Early morning boating - photo workshop day 2

Today was perfect for light and location. I gave up on aperture priority and used manual settings. I still had problems with exposure but at least my shots were more in focus!

We met by the river, in the dark, at 4.30am. A boat took us to a fishing village. It was another gorgeous sunrise, this time with fishing nets, boats and people to photograph from the boat. These two women paddle across the wide river ever morning on their way to the local market. Once a month a boatload of photographers circle them for a while, take lots of pictures, and then throw them a rope and give them a tow the rest of the way to market.

I like this photo, even though the bit of boat in the foreground is annoying. It’s unedited. The tutors on the workshop weren’t impressed though when we had a review session on Sunday. (They thought it was more evidence that I should get rid of my zoom lens and get a prime lens.) But I still like it for the light on their faces and the fishing net in the background.

We got off the boat at the same market the women were going to. We had breakfast at a stall in the market and then took photos all around the market. The extra is just two of the many women selling fruit and vegetables outside the market. Inside the market was much darker and we were looking for where the light filtered in to get interesting shots. My photos here were less good, but were mostly in focus and when I have time, I’m sure some can be improved with some editing. About 30 minutes before we were due to finish, my battery ran out. I was so tired last night that I forgot to charge both of my batteries – the one that ran out yesterday and the one in my camera. I was actually impressed it lasted that long. I switched to using my phone for 10 minutes and then went and had a drink at the cafe we were meeting at.

We got the boat back to Hoi An and were back in the hotel before they stopped serving breakfast at 10am! After a couple of hours rest (and battery charging) we checked out of the hotel and met for lunch. After lunch, a minibus drove us over the Hai Van Pass to Lang Co, a lagoon just north of the mountains. The afternoon was more landscape photos than people photos because we didn’t find so many people working. After a while clouds started rolling down from the mountains. It was weird; the wind was blowing from one direction but the clouds were moving towards us from the opposite direction. The light was extraordinary. We retreated to a cafe when the rain got too heavy to take photos. It didn’t last long and as the sky cleared, a double rainbow appeared. (See extra) After some disparaging remarks about my polarising filter yesterday (“that black thing on your lens”) from the tutors, here was a situation for it. (I didn’t know that even when a polarizing filter is turned so it’s not used, that it’s still cutting down the light.) When the best of the light had gone, we drove a bit further north to the town of Cau Hai (I think) where we were staying. Dinner was at a small local restaurant and was delicious. Tomorrow we start 15 minutes earlier again, at 4.15am.