot with a second shoot in her own unique style, combining printed graphics, landcapes with self portraits.
10. Texture is always good, especially on the first run.
11. Coloursplash flash and coloured gels can all be used creativly, especially in the second stage. Remember it doesnt have to be dark to use a flash, using a fill flash in the day time will give a nice "aura" and warp the colours.
12. "The Chaos Method" .. Dont bother to mark up your first frame, load and shoot,after taking a shot, press the rewind button on the bottom of the camera and wind the film back a little way (1 quarter turn to 1 full turn) then pass to someone else. The frames may end up out of sync, but thats the point. Let the person shoot over the top, maybe they will add to the chaos, by rewinding the film from time to time too.
NB: Helpful if you have your own scanner, As lab techs dont know what to scan. Ask the lab not to chop your negatives.
13. Dont have a LC-A, then use a XA2 it also has ISO control. Dont have either, get someone to run the first shoot in a LC-A or XA2, then shoot over the top with your favourite plastic toy.
14. Start with an easy film such as AGFA Precisa or Lomo Society X-Pro film. Fuji takes a little bit more thought, and a lot of images come looking like a bag of thames mud, but well worth the effort when you got your technique down.
15.Ignore every point of the above .. Someimes double axis shots do work, small detail such as lettering, its just when you have 2 horizons it looks distracting.
Flickr film swap group
Some of my favourite film swappers / double exposure photographers
(When the photographer doesnt have a doubles collection, i have provided a tag search)
Simon Tomlinson, UK .. Pushing the limits of double exposures to the max.
Fiona, Australia .. Awsome use of Fuji films and multi-lens cameras.
Twiggy, Taiwan
Maya Newman, UK
Toey, Thailand .. SMENA Double exposures
Me!!, Somewhere
Jaypeg, UK .. Great triple exposures, with some handy hints too
Dreifachzucker, Switzerland .. Mr. Prolific
Mr. Trona .. USA .. Insane doubles & swaps, obscure angles, insane shots.
Cherie, Taiwan
Darlene, USA .. Great Textures, Movie stills and clever stuff on a variety of cameras
Have fun!
The double exposure projects are a collaboration between two photographers, a roll is initially shot and rewound back into the can, then sent/given to the next photographer who then shoots over the top of the whole film, giving a random multi coloured collage effect.
To start the process, you begin to load your camera in the normal way.
Post the film leader through the take-up spindle and make a turn to make sure the film is anchored securely.
Next, take a permanent market and mark off both sides of the first frame.
To allow your film enough "exposure" latitude to allow the second shooter to get some good exposures you will need to be shot with a shorter exposure time on the first round. The easiest way is with a LC-A, by just dialing in a higher ISO value.
If you are using 100 speed film, set the ASA dial on your LC-A to 200 ISO, this will give you half the exposure time of the correct setting, 400 will give you a quarter of the time, maybe this is better if you are shooting the entire first roll in very bright sunlight or with a flash.
I think the best option is to vary the conditions that you shoot, possibly changing the ISO dial between frames to get a varied range of exposures.
Go shoot!
After you have reached the final shot on the roll, carefully rewind the film back into the can. When you reach the end of the leader, you should feel the rewind reel go slack. STOP there and open your camera.
You should be left, with an small piece of film (the leader) protuding from the film can. If however you got a little excited and wound the whole length of the film back into the can, no problem, just purchase a "film picker" or "leader retriever" from ebay for a couple of pounds or ask your local lab to retrieve it for you, they have a machine which does the job.
At this stage, you can either choose to shoot the whole roll again in your camera, or find one of your flickr buddies to take part in the second run.
When you load for the second time, you will need to repeat the loading process from the first stage.
Load the film onto the take up, wind it a little way, but keep on looking for the first frame, indicated by the permanent marker lines. In an ideal world, the first frame should appear, but dont worry it it doesnt line up at first.
If the first frame doesnt line up, easy, just press the rewind button on the bottom of your LC-A, hold the film tight in line your cameras frame with the marks on the film, place with your thumb, and wind the film winder (without moving the film) until the shutter cocks.
Its important that you get the first frame in line because as the film advances the images will come out of sync with each other and will end up with half images over different frames (see note 12)
Shut the back, and your ready to continue with the project.
This round, set the ISO dial to the correct setting for the film and shoot away and take the finished roll to your lab for processing.
It may be advisable to mention to the lab that its a double, and to check the negatives before cutting them up, as sometimes the frames do come out of sync, giving a chaotic effect.
A few ideas and tips to help you along ..
1. You might wanna keep to some ground rules such as 1st shooter takes textures, sky, etc whilst the second searches for detail.
Keeping the camera in the same orientation for the run of the roll .. i.e Take all of your shots keeping the camera horizontal. Images with a double axis looks very distracting. But it would be a great idea to run a whole roll of "vertical orientation".
2. Try not to shoot all your shots in a conventional manner, such as centering the subject in the viewfinder, remember 2 people have got to use that film.
3. Bright lights, lens flares, neon lights are all cool, but you are giving the film a little bit of a push into overexposure, which is nothing to worry about, as it adds to the effect, but can often make the second exposure a bit dull.
If you do see a cool lens flare coming off the side of a building, its a good idea to maybe catch the flare on the side of the viewfinder, instead of centering it in the middle of the shot.
Same for neons, backlit signs and computer screens. However, on the second time around it makes a lot of sense to use all the light that you have available to give your exposure a bit of "oomph".
