"I'm no travel blogger" insists Dougal Gorman. A true been there, done that, bought the postcard-type operator, who'll tell ya beers were 30-cents, and that's about it. Short on words, Dougal shares his Photo Diary from Hà Nội to Ho Chi Minh, an itinerary guided by Vietnam's colour and chaos.
Photos: Dougal Gorman // @dougalgorman.
Under the unassuming guise of a tourist, Dougal Gorman does his best work. Sparingly equipped with his point-and-shoot and three rolls of film, Dougal proves less is more. Less gear to weigh you down. More immersion into your surroundings. Now there's a lesson in observation for all of us. Take note.
For this trip to Vietnam I had one simple point-and-shoot and 3 rolls of film, that’s it. I’ve never been a tech-savvy, gear-heavy kind of photographer and perhaps never will be.
My photography mates and I have always said ‘photography is a prison’. Which sounds dramatic, but it’s more of a metaphorical prison that I’m happy to be locked up in. The idea is you can’t help but see the world in photos all of the time. It can be very overwhelming but it’s also a wonderful and thorough way of seeing the world. Rather than glancing over what most would deem ‘boring’, you start to really look at things and see the beauty in the so-called boring.
Anyway, that’s my poetic two cents on photography that no one asked for. I guess that frame of mind is how I tackle exploring new countries with my camera. These were taken over the course of two weeks between the amazing Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat, Hoi An and Ha Noi. Vietnam is a wonderful world of colour, culture and chaos, a perfect recipe for finding yourself in photography prison!
I’m no travel blogger so I won’t harp on about Vietnam too much, but god damn it’s good. The food, the people, the nightlife, the nature, Vietnam has it all perfectly bundled up in a well-balanced holiday destination. One night you’re drinking 30-cent beers with rowdy Europeans, the next you’re shoulder to shoulder with local Vietnamese families eating the most delicious food your taste buds have ever experienced.
There are hundreds of places I’d recommend, but since we’re talking film photography you have to go see Bac The X Cameras (Hanoi film camera). The scans I received from him are hands down the best quality I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the honest prices and amazing camera collection. It’s also above a beer hall. What more do you want?
View more Hung Supply Magazine Photo Diaries here.
