Vietnam to Cambodia cycle with camera - portrait tips needed!!!

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Hi Guys,

I am cycling from Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam to Angkor *** in Cambodia in a few weeks time.

I am taking my CANON A1 35mm film camera with me and have set myself the task of taking 50 portraits of local people I meet along the way.

I haven't done any portrait photography and very little street photography. Any tips or advice you guys can offer wouldbe great;y appreciated, from how to approach people to technical tips.

Also can anyone recommend a good black and white film for my travels considering it will be largely street and portrait shots I will be taking??

Thanks

Dan
 
It is going to be sunny, and you want to use larger apertures for blurred backgrounds... so you'll probably want an ISO~100 film.

Kodak T-Max 100
Fuji Acros 100
Ilford Delta 100
Ilford FP4+ 125

Are probably the main ones you should consider. Agfa APX100, Fomapan 100 are some others. Definitely shoot a roll of each and see how you like the results before committing to that film, if possible.
 
My tip would be shoot as much as you can in the early morning, late evening. If you meet interesting people in the middle of the day take them into the shade/indoors and utilise the strong sunlight to create dramatic lighting with shadows. Grab a wide 50mm prime so you can utilise the shallow DOF. I would be tempted to take a higher ISO film and then a couple of ND filters as you can then shoot in a wider range of situations (something like a 400iso film, mabe HP5?) you will encounter.
 
Cheers for the replies guys.

If I am using 100 ASA film and happen to end up taking a few shots outside in the middle of the day (street shots/portrait shots) whilst its really sunny would you recommend I use a filter??

I'm assuming an ND filter and can I use anyone or is there one you would suggest?

Never used a filter, they're good for controlling lens flare yeah?
 
An ND filter is just like sunglasses for your camera. Dependent on the speed of film you are using, i'd take and a couple, maybe an ND4 and and ND6 (i'm sure someone with a little more knowhow will correct me).

If your using a 400 hundred film and wide open apertures in sunny conditions, it wont take much to reach the max exposure for your camera (and it's not as if you can just dial down the ISO settings). ND filters also help bring out extra details in clouds and shadows.

Sounds like the bike ride of a lifetime! Good luck!
 
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What a great project! The people are very friendly so I'm sure you'll hit your target, post up the results when you get back. I saw several groups of westerners last time I went riding up the mountains on bikes. Slightly mad but I can understand the attraction. Good luck!
 
Thanks again for the replies

I think I'll do some research on filters and once I've decided what film I intend to use I'll pick up a couple of filters. any further tips for mytrip would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Dan
 
Hi Dan

Sounds like a great trip.

I cycled in Cambodia last year and Thailand and Laos the year before and the best advice I can give is to make sure that people are happy for you to take their photograph. Whilst they are incredibly friendly people, they don't always like having a camera pointed at them and in some cases they may expect a reward or 'payment' for letting you take their photograph.

We were encouraged by our tour guides to pack any complimentary toiletries we picked up in the hotels - toothbrushes, shampoo, combs, into our daypacks and hand them out at refreshment and lunch stops, it doesn't sound much but when we handed them out the joy and happiness it provided was a memory that will last with me for a long time.

It's a stunning part of the world, i'm sure you'll have a great time.

B
 
Sounds a fantastic project, really looking forward to seeing some of the shots on this site when you return
 
bostin said:
Hi Dan

Sounds like a great trip.

I cycled in Cambodia last year and Thailand and Laos the year before and the best advice I can give is to make sure that people are happy for you to take their photograph. Whilst they are incredibly friendly people, they don't always like having a camera pointed at them and in some cases they may expect a reward or 'payment' for letting you take their photograph.

We were encouraged by our tour guides to pack any complimentary toiletries we picked up in the hotels - toothbrushes, shampoo, combs, into our daypacks and hand them out at refreshment and lunch stops, it doesn't sound much but when we handed them out the joy and happiness it provided was a memory that will last with me for a long time.

It's a stunning part of the world, i'm sure you'll have a great time.

B

I have found that if you interact with your subject beforehand, speak to them, buy something from their stall, play football with them etc then they will never ask for money. The problem comes mainly around tourist areas when certain people will actually ask people to take photos of them and then ask for money in return. Usually a smile and keeping your wits about you stops you getting into situations in the first place. In 5 months in Asia I only paid two people and in both cases it was because I was stopping them working for a long period of time so it's only right to reimburse them for lost trade and it was agreed beforehand
 
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