4. Shoot everthing, some good doubles come from mundane shots, such as kitchen sinks or a poster on a wall. Dont think too hard, a perfect compostition maybe exposed away on the second round.
5. One thing i always look for now, is big posters on walls ..
6. Plain blue skies are boring, look for sunsets, landscapes, flower beds or heavy cloud detail .. especially on the first round, they will look good when shot over. Even to shoot a few frames of clouds is great for the second shooter to expose over.
7. If you see something you like .. Keep on shooting .. Remember you are relying on a lot of luck to get the right combination, so why not increase the odds by repeating the best images from your part.
If i find an point of interest such as a heavily spray-can graffitied area, i will run off 36 shots at random within 10 mins and then keep the film for the right day to run again.
8. Vary the content, take images of small detail to landscapes from people pulling funny faces to posters of your favourite boy band.
9. Create a trademark, or a style. I achieve this by walking the same route around town, discovering new images and adding those to my regular images.
BUT An image doesnt have to something you have discovered on a walk about or images of your buddies at a party.
Images from the TV, text on your computer screen or a black and white print on a clear acetate from your printer are all cool things.
Many people would call her the queen of the double exposure .. Maya Newman .. Look at Maya's creations, she combines the first shoot with a second shoot in her own unique style, combining printed graphics, landcapes with self portraits.
10. Texture is always good, especially on the first run.
11. Coloursplash flash and coloured gels can all be used creativly, especially in the second stage. Remember it doesnt have to be dark to use a flash, using a fill flash in the day time will give a nice "aura" and warp the colours.
12. "The Chaos Method" .. Dont bother to mark up your first frame, load and shoot,after taking a shot, press the rewind button on the bottom of the camera and wind the film back a little way (1 quarter turn to 1 full turn) then pass to someone else. The frames may end up out of sync, but thats the point. Let the person shoot over the top, maybe they will add to the chaos, by rewinding the film from time to time too.
NB: Helpful if you have your own scanner, As lab techs dont know what to scan. Ask the lab not to chop your negatives.
13. Dont have a LC-A, then use a XA2 it also has ISO control. Dont have either, get someone to run the first shoot in a LC-A or XA2, then shoot over the top with your favourite plastic toy.
14. Start with an easy film such as AGFA Precisa or Lomo Society X-Pro film. Fuji takes a little bit more thought, and a lot of images come looking like a bag of thames mud, but well worth the effort when you got your technique down.
15.Ignore every point of the above .. Someimes double axis shots do work, small detail such as lettering, its just when you have 2 horizons it looks distracting.
Flickr film swap group
Some of my favourite film swappers / double exposure photographers
(When the photographer doesnt have a doubles collection, i have provided a tag search)
Simon Tomlinson, UK .. Pushing the limits of double exposures to the max.
Fiona, Australia .. Awsome use of Fuji films and multi-lens cameras.
Twiggy, Taiwan
Maya Newman, UK
Toey, Thailand .. SMENA Double exposures
Me!!, Somewhere
Jaypeg, UK .. Great triple exposures, with some handy hints too
Dreifachzucker, Switzerland .. Mr. Prolific
Mr. Trona .. USA .. Insane doubles & swaps, obscure angles, insane shots.
Cherie, Taiwan
Darlene, USA .. Great Textures, Movie stills and clever stuff on a variety of cameras
Have fun!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Aperture Settings For LOMO Colorsplash flash
After a night at ATP, London, shooting entrants to a fancy dress competition with my LC-A, I came to the conclusion that my LOMO coloursplash was too harsh. Using the automatic aperture and a bare colorflash, despite its puny output, was giving me totally blown out hilights in a totally unpleasant way.I remembered a flickr post by theendofprint, talking of a film canister diffusor and got busy with a scalpel to produce the diffusor.
I then set about loading my camera with the shittiest film i ever had the misfortune of buying, Konica Centuria .. And getting Roman to jump out of a laundry basket whilst i played around with the aperture settings on the LC-A.I came out with a result of around 80 cm at f.12 to be to my liking.
Recently directed to a further flickr discussion post regarding the same problem i found that a colosplash flash had been measured an a basic flash exposure chart had been constucted.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Everything a photographer may need in Bangkok
Photoprocessing
IQ Lab
http://www.iqlab.co.th/
Ekamai Branch
9/33-34 Sukhumvit 63, Thanon Ekamai, Wattana, Bangkok
Tel: 02-714-0644
Fax: 02-391-4163
Silom Branch
160/5 ITF Building, Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel: 02-266-4080
Fax: 02-2233-9366
Petchaburi Branch
1500 New Petchaburi Road, Rachatawee, Bangkok.
(Near MRT – Petchaburi Station)
Tel: 02-255-5544
Fax: 02-255-30
Rochester (Thailand) Co.
2046/12-15 New Petchaburi Rd, Bangkapi,Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10320
Tel. (662) 718-1263-67, 718-2328-32
Fax. (662) 718-2334
Surat Suvanich
+66 (0)70598385
267/13 Sukhumvit 63 (Ekamai) 3rd flr.
surat_su@hotmail.com.
Black and White Hand Processing.
Niks (Thailand) Co.
166 Silom 12 Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel. 02-635-6750/4
niks@loxinfo.co.th
Foto Hobby Ltd.
