Photography Blog

Mission Peace in Vietnam: Part 2

On my second trip to Vietnam in January 2002, with Steve Warren, and Mission Peace, I was able to focus more on the culture and the villagers of the countryside who had never, ever been photographed before. For a few precious days during this trip, I was with a Vietnamese nun who spoke French. She and I were deep in the Mekong Delta where people live in very primitive huts in the dirt as well as huts on stilts in the water. It was a fantastic journey through an area of the world where time seems to be standing still, the people are gorgeous, and the scenery inspiring.

family in the MekongDelta - Vietnam, 2002
Knowing that most of these villagers had never had their photographs taken, I had brought a Crown Graphic 4 X 5 field camera with film magazine and a Polaroid back. This type of Polaroid (T55) has a print and a negative together; so, I was able to capture people on film, and immediately give them a copy of the photograph while keeping the negative for myself to print upon my return to the states. My subjects were thrilled.

I was fortunate to meet an elderly gentleman who lived in a multi-generational hut. He had been photographed decades previously, and showed me the picture. We collected his entire family, and I took an updated photograph for them. After the photo shoot, he sit up, and look at the 2 photos of his family side by side, 40 years apart, he was beyond happy. For him, it was the gift of a lifetime. – See photo below-

Family Photography - Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2002
On a personal level, working with Mission Peace changed my life. Honestly, this is exactly the type of work that originally drove me to become a photographer. For me to have the opportunity to join this team of surgeons who were changing the lives of children in a part of the world where medical care is not readily available, and capture the story as it unfolds… well, it was a tremendous honor and a huge privilege.

Christophe and his 4
ly hung - Boy in Orphenage Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2002
Monk - Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2002
Brothers & sister - Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2002
Monk reading - Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2002
Mekong Delta - Vietnam, 2000
on the road to Cuchi - 2000

Man in the Mekong Delta area - Vietnam, 2002
Both trips I took to Vietnam with Mission Peace were nothing short of phenomenal. And the work I did for them helped them to raise even more money to support their future work in the country and expand their efforts to help orphanages, and start a cultural exchange program between young Vietnamese and American children. I am honored to have been an integral part of Mission Peace’s international aid project.

 

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Professional Wedding Photographer vs. Amateur with a Professional Camera

With the influx of amazing photographic technology available to anyone who can afford the luxury, so comes the influx of amateur photographers doing the work of professionals.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love that so many people have taken photography to be their new passion, but not anyone can do professional work, even though they may own a professional camera.
There are several times in one’s life when a professional photographer is well worth the price, and unfortunately, some people decide to cut corners and have a random friend snap away at their wedding.  Unfortunately, the nightmare begins there.

Wedding
There is so much involved in taking professional photographs, especially for a wedding, that it really is a mistake to leave that job to an amateur.  It is possible for important shots to be completely lost –or never taken.  The laundry list of things that could go wrong –and do go wrong, is long!  The horror stories I have heard and witnessed… oh, it’ll make your head spin.
A business associate of mine hired a photographer for his wedding off of Craigslist.  Sadly, the photographer actually arrived at the wrong wedding, took photographs for a full two hours before realizing he was at the wrong event…  Needless to say, it was a legitimate nuptial nightmare.

napa_wedding_photography-015
A professional photographer will be sure to have everything well organized with a timeline scheduled with the bride and groom well in advance of the wedding day, so that all photographs are taken in a timely manner, nothing is missed, and all pictures will be ready for the album with no missing people, no missing portraits, and certainly no moments from the wedding and reception will go undocumented.

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On a day as important as your wedding day, your wedding photography is not a place to cut corners on your budget!  Be sure to hire a professional wedding photographer who knows how to work with light, composition, poses, timelines, etc such as Christophe Genty in Napa, California.  Christophe specializes in Wine Country Weddings in both Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.  When you hire a professional wedding photographer like Christophe, you will have absolutely no regrets.

 

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