300,000 Views Celebration - Picture of the Day #5

For the final installment of my picture-of-the-day in celebration of 300,000 views of my photos online, I'm focusing on one that is one of my personal favorites.

Below is a shot I took in the town of Hoi An, Vietnam back when we visited there in 2006. Here, we see a bevy of activity at the daily morning market on the river. You can see other pictures I took in Vietnam online too: Hoi An HERE, Hue HERE, Hanoi HERE and Ho Chi Minh City HERE.

Picture by Marc Osborn. (C) Marc Osborn

What I like about this shot is that it captures many things I enjoy about photography:

• People - The make the world go around. So many different types involved with so many activities.
• Travel - What other places look like, what people do, what they wear, etc. are endlessly fascinating to me and a picture like this touches on many of those things. 
• Everyday life - This is a scene played out daily - and for centuries - at the Hoe An morning market. Seeing this slice of everyday life is interesting.
• Artistic merit - Yes, what constitutes "art" is certainly subjective, but to my eye the mass of conical hats, the motion of the people, the one woman just sitting in her little boat in the front...all combine to create what I think is a well composed and artistic look at the morning market.

I also enjoy remembering how I came to take this picture. The day I took it was to be our last in Hoi An. We'd had an early night the evening before, and as a consequence I woke up pretty early in the morning. Not being able to sleep, I decided get up, grab my camera and get a taxi into town from our beach resort hotel...probably a 5 minute drive. 

I knew I wanted to go to the morning market, and as I found myself nearing it I saw a bridge leading to the other side of the river. I thought...OK, if I go over to the opposite bank I can find a spot to get a great view. So I did. I threw on my telephoto lens and started taking pictures. Of the many I took from that vantage point, the one above instantly stood out. Sure, I was trying for a well composed image, but believe me...I have plenty of similar shots that are not as compelling as this one. 

Anyway, I was very glad to have ventured out early and on my own to see the market in the morning and conduct a little photo adventure.

NOTE: Copyright for the picture in this post is owned by Marc Osborn. No use of the picture for any purpose is permitted without prior written permission from Marc Osborn. 

The new photo of the week for the blog is also a picture I'd like to highlight here.

(Photo taken by: Marc Osborn)

In this picture you see the people of the Hoi An area participating in an activity that has taken place for centuries - the early morning rush of brining goods to market via the river. It was one of the many wonderful scenes Diane and I saw on our trip to Vietnam in 2006.

Here, I thought that the activity, accompanied by the mass of people wearing the conical hats made for a very interesting picture.

To get the shot, I woke up early and took a short taxi ride from our South China Sea-side hotel into the town. From there I walked to the market and then across a bridge directly across from the market. Even at this early hour, the town was beginning to hum, getting business done before the major heat of the mid-morning started to kick in.

At any rate, now in position, I used my telephoto lens. Zooming in I started taking shots. Of the two dozen or so pictures I took, I think this one came out best. I'm proud of it.

You can see more of the pictures I took in Hoi An by clicking here.

Pictures of Hoi An, Vietnam

I just posted pictures I took in Hoi An, Vietnam when Diane and I visited there in 2006.

Below are a couple images I took. You can see the full set by clicking - here.

Hoi An is a smaller city than others we visited on our trip. Located right near the South China Sea, the town was not destroyed by the many wars that have raged in Vietnam over the past century. As a result, it is a very well preserved example of old Vietnamese and Chinese architecture. China invaded and controlled Vietnam for quite some time back in history, so many of the buildings there reflect their influence.

Today, the city is increasingly a tourist destination with the proximity to the beach and the charm of the old town. We loved it, but I can see a day when it may become too touristy. I'm glad we went there when we did.

Anyway, check out the pictures to get a flavor of Hoi An.