335 Silom Centre
3rd Floor
Silom Road
10500
Tel. 02-231-3232
02-231-3937
Fax. 02-632-1502
The best selection of refrigerated films in Bangkok
Lomographic Embassy Thailand
20/9 Soi 39
Sukhumvit Road
Phrom Phong
Klong Tan-Nua
Wattana
Bangkok
10110
081-646-2779
dang@lomographyasia.com
Full selection of LOMO Cameras and suppliers of Agfa films.
IQ Lab
http://www.iqlab.co.th/
Ekamai Branch
9/33-34 Sukhumvit 63, Thanon Ekamai, Wattana, Bangkok
Tel: 02-714-0644
Fax: 02-391-4163
Silom Branch
160/5 ITF Building, Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel: 02-266-4080
Fax: 02-2233-9366
Petchaburi Branch
1500 New Petchaburi Road, Rachatawee, Bangkok.
(Near MRT – Petchaburi Station)
Tel: 02-255-5544
Fax: 02-255-30
Rochester (Thailand) Co.
2046/12-15 New Petchaburi Rd, Bangkapi,Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10320
Tel. (662) 718-1263-67, 718-2328-32
Fax. (662) 718-2334
Surat Suvanich
+66 (0)70598385
267/13 Sukhumvit 63 (Ekamai) 3rd flr.
surat_su@hotmail.com.
Black and White Hand Processing.
Niks (Thailand) Co.
166 Silom 12 Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel. 02-635-6750/4
niks@loxinfo.co.th
Foto Hobby Ltd.
335 Silom Centre
3rd Floor
Silom Road
10500
Tel. 02-231-3232
02-231-3937
Fax. 02-632-1502
The best selection of refrigerated films in Bangkok
Lomographic Embassy Thailand
20/9 Soi 39
Sukhumvit Road
Phrom Phong
Klong Tan-Nua
Wattana
Bangkok
10110
081-646-2779
dang@lomographyasia.com
Full selection of LOMO Cameras and suppliers of Agfa films.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Dear Pry Ministur
This editorial, cracked me up, reading it the latest edition of BK Magazine, a free paper around Bangkok.
Dear Luung Samak(1),
Hi!!! Do you remember me? Im Daeng, 8! How is yur life as pry ministur? I think u r halfing a lot of fun.
Is it alrite to call you "uncle"? Sum peepel call u "jamook chumpoo"(2) And some people call u "baak maa"(3). So it make me confus.
U went to Burma rite? Thats so kool! The peepel there need a lot of help now. I saw Burmese peepel on TV and they look so hungree. Did u make sum food for Ung Sun Soo Chee?(4)
My Dad says u half to go becaus luung Taksin wants the Burmese 2 by his satites? Maybe u can give them a discoun becaus we feel sorree 4 them.
My Dad likes to watch news abowt your government and talk 2 to the TV. Sumtime he makes his hand look like the letter L and then he says "looser!" realee lowd.
Yesterday he did that wen Jakrapob (5) was on TV.My Dad calls him "Jackass" 555. My Dad is so funee! Jus a joke na. Please dont tell Jakrapob.
Ware will you go next? Maybee if you give a discoun 2 Cambodia 4 satlite they will share there tempel with us (6). I love u.
Love,
Your frien
Daeng, 8
PS. Gud luk with yor fite agains the meedeea!
(1) Lung .. ลุง or Uncle.
Samak, AKA Samak Sundaravej.
(2) Jamook chumpoo .. จมูกชมพู, Lit. Pink nose.
(3) Baak Maa .. I guess this is a "misspelling" of "Baa Maak", บ้ามาก .. Lit.Very crazy, but maybe something to do with a dog :S
(4) Samak used to host a Sunday morning cookery program on the government run Channel 11 TV station.
(5) Jakrapob AKA Jakrapob Penkair. Spokeperson for Taksin Shinawara during his time in office.
(6) "Maybee if you give a discoun 2 Cambodia 4 satlite they will share there tempel with us" .. A reference to the on going dispute between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the land on the border of Sisaket and the Preah Vihear Temple .. Too complicated to explain but check here for an explanation.
There is nothing new in the debate / fight .. A popular Thai television actress, Suwanan Kongying made a comment in 2003 stating that the temple belonged to the Thailand and should be returned. The Cambodians didnt take too kindly to this statement, and a night of rioting ensued on the streets of Phnom Penh where the Thai embassy was wrecked, dozens of Thai businesses were torched and hundreds of its nationals were forced to flee the country.
Dear Luung Samak(1),
Hi!!! Do you remember me? Im Daeng, 8! How is yur life as pry ministur? I think u r halfing a lot of fun.
Is it alrite to call you "uncle"? Sum peepel call u "jamook chumpoo"(2) And some people call u "baak maa"(3). So it make me confus.
U went to Burma rite? Thats so kool! The peepel there need a lot of help now. I saw Burmese peepel on TV and they look so hungree. Did u make sum food for Ung Sun Soo Chee?(4)
My Dad says u half to go becaus luung Taksin wants the Burmese 2 by his satites? Maybe u can give them a discoun becaus we feel sorree 4 them.
My Dad likes to watch news abowt your government and talk 2 to the TV. Sumtime he makes his hand look like the letter L and then he says "looser!" realee lowd.
Yesterday he did that wen Jakrapob (5) was on TV.My Dad calls him "Jackass" 555. My Dad is so funee! Jus a joke na. Please dont tell Jakrapob.
