Beginners Photography – Capturing the Colour

I don’t profess to be the best photographer. Far from it. I don’t have an SLR camera. Most of the time I take photos using my video camera or my iPhone. Travel photography is something I need to learn a lot about. I’ve already done a little reading on the basics but I need more work. When I can afford it, I’ll get some decent gear.

I think these photos prove that you don’t have to know much (if anything) about photography or have the best camera in the world. Sometimes, the photo is just there – in the moment. You point, you shoot and somehow you manage to capture the scene, the emotion and the story behind your shot.

Blue

Little boy walking down a lonely road in Thailand

Of course, it’s my darling little boy, Reuben. We’d gone for a walk down a back country road to find a village near the beach we were staying at on Koh Phangan. It was a super hot and sunny day. He just couldn’t (or wouldn’t) keep his little blue hat on. This is definitely my favourite shot from our recent trip through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. I love it because he looks so small, lonely and out of place walking down a deserted and dusted road. He’s thinking about the fact that he’s dropped his hat and not entirely sure he wants to pick it up and wear it (but knows he should!).

Green

Green Onions Scattered Over Tofu

Both times I visited Vietnam I was a vegetarian.  On my second visit, I was alone and stayed for a week in Saigon guesthouse where a local friend worked. On my last day in town, my friend Mi ask the cleaning lady at the guesthouse to cook a special vegetarian lunch for me. I was served a wonderful meal of tofu in a tomato sauce scattered with green spring onions. This was, hands down, the best meal I ate in Vietnam. Food is such an important part of travel. Sometimes being a vegetarian meant missing out on local delicacies in favour of “safe” Western food. In this instance, through friendship with a local, I was able to enjoy a wonderfully authentic home-cooked meal.

Yellow

Recess at School in Vietnam

On a trek through the mountains in Sapa, Vietnam, I came across a school in the middle of nowhere. It was recess so there were cheeky little kids running and squawking all over the place. This little man was obviously intrigued by the nosey foreigner with a camera but at the same time feeling a little shy and running off whenever I got near. I was impressed to see the number of kids in school and by the fact that there even was a school this far out into the countryside. Something to be said for the communist government and their approach to learning!

White

Gold-leaf Smudged Fingers Holding Jasmine Flowers

In 2009 I took myself on a quick but magical trip to Burma. I can’t express how beautiful this country is. The best travel photos I’ve taken come from my trip to Burma (or Myanmar as it’s also known). I went in the hottest of hot seasons and was virtually alone for the entire trip, not another tourist in site. I wandered around many temples in Yangon and Bagan. Ever present at these temples were wreathes of Jasmine flowers for sale. They’re to be used as offerings for Buddha and along with little squares of gold leaf. The wreathes have the most wonderful smell. I took a quick snap of my hand holding the flowers, noticing that my fingers were now smudged with gold from pressing the leaf onto Buddha for luck and good health. It perfectly sums up my Burmese experience – temples, offerings and being on my own.

Red

Tired Toddler Atop a Temple

The temples of Bagan are one of the most magical and photogenic sites in the world. I’ve never seen anything like it – hundreds of Buddhist stupa dotted across a barren, dusty landscape. While the temples were fabulous to look at and photograph, I most loved interacting with the local kids that are there to take advantage of the tourist trade. I’d spent a good hour chatting and touring one particular temple with the older sister of this little chap. The sun was going down on what had obviously been a long day hanging out with Mum and Sis and trying to sell a few postcards to the tourists. While his sister still had the energy to rattle off numbers one through ten in six different languages, this little guy just parked himself in a shady corner and waited patiently for his day to be done. Best photo I’ve ever taken.

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