Threatening a water buffalo… And then shooting him!

rickwaggoner — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:21:34 +0000

Okay, so you may be wondering what a peace loving water buffalo would have to do to deserve a threat? Perhaps steal my grass or something. In actuality, it was him who threatened me after I made him (or her?) feel threatened! The relationship between buffalo and children in Vietnam is a very special thing. So one day when I was taking some pics of children riding and playing on top of buffalo, one particular buffalo (pictured above) decided that I was a threat. He gave me a really strong stare, raising his chin up in a very serious way. I’m no animal expert, but it was obvious to me that he meant business. So, I shot him… With my camera of-course! Then I backed off and took some more pics of the kids and moved on. Well, later that same day I saw some other children riding the same water buffalo… Or so I think. I mean, they (the water buffalo) all kinda look alike. I’m pretty sure it was the same one though because from a distance of over 100 meters (300ish feet) he turned and stared me down again. You may have heard the phrase “the memory of an elephant”, as elephants tend to remember things for a long time. Perhaps it would be reasonable to start a new phrase, “the memory of a water buffalo”. After all, this one seemed to remember being shot with a camera! =-)

Hang Ma Street

rickwaggoner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:05:08 +0000

Click here to license this image

One of my favorite destinations is Hang Ma Street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. Lucky for me, that’s just a few minutes away! Of all of the places I’ve been in the world, Hang Ma Street has got to be the most colorful. Hang Ma is where Vietnamese people go to pick up holiday decorations and related goods for events like Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year) and Tết Trung thu (Mid Autumn Festival). It’s common to see both Vietnamese and foreign photographers along the street, as it’s simply that beautiful and interesting. Visiting Hang Ma right before one of the holidays is the most fun. It’s at such times that the street is the most packed, and moving requires wading through a river of motorcycles and pedestrians. I know many photographers prefer to stick with studios and less cluttered environments, but for me standing in the middle of a crowded street that constantly changes with the current of people is a premium photographic experience. Yeah, it can be a pain to make sure I don’t get run over, but you’ve gotta die somehow, and it’s only the privileged that get to dye doing something they love!

The Gong Show

rickwaggoner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:15:10 +0000

When I was a young boy my family would give me pots and pans to bang on. Never did I imagine that in another part of the world this fun and constructive use of my time would actually be considered music! Tonight I attended a really cool exhibition about this very thing at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. VME is, by far, the coolest museum in Vietnam! So cool that I’d probably live there if I could! But anyway, back to the gong show, right? Tonight launched an exhibition of archival photos taken in Gia Lai Province way back before my pot banging concerts began. Like one would expect, it started with a bunch of speeches expressing gratitude for the cooperative effort it took to put on the exhibition… Yadi yadi yada! I kinda zoned out during that part, and might have “gonged” people off stage to fast forward things on a bit if I could. After that exciting portion of the event came to a completion the whole crowd of people moved upstairs to view the photos. It was a bit of a squeeze to get by all of the TV and photojournalists, but eventually I managed to land myself in front of some great pics! My favorite was a really old photo of a group of men in a long Ede communal house. Though I’ve been in the same kind of house at the museum’s outdoor exhibition, it was much more meaningful to see it full of Ede people, and not just tourists. There were a number of really amazing photos of people dancing around while beating gongs. Surprise! There were also some pretty interesting photos of a water buffalo sacrifice. I guess that last part could leave people wondering if the gongs might have some sort of association with a dinner bell… You know, like: “Gong! It’s time to eat!”. However, that’s definitely not the case. The Bana, Ede, Mnong, Jarai and Ma peoples are really into the art of gong music, and would likely gong me off this page for suggesting otherwise. So, if you get the chance, head on over to the museum to check out this fascinating exhibition! It’s on until February 7th, 2010.

yum

rickwaggoner — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:07:20 +0000

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Wow! That’s a freakishly big python you are selling!

rickwaggoner — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:15:18 +0000

Click here to license this image

The last time I ventured out to Bac Ha with some friends I took them to see the Sunday Market that Bac Ha is famous for. If you’ve never been, you really should check it out! Cool place. Well, as we were entering the market I saw a really odd looking meat for sale, which turned out to be python meat! Seeing how large the skin of the snake was I inquired with the lady selling the meat as to where she had killed it. Her answer was a relaxed, “At home.” At home I thought to myself? Finding a snake this big “at home” would be a sure fire way to make it my home no more. Had I been her I would have answered, “At my former home. I’ve moved now!”. Yes, this would make more sense.

LOOK3 YOURSPACE

rickwaggoner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:11:52 +0000

One of my photos got accepted to the LOOK3 YOURSPACE festival of photography. You can check out the festival photos below:

LOOK3 YourSpace Online – Images by Festival of the Photograph

In the bag

rickwaggoner — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:24:46 +0000

I always like to ask other photographers what gear they pack when they travel. I guess there’s the hope that someone will have discovered something that would improve my kit. Other people have asked me the same, so I’ll go ahead and share here what I take with me. On most trips I pack my Canon 1D Mark II, 16-35 f/2.8 L, 24-70 f/2.8 L, 70-200 f/2.8 L and 1.4 x extender. A Tiffen cicular polarizer and Haze filter is packed for each of these. The 70-200 is by far my favorite lens, and sees the most use. My plan is to eventually add a full frame body like the 5D Mark II so that I can run two lenses at once. There’s simply too much dust and rain in the field to change lenses all of the time. Having full frame would also allow me to maximize use of the 16-35. Were money not an object I’d probably add a 1Ds Mark IV when it comes out.

On trips under a week long I pack an 80 GB Epson P-5000. That way I don’t have to lug a computer around. CF card wise I bring all I’ve got, which is about 12 GB worth. I also throw in a squeezable air blower, 2-3 lens wipes, the visible dust pro kit for cleaning off dust and a rain cover for my backpack. Three camera batteries come along as well, plus between two and four packs of double a batteries for my 580ex flash. I mention the flash late in this post because I don’t use it unless I have to. Natural light photograpy has always been my favorite, and from what I can tell the people I’m photographing prefer not to have a flash going off all of the time. I’d really like to add an 85 f/1.2 L to the kit for low light situtations. Many village homes are dark, and so it’s difficult to shoot without a flash at f/2.8. For now I’m stuck with the flash, an off camera shoe cord and an omnibounce difuser.

The non-photographic items I take are a pad and pen to record location names, two mini-mag flashlights, a snack (e.g. nuts) to keep my energy levels up, water for hydration, bandaids and a jacket. All of this of-course weighs a ton when it’s put together in a bag. However I typically use all of it on each trip. Since weight is an issue though I use a gitzo travellers monopod, and leave the tripod at home.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. I always enjoy talking about photography.