Ware will you go next? Maybee if you give a discoun 2 Cambodia 4 satlite they will share there tempel with us (6). I love u.
Love,
Your frien
Daeng, 8
PS. Gud luk with yor fite agains the meedeea!
(1) Lung .. ลุง or Uncle.
Samak, AKA Samak Sundaravej.
(2) Jamook chumpoo .. จมูกชมพู, Lit. Pink nose.
(3) Baak Maa .. I guess this is a "misspelling" of "Baa Maak", บ้ามาก .. Lit.Very crazy, but maybe something to do with a dog :S
(4) Samak used to host a Sunday morning cookery program on the government run Channel 11 TV station.
(5) Jakrapob AKA Jakrapob Penkair. Spokeperson for Taksin Shinawara during his time in office.
(6) "Maybee if you give a discoun 2 Cambodia 4 satlite they will share there tempel with us" .. A reference to the on going dispute between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the land on the border of Sisaket and the Preah Vihear Temple .. Too complicated to explain but check here for an explanation.
There is nothing new in the debate / fight .. A popular Thai television actress, Suwanan Kongying made a comment in 2003 stating that the temple belonged to the Thailand and should be returned. The Cambodians didnt take too kindly to this statement, and a night of rioting ensued on the streets of Phnom Penh where the Thai embassy was wrecked, dozens of Thai businesses were torched and hundreds of its nationals were forced to flee the country.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thai Flickr Meet
Thai Flickr meet, May 11th 2008 A Sunday afternoon trip along the Maeklong Railway, from Bangkok Noi Statio (Wong Wien Yai) to Samut Sakhon also known as Mahachai (มหาฃัย)
Rather than waffle about the day,Please click here to view a collection of images from the day, by the group, Reins set, or here for a good blog post regarding this hidden treasure of Bangkok. If you ever visit Samut Sakhon, be sure to sample the restaurant on the second floor overlooking the passenger ferry.
A couple of sneaky shots of moi taken by Koen Pieters.
Rather than waffle about the day,Please click here to view a collection of images from the day, by the group, Reins set, or here for a good blog post regarding this hidden treasure of Bangkok. If you ever visit Samut Sakhon, be sure to sample the restaurant on the second floor overlooking the passenger ferry.A couple of sneaky shots of moi taken by Koen Pieters.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Hill tribe people in Vietnam
Not wishing to sound like an expert in such things, i just compiled some background information to accompany my images of Sapa & Bac Ha.
If anyone has any info to correct me, please post comments.
About eight million of Vietnam's current 86 million population comprise 53 ethnic groups divided into dozens of subgroups some with a mere hundred or so members, giving Vietnam the richest and most complex ethnic make-up in the whole of Southeast Asia.
Ethnic minority groups with members numbering upwards of 500,000 include the Tay, Thai, H'mong, Muong, Hoa, Dao and Nung. Kinh (or Viet) people make up about 88% of the population.
The vast majority of Vietnam's minorities live in the hilly regions of the Northern part, down the Truong Son mountain range, and in the Central Highlands - all areas which saw heavy fighting in recent wars. Several groups straddle today's international boundaries, spreading across the Indochinese peninsula and up into Southern China.
Little is known about the origins of many of these people, some of whom already inhabited the area before the ancestors of the Viet arrived from Southern China around four to five thousand years ago.
Vietnamese legend accounts for this fundamental split between lowlanders and highlanders as follows: the Dragon King of the south married Au Co, a beautiful northern princess, and at first they lived in the mountains where she gave birth to a hundred strong, handsome boys. After a while, however, the Dragon King missed his watery, lowland home and decamped with half his sons, leaving fifty behind in the mountains - the ancestors of the ethnic minorities.
An estimated 10% of Vietnam's total population, are found primarily in the high country. Undoubtedly the most colourful of the hill tribes reside in the Northwest and Northeast, in the plush mountain territory along the Lao and Chinese borders, while many of the tribes in the Central Highlands and the south can be difficult to distinguish, at least by dress alone, from ordinary Vietnamese.
The French called them montagnards (meaning 'highlanders' or 'mountain people') and still use this term when speaking in French or English. Some have lived in Vietnam for thousands of years, while others migrated into the region during the past few centuries. The areas inhabited by each group are often delimited by altitude, with later arrivals settling at higher elevations.
Many of the tribes are semi-nomadic, cultivating crops such as 'dry' rice using slash-and-burn methods, which have taken a heavy toll on the environment. Because such practices destroy the ever-dwindling forests, the government has been trying to encourage them to adopt more settled agriculture often at lower altitudes, with wet (paddy) rice and cash crops such as tea coffee and cinnamon. Still, despite the allure of benefits like subsidised irrigation, better education and health care, a long history of nonconformist attitudes, coupled with a general distrust of the lowland ethnic-Vietnamese majority, keeps many away from the lowlands.
As is the case in other parts of Asia, the rich, inherent culture of so many of Vietnam's ethnic minorities has slowly given way to a variety of outside influences. Many tribes have been so assimilated into mainstream Vietnamese society that very few even dress in traditional garb. Most of those who do are found in the remote villages of the far north, and even there it is often only the women who do so, while the men more typically have switched over to Vietnamese or western-style clothes.
While factors such as the introduction of electricity, modern medicine and education do create advantages, unfortunately such evolution has brought about the abandonment of many age-old traditions. A more recent, and perhaps equally threatening, outside influence is the effect of tourism. With growing numbers of people travelling to see the different ethnic minorities, further exposure to lowlanders and a developing trend toward commercialism will likely worsen the situation.
