Bike Touring Vietnam: Photography

Vietnamese Fisherman. Nikon D300, 18-200mm, 1/250, f/6.3, ISO 200. Desaturation and vignette added in Lightroom.

Road Rules of highway 1, Vietnam:
Rule #1: Right of way belongs to the ‘King of the Road’; everyone else, get out of the way.
Rule #2: To exercise Rule #1, you have to sound your horn. Therefore, the louder the horn, the stronger that right.
Rule #3: Everyone is ‘King of the Road’.

Girl Selling Lanterns in Hoi An, Vietnam. Nikon D300, 18-200mm, 1/50, f/4.8, ISO 3200.

Small towns and villages line Highway 1, and traffic can become chaotic as you approach and make your way through those towns. Earplugs and facemasks are highly recommended. Away from the large towns though, and riding Highway 1 can be quite pleasant, especially along the coast.

When riding, I found it difficult to want to stop to take a picture. It disrupts the rhythm and flow. Because it was so heavily urbanized, I’d worry about losing the bike if I wanted to ditch it and run somewhere with camera in hand. The best shots I’ve taken on this tour were in the early morning or evening when I wasn’t riding.

Round Vietnamese Fishing Boat, China Beach, Danang. Nikon D300, 12-24mm, 1/160 f/6.3, ISO 200. Conversion to B&W done in Lightroom.

I brought my Nikon D300, 18-200mm and 12-24mm lenses, and I found that combination near perfect. I’ll probably replace the 12-24mm with Nikon’s new wider 10-24mm lens, and add a remote shutter release so that I can attach the camera to my body and trigger the camera remotely for some action shots while riding. Some kind of camera support would be nice too, and I may consider adding a really light monopod to the kit.

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