The heavy typhoon on the last Saturday morning could not stop eager participants to join Portfolio Review #4. This time Matca did not only have the participation of a new face Nguyen Ha Xuyen with her street photos, but also welcomed our old friends Le Xuan Phong and Nguyen Phuong whom we met in Portfolio Review #1. The next session will soon take place, you can register here and follow our Facebook for further news!
Nguyen Ha Xuyen
Xuyen is during the initial phase of finding her own voice in street photography, and she is not afraid of experimenting with different shooting devices, colors and light. There are visually attractive photos and those not as catchy but contain a social message. She is quite confused about her direction and struggles to have a personal stamp on her works.
Matca has some advice for Xuyen. First, she should have a specific goal before shooting and try to follow it for some time. She could choose a particular place or subject and obverse patiently to capture a “decisive moment”, instead of just passing by and recording ordinary scenes that everybody can see. Because street photography requires waiting, prediction and even luck so patience is a must. About visual style, Xuyen should also pay attention to composition, and try shooting from various angles to lead the subject to the focal point. Or as an exercise, Xuyen could work on a particular technique like underexposure for example.
Regarding her approach, Xuyen should also overcome her fear to talk to strangers, as for now her photos are mostly taken from a distance and she is aware of her shortcoming. Since street photography has a long history, viewing more photos of various authors is an important step to improve her eye.
Xuyen has also experimented with portraits. The portraits she brought are straightforward and have not been able to show the subject’s personality and the author’s own vision. When taking photos for clients, besides meeting their requirements, Xuyen should also use this opportunity to introduce her own view, trying different angles and be on the lookout for special moments that show their emotions.
Le Xuan Phong
Phong came with about 60 images of H’Mong and Thai people in Dak Nong, pursuing the topic of immigration. This is a regular reportage with consistency in visual style and an objective approach. However, both Matca and Phong recognize that the photos themselves are not enough to deliver information of place and culture, neither could them show the contrast between the past and present. Thus, it is hard to detect the story of immigration that these photos are meant to tell.
In fact, the land and the people there are not easy materials. In such limited time, Matca suggests focusing on Phong’s personal impression, highlighting his subjective view instead of trying to show a big picture that would require much more time and exploration.
Matca has helped Phong choose 5 most outstanding photos that have the most information. Instead of being a standalone piece, these could totally become effective illustration for an editorial. If Phong wants to choose some to include in his portfolio, he should pick those that look most visually interesting and present them just as a travelogue in Dak Nong.
Nguyen Phuong
Phuong is another friend who has joined the first Portfolio Review. This time, he introduces his old works in a new form: a book dummy. He arranged some pictures on white paper and used color pencils to draw on the blank space. Although the book is at an early stage, it has created immediate fascination among viewers, because of his pretty photos, free-spirited drawing and most of all the experimentation with making a book by himself.
While Phuong is thinking more deeply about the final product, Matca has a few suggestions. In order to highlight the drawing, the paper could be black instead of white. The photos should be of various sizes to keep the book visually active. Arranging photos, choosing their sizes and connecting them with drawings need more thoughts in order to tie them together. And he could also think of designing the book in a vertical form instead of horizontal to enhance the viewing experience.
Linh Phạm
At the end of the meeting, photojournalist Linh Pham from Matca introduced his recently shot reportage that documented Chinese tourists in Nha Trang, sharing experiences about his process of researching the subject, drafting a plan as well as how to present himself on the shoot. Participants also viewed the photobook We Will Have Been Young that showcased 12 Asian photographers’ works, Linh included, about the theme Youth. By doing so they could see the different presentation of photos in a book form compared with in an exhibition.