Despite their different origins, languages, dialects and hugely varied traditional dress, there are a number of similarities among the highland groups that distinguish them from Viet people. Most immediately obvious is the stilt house, which protects against snakes, vermin and larger beasts as well as floods, while also providing safe stabling for domestic animals. The communal imbibing of rice wine is popular with most highland groups, as are certain rituals such as protecting a child from evil spirits by not naming it until after a certain age. Most highlanders traditionally practise swidden farming, clearing patches of forest land, farming the burnt-over fields for a few years and then leaving it fallow for a specified period while it recovers its fertility. Where the soils are particularly poor, a semi-nomadic lifestyle is adopted, shifting the village location at inter vals as necessary.
Mong (H'Mong) ethnic group
Mong (H'Mong) people, Mong Do, White Mong, Mong Lenh (Variety Mong), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong) and Mong Sua (Man Mong) minority, Hmong ethnie, montagnard Name of ethnic group: Mong (H'Mong, Mong Do, White Mong, Mong Lenh (Variety Mong), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong) and Mong Sua (Man Mong)
Population: 787,604 people (Year 1999)
Locality: The Mong are concentrated in Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Son La, Cao Bang and Nghe An provinces.
Each lineage lives within a group setting. The head of the village assumes the common affairs for the lineage. Young Mong men and women are free to choose their partners. Matrimonial life of the Mong is very harmonious and divorce is very rare.
Culture: Mong language belongs to the Mong-Dao Group. The Traditional Tet (New Year's Day) of the Mong is organized every December. They refrain from eating green vegetables during the three days of the Tet Holiday. The musical instruments of the Mong include various kinds of "khen" (pan-pipes) and lip organs. After a hard working day and to celebrate spring, the young men and women often play "khen" and lip organs to express their feelings for their partners.
Costumes: The Mong make their clothes from linen. Women's attire consists of a skirt, a blouse that opens at the front and has embroidery on the back, an apron to cover the skirt at the front, and leggings.
Economy: The Mong live mainly on slash-and-burn cultivation. They also grow rice and corn on terraced fields. Their principal food plants are corn, rice, and rye. Apart from these crops, they also grow medicinal plants and linen plants to supply the fibers for cloth weaving.
Dzao
The Dzao (pronounced "Zao") ethnic minority is incredibiy diverse in all aspects of life: social and religious practices, architecture, agriculture and dress.
Small, localized groups settled in the northern border region of Vietnam after leaving China some 200 years ago.
Dzao people now number some 500,000 in Vietnam, with related groups in Laos, Thailand and China.
Long ago the Dao adopted the Chinese writing system and have a substantial literary tradition.
One popular legend records the origin of the 12 Dao clans: Ban Ho, a powerful dog of five colours, killed an enemy general and was granted the hand of a princess in marriage, who gave birth to twelve children.
Ban Ho is worshipped by the Dao and the five colours of Dao embroidery represent their ancestor.
The Dao boast a particularly striking traditional dress, characterized by a rectangular patch of embroidery sewn onto the back of their jackets, and both men and women sport silver or copper jewellery and tasselled shoulder bags.
Dao women wear elaborate headgear, usually a triangular-shaped turban, either embroidered or decorated with silver coins, beads and coloured tassels.
It's also common for Dao women to shave their eyebrows and sometimes the whole head, coating the skull with wax.
The typical houses of the Dao are rectangular and they have structures made of wood and bamboo. Normally it is comprised of three rooms: a room and two dormitories in the lateral side. Each one of these rooms has a small oven to cook.
The men and the women cover their heads with a black or red scarf. Some women substitute this scarf by a turban that can adopt different forms.
The traditional suit of the women is of bright colors. They also decorate their shirts with decorations made out of silver.
Dao people live at all altitudes, their house style and agricultural techniques varying accordingly.
Marriage is traditionally arranged by go-betweens who represent the boy's family to the girl's parents. If the union is acceptable, a bride-price is negotiated, typically ranging from three to ten silver bars, worth about US$100 each, a partial artifact from the opium trade. The wedding takes place in two installments, first at the bride's house, followed by a procession to the groom's house where a second ceremony occurs.
While groups living at lower levels are relatively prosperous, growing rice and raising livestock, those in the high, rocky mountains live in considerable poverty.
If anyone has any info to correct me, please post comments.
About eight million of Vietnam's current 86 million population comprise 53 ethnic groups divided into dozens of subgroups some with a mere hundred or so members, giving Vietnam the richest and most complex ethnic make-up in the whole of Southeast Asia.
Ethnic minority groups with members numbering upwards of 500,000 include the Tay, Thai, H'mong, Muong, Hoa, Dao and Nung. Kinh (or Viet) people make up about 88% of the population.
The vast majority of Vietnam's minorities live in the hilly regions of the Northern part, down the Truong Son mountain range, and in the Central Highlands - all areas which saw heavy fighting in recent wars. Several groups straddle today's international boundaries, spreading across the Indochinese peninsula and up into Southern China.
Little is known about the origins of many of these people, some of whom already inhabited the area before the ancestors of the Viet arrived from Southern China around four to five thousand years ago.
Vietnamese legend accounts for this fundamental split between lowlanders and highlanders as follows: the Dragon King of the south married Au Co, a beautiful northern princess, and at first they lived in the mountains where she gave birth to a hundred strong, handsome boys. After a while, however, the Dragon King missed his watery, lowland home and decamped with half his sons, leaving fifty behind in the mountains - the ancestors of the ethnic minorities.
An estimated 10% of Vietnam's total population, are found primarily in the high country. Undoubtedly the most colourful of the hill tribes reside in the Northwest and Northeast, in the plush mountain territory along the Lao and Chinese borders, while many of the tribes in the Central Highlands and the south can be difficult to distinguish, at least by dress alone, from ordinary Vietnamese.
The French called them montagnards (meaning 'highlanders' or 'mountain people') and still use this term when speaking in French or English. Some have lived in Vietnam for thousands of years, while others migrated into the region during the past few centuries. The areas inhabited by each group are often delimited by altitude, with later arrivals settling at higher elevations.
Many of the tribes are semi-nomadic, cultivating crops such as 'dry' rice using slash-and-burn methods, which have taken a heavy toll on the environment. Because such practices destroy the ever-dwindling forests, the government has been trying to encourage them to adopt more settled agriculture often at lower altitudes, with wet (paddy) rice and cash crops such as tea coffee and cinnamon. Still, despite the allure of benefits like subsidised irrigation, better education and health care, a long history of nonconformist attitudes, coupled with a general distrust of the lowland ethnic-Vietnamese majority, keeps many away from the lowlands.
As is the case in other parts of Asia, the rich, inherent culture of so many of Vietnam's ethnic minorities has slowly given way to a variety of outside influences. Many tribes have been so assimilated into mainstream Vietnamese society that very few even dress in traditional garb. Most of those who do are found in the remote villages of the far north, and even there it is often only the women who do so, while the men more typically have switched over to Vietnamese or western-style clothes.
While factors such as the introduction of electricity, modern medicine and education do create advantages, unfortunately such evolution has brought about the abandonment of many age-old traditions. A more recent, and perhaps equally threatening, outside influence is the effect of tourism. With growing numbers of people travelling to see the different ethnic minorities, further exposure to lowlanders and a developing trend toward commercialism will likely worsen the situation.
Despite their different origins, languages, dialects and hugely varied traditional dress, there are a number of similarities among the highland groups that distinguish them from Viet people. Most immediately obvious is the stilt house, which protects against snakes, vermin and larger beasts as well as floods, while also providing safe stabling for domestic animals. The communal imbibing of rice wine is popular with most highland groups, as are certain rituals such as protecting a child from evil spirits by not naming it until after a certain age. Most highlanders traditionally practise swidden farming, clearing patches of forest land, farming the burnt-over fields for a few years and then leaving it fallow for a specified period while it recovers its fertility. Where the soils are particularly poor, a semi-nomadic lifestyle is adopted, shifting the village location at inter vals as necessary.
Mong (H'Mong) ethnic group
Mong (H'Mong) people, Mong Do, White Mong, Mong Lenh (Variety Mong), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong) and Mong Sua (Man Mong) minority, Hmong ethnie, montagnard Name of ethnic group: Mong (H'Mong, Mong Do, White Mong, Mong Lenh (Variety Mong), Mong Si (Red Mong), Mong Du (Black Mong) and Mong Sua (Man Mong)
Population: 787,604 people (Year 1999)
Locality: The Mong are concentrated in Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Son La, Cao Bang and Nghe An provinces.
Each lineage lives within a group setting. The head of the village assumes the common affairs for the lineage. Young Mong men and women are free to choose their partners. Matrimonial life of the Mong is very harmonious and divorce is very rare.Culture: Mong language belongs to the Mong-Dao Group. The Traditional Tet (New Year's Day) of the Mong is organized every December. They refrain from eating green vegetables during the three days of the Tet Holiday. The musical instruments of the Mong include various kinds of "khen" (pan-pipes) and lip organs. After a hard working day and to celebrate spring, the young men and women often play "khen" and lip organs to express their feelings for their partners.
Costumes: The Mong make their clothes from linen. Women's attire consists of a skirt, a blouse that opens at the front and has embroidery on the back, an apron to cover the skirt at the front, and leggings.
Economy: The Mong live mainly on slash-and-burn cultivation. They also grow rice and corn on terraced fields. Their principal food plants are corn, rice, and rye. Apart from these crops, they also grow medicinal plants and linen plants to supply the fibers for cloth weaving.
Dzao
The Dzao (pronounced "Zao") ethnic minority is incredibiy diverse in all aspects of life: social and religious practices, architecture, agriculture and dress.
Small, localized groups settled in the northern border region of Vietnam after leaving China some 200 years ago.Dzao people now number some 500,000 in Vietnam, with related groups in Laos, Thailand and China.
Long ago the Dao adopted the Chinese writing system and have a substantial literary tradition.
One popular legend records the origin of the 12 Dao clans: Ban Ho, a powerful dog of five colours, killed an enemy general and was granted the hand of a princess in marriage, who gave birth to twelve children.
Ban Ho is worshipped by the Dao and the five colours of Dao embroidery represent their ancestor.
The Dao boast a particularly striking traditional dress, characterized by a rectangular patch of embroidery sewn onto the back of their jackets, and both men and women sport silver or copper jewellery and tasselled shoulder bags.
Dao women wear elaborate headgear, usually a triangular-shaped turban, either embroidered or decorated with silver coins, beads and coloured tassels.
It's also common for Dao women to shave their eyebrows and sometimes the whole head, coating the skull with wax.
The typical houses of the Dao are rectangular and they have structures made of wood and bamboo. Normally it is comprised of three rooms: a room and two dormitories in the lateral side. Each one of these rooms has a small oven to cook.
The men and the women cover their heads with a black or red scarf. Some women substitute this scarf by a turban that can adopt different forms.
The traditional suit of the women is of bright colors. They also decorate their shirts with decorations made out of silver.
Dao people live at all altitudes, their house style and agricultural techniques varying accordingly.
Marriage is traditionally arranged by go-betweens who represent the boy's family to the girl's parents. If the union is acceptable, a bride-price is negotiated, typically ranging from three to ten silver bars, worth about US$100 each, a partial artifact from the opium trade. The wedding takes place in two installments, first at the bride's house, followed by a procession to the groom's house where a second ceremony occurs.
While groups living at lower levels are relatively prosperous, growing rice and raising livestock, those in the high, rocky mountains live in considerable poverty.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Problem With Hanoi
1. Its loud.
2. Its dirty.
3. Everyone rips you off.
First day bought a pinapple for 25,000 VND (50B / 1.28 $), the next time for 14,000 VND (26b / 0.75 $ )
Today bought some fruit, the woman decided she would try to charge, 50,000 VND ( 96B / 3.125 $) for not even half a Kilo. Gave her 20,000 VND which is still around 3x - 4x price of BKK.
4. The food is expensive, went to foreigner restaurant the first night, the food was awful and expenive. Since, have been eating on the street or local restaurant, some have a special paper menu for foreigners, but when its time to pay they have to check the price as they cant remember. I never see them checking the price with the locals, the vendor knows the price already.
5. The food is pretty bad.
6. Nobody wants there pictures taken.
The good things,
1. Sometimes the food is really nice.
2. There are some really good things to photograph.
2. Its dirty.
3. Everyone rips you off.
First day bought a pinapple for 25,000 VND (50B / 1.28 $), the next time for 14,000 VND (26b / 0.75 $ )
Today bought some fruit, the woman decided she would try to charge, 50,000 VND ( 96B / 3.125 $) for not even half a Kilo. Gave her 20,000 VND which is still around 3x - 4x price of BKK.
4. The food is expensive, went to foreigner restaurant the first night, the food was awful and expenive. Since, have been eating on the street or local restaurant, some have a special paper menu for foreigners, but when its time to pay they have to check the price as they cant remember. I never see them checking the price with the locals, the vendor knows the price already.
5. The food is pretty bad.
6. Nobody wants there pictures taken.
The good things,
1. Sometimes the food is really nice.
2. There are some really good things to photograph.
Hanoi Noise
Hanoi is loud !!
A short to give an idea of the traffic here in Hanoi .. Headache
Not too impressed with the quality, but its from my camerafone
A short to give an idea of the traffic here in Hanoi .. Headache
Not too impressed with the quality, but its from my camerafone
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Welcome ..
.. Hanoi .. Why have i never visited before ?
Arriving from Bangkok, the view from the plane was of a pretty much empty landscape, just endless rice paddies. The plane cruised in on a level plane, providing a great view and one of the most enjoyable landings ever.
Hanoi airport is a pretty bleak affair, the airport officials in moss green uniforms and high browed soviet military style caps. A suprisingly easy entry in comparison to departure from Savanabumi, where i, along with most of the passengers had to run to the departure gate, with a few minutes to spare before take off after being detained in the immigration queue for over an hour.
Hanoi traffic is crazy, no one sticks to the road markings, mopeds just trundle down the middle of the 2 lane motorway with trucks and taxis inches away from there rear wheel. Everyone constantly hammers there horns, my head is ringing.
Hanoi City is weird, like a timewarp, its like being in Paris, narrow streets, tall narrow townhouses with multiple balconies, my room has double doors leading out to a huge vine covered veranda (albeit winter and theres a distinct lack of leaves and fruit). Thousands of scooters zoom up and down the streets, and there are very few traffic lights, its a very surreal feeling. Although there is a pavement, its impossible to navigate due to the sheer number of bikes parked everywhere.
First impressions of Vietnamese people are very different from Thai people, there is no interest, no smiles .. Its not until the walk home from dinner has anyone called to say sit down and eat, something that is unavoidable in Bangkok
Thai style food carts are non existent, but huddled in between the impromptu bike parks are tables and stools, serving noodles, rice porridge and a Chinese rice spaghetti, i only know as "kanom Jin". The tables are only ten inches from the floor, again, its weird to see Asian people bundled up in winter jackets over a bowl of steaming broth.
Walking along the streets is a pretty tough affair, spent a day taking shots by Hoan Kiem Lake, i guess the equivalent of Leicester Square, a huge lake where students snuggle up together, surrounded by restaurants and blighted by book salesmen clutching bundles of Lonely Planets and Vietnam war memoirs.
After declining the guidebooks, the salesmen then produce a bank of zippo lighters followed by a huge wad of fake wallets .. All i could do was laugh "Do you know where i come from ?" .. Bangkok, more fake wallets than massage parlours. Still they dont give up.
I arrived today, on "Ladies Day", thousands of cute Chinese looking girls carrying flowers and baloons on the Viet-equivilent of Valentines day. This evening hundreds of students riding bikes (2 or 3 kids to one bike), scooters and taxis trailing balloons drove constantly around the lake road, suprise, suprise, tooting horns. I ate the best ice cream outside Italy and drank another amazing cup of thick mocca Coffee, "Nau No" with a kick like a mule and watched the whole affair.
Tomorrows another day, shooting in the street today was a bit of a tricky affair equiped with just a 50mm lens, I had many shots ruined when i was spotted by the women wearing traditional Vietnamese pointed hats, riding a bike or carrying there yoaks of wares along the street. Seems like its hard to raise a smile on the streets of Hanoi, not really suprising by the ammount of package tourists. I hope this isnt going to be a reocuring feature of this month.
This is so hard to write, its not often im able to think in English, after 2 months of Thai schooling (read debriefing/brainwashing) im finding it hard to think in English ..
Arriving from Bangkok, the view from the plane was of a pretty much empty landscape, just endless rice paddies. The plane cruised in on a level plane, providing a great view and one of the most enjoyable landings ever.
Hanoi airport is a pretty bleak affair, the airport officials in moss green uniforms and high browed soviet military style caps. A suprisingly easy entry in comparison to departure from Savanabumi, where i, along with most of the passengers had to run to the departure gate, with a few minutes to spare before take off after being detained in the immigration queue for over an hour.
Hanoi traffic is crazy, no one sticks to the road markings, mopeds just trundle down the middle of the 2 lane motorway with trucks and taxis inches away from there rear wheel. Everyone constantly hammers there horns, my head is ringing.
Hanoi City is weird, like a timewarp, its like being in Paris, narrow streets, tall narrow townhouses with multiple balconies, my room has double doors leading out to a huge vine covered veranda (albeit winter and theres a distinct lack of leaves and fruit). Thousands of scooters zoom up and down the streets, and there are very few traffic lights, its a very surreal feeling. Although there is a pavement, its impossible to navigate due to the sheer number of bikes parked everywhere.
First impressions of Vietnamese people are very different from Thai people, there is no interest, no smiles .. Its not until the walk home from dinner has anyone called to say sit down and eat, something that is unavoidable in Bangkok
Thai style food carts are non existent, but huddled in between the impromptu bike parks are tables and stools, serving noodles, rice porridge and a Chinese rice spaghetti, i only know as "kanom Jin". The tables are only ten inches from the floor, again, its weird to see Asian people bundled up in winter jackets over a bowl of steaming broth.
Walking along the streets is a pretty tough affair, spent a day taking shots by Hoan Kiem Lake, i guess the equivalent of Leicester Square, a huge lake where students snuggle up together, surrounded by restaurants and blighted by book salesmen clutching bundles of Lonely Planets and Vietnam war memoirs.
After declining the guidebooks, the salesmen then produce a bank of zippo lighters followed by a huge wad of fake wallets .. All i could do was laugh "Do you know where i come from ?" .. Bangkok, more fake wallets than massage parlours. Still they dont give up.
I arrived today, on "Ladies Day", thousands of cute Chinese looking girls carrying flowers and baloons on the Viet-equivilent of Valentines day. This evening hundreds of students riding bikes (2 or 3 kids to one bike), scooters and taxis trailing balloons drove constantly around the lake road, suprise, suprise, tooting horns. I ate the best ice cream outside Italy and drank another amazing cup of thick mocca Coffee, "Nau No" with a kick like a mule and watched the whole affair.
Tomorrows another day, shooting in the street today was a bit of a tricky affair equiped with just a 50mm lens, I had many shots ruined when i was spotted by the women wearing traditional Vietnamese pointed hats, riding a bike or carrying there yoaks of wares along the street. Seems like its hard to raise a smile on the streets of Hanoi, not really suprising by the ammount of package tourists. I hope this isnt going to be a reocuring feature of this month.
This is so hard to write, its not often im able to think in English, after 2 months of Thai schooling (read debriefing/brainwashing) im finding it hard to think in English ..
Friday, March 07, 2008
Stolen Image
Just had to search on google to find my own blog :D
Came up with some guy who knicked this image, Mop, from flickr to install as some mock up CD cover in his blog ..
He posted some crap about creating a group/album title/image ..
1. First, get the name of your band: this will be the first article title from Wikipedia's random article page
2. Get the title of your album: the last four words of the very last quote on Quotation Pages' random quote page
3. The third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover from Flickr's most interesting photos page
Thanks, I know i was just wasting film / testing a new lens, for some reason it made the prestigous flickr explore page, its still at #337 (of 500) from 13/02/08 according to bighugelabs flickr scout .. But just to be used by some muppet, selecting a random image, thanks but no thanks ..
At least you could have posted a comment to say you liked the image, Still gives me something to moan about.
Came up with some guy who knicked this image, Mop, from flickr to install as some mock up CD cover in his blog ..
He posted some crap about creating a group/album title/image ..
1. First, get the name of your band: this will be the first article title from Wikipedia's random article page
2. Get the title of your album: the last four words of the very last quote on Quotation Pages' random quote page
3. The third picture, no matter what it is, is your album cover from Flickr's most interesting photos page
Thanks, I know i was just wasting film / testing a new lens, for some reason it made the prestigous flickr explore page, its still at #337 (of 500) from 13/02/08 according to bighugelabs flickr scout .. But just to be used by some muppet, selecting a random image, thanks but no thanks ..
At least you could have posted a comment to say you liked the image, Still gives me something to moan about